PROVO -- The BYU Cougars defeated the first-place team in the Mountain West Conference, the New Mexico Lobos, 55-46 Saturday in their final home game of the season thanks to a strong defensive effort. With the win, BYU stands at 16-8 overall and 7-4 in MWC play. The Cougars also improved to 12-3 at the Marriott Center. The Lobos are now 20-4 and 8-2.

BYU Coach Jeff Judkins attributed the win to desire and a solid team effort.

"I felt they wanted this one," he said. "They really came together and did it as a team. Everyone that played contributed. It's a great win for this team."

Judkins added that the defense was a major factor in the victory.

"I thought we had a great defensive effort," he added. "They shot poorly but they didn't have a lot of good looks either. We forced them to take a lot of bad shots that they didn't want to take."

The Cougars limited the Lobos to 32 percent shooting and had the edge on the boards at 43-39. BYU is now 14-4 when winning the battle on the boards.

The Cougars who also struggled from the field, hitting just 30 percent of their shots, made their free throws. BYU hit 19-of-23 for the game, including 15-of-19 in the second half.

Kristen Kozlowski, one of four seniors honored before the game, led BYU with 11 ponts and seven rebounds. Mallary Gillespie was second on the team with 10 points, five of which came on a three and a breakaway layup early in the second half that pushed the Cougar lead to six.

Danielle Cheesman and Julie Sullivan, two other players making their final appearance in the Marriott Center, made big contributions as well. Cheesman had a game-high 10 rebounds and added nine points, two assists and two blocks. Sullivan hit 9-of-12 free throws, four coming in the closing minutes of the game to solidify the victory.

Dionne Marsh had 13 points and nine rebouinds for the Lobos while Lindsey Arndt added nine points and nine rebounds.

The Cougars took control early in the game, jumping ahead 10-6 as all five starters scored. Ambrosia Anderson came off the bench to score five quick points to extend the lead to 15-9. New Mexico came back with a 10-0 run to take the 15-19 lead.

It would be the last time the Lobos would lead in the game as BYU went on a 9-2 run to close out the half with a 24-22 lead. The run included four Cheesman points and was capped by Kozlowski three. The Cougars are now 14-2 when leading at the half.

Kozlowski scored again to start the second half before Judy Vogt three cut the BYU lead to 26-25. Gillespie then went on her five-point run to increase the lead to six at 31-25. New Mexico would get no closer than four the rest of the way as the Cougars made their free throws and came up big defensively to seal the win.

BYU will be on the road the rest of the season with its next game at the University of Utah, Thursday, Feb. 19 at 7 p.m. The game can be heard live on BYU Radio.

Official Basketball Box Score
New Mexico Lobos vs Brigham Young
02/19/05 2:00PM at MARRIOTT CTR, PROVO, UT
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VISITORS: New Mexico Lobos 20-4; 9-2
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
33 MARSH, Dionne....... f  5-12   0-0    3-6    7  2  9   3  13  0  3  1  0  23
42 ARNDT, Lindsey...... f  4-10   1-1    0-1    2  7  9   3   9  2  3  1  1  40
05 LETZ, Abbie......... c  2-6    1-4    0-0    0  1  1   2   5  1  0  0  1  22
13 MONTGOMERY, Katie... g  2-8    0-5    0-0    1  5  6   1   4  4  5  0  2  40
21 MOORE, Mandi........ g  0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   2   0  1  0  0  1   7
04 SHETTERS, Jenny.....    2-4    0-0    0-0    0  2  2   2   4  0  1  0  0   8
14 VOGT, Judy..........    2-6    1-5    0-0    1  3  4   0   5  4  3  1  1  30
24 FRANCIS, Jana.......    1-4    0-0    0-0    1  0  1   5   2  1  1  0  0  12
40 BRIODY, Julie.......    1-9    0-4    2-2    0  2  2   2   4  1  2  0  0  16
41 KIMBLE, Brandi......    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  1  0  0   2
   TEAM................                         2  3  5
   Totals..............   19-59   3-19   5-9   14 25 39  20  46 14 19  3  6 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half:  9-27 33.3%   2nd Half: 10-32 31.3%   Game: 32.2%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  1-7  14.3%   2nd Half:  2-12 16.7%   Game: 15.8%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  3-6  50.0%   2nd Half:  2-3  66.7%   Game: 55.6%    1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOME TEAM: Brigham Young 16-8; 7-4
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
32 KOZLOWSKI, Kristen.. f  4-8    1-1    2-2    2  3  5   4  11  1  0  1  2  33
35 JOHNSEN, Melinda.... f  1-4    0-1    5-6    0  1  1   0   7  2  1  0  1  24
51 CHEESMAN, Danielle.. c  4-8    0-0    1-1    4  6 10   4   9  2  1  2  1  32
14 SULLIVAN, Julie..... g  0-9    0-2    9-12   1  3  4   2   9  3  4  1  2  32
30 GILLESPIE, Mallary.. g  4-9    2-5    0-0    3  4  7   0  10  1  2  0  2  24
13 GOOLD, Tiari........    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   1   0  2  1  0  0  18
25 TAYLOR, Kali........    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  1  1   0   0  0  1  0  1   3
33 ANDERSON, Ambrosia..    3-12   1-6    0-0    3  4  7   1   7  1  3  0  1  20
45 KUBIK, Dani.........    0-3    0-0    2-2    0  0  0   4   2  0  5  1  1  13
52 RILEY, Lauren.......    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   1
   TEAM................                         1  7  8
   Totals..............   16-53   4-15  19-23  14 29 43  16  55 12 18  5 11 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half:  9-29 31.0%   2nd Half:  7-24 29.2%   Game: 30.2%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  2-9  22.2%   2nd Half:  2-6  33.3%   Game: 26.7%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  4-4  100 %   2nd Half: 15-19 78.9%   Game: 82.6%    2
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Officials: CLARKE STEVENS, EDWARD FLORES, STANLEY EVANS
Technical fouls: New Mexico Lobos-None. Brigham Young-None.
Attendance: 803
Score by Periods                1st  2nd   Total
New Mexico Lobos..............   22   24  -   46
Brigham Young.................   24   31  -   55
OFFICIAL FINAL
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The final two MWC games at home are set for this week for the Cougars' women's basketball team. BYU (14-8, 5-4) hosts Air Force (7-14, 2-6) on Thursday night and New Mexico (19-3, 8-1) Saturday afternoon. During the New Mexico game the four seniors on this year's roster will be recognized.

Teams: BYU (14-8, 5-4) vs. AFA (7-14, 2-6) Date: 02/1705 Time: 7 p.m. Arena: Marriott Center

Teams: BYU (14-8, 5-4) vs. UNM (19-3, 8-1) Date: 02/19/05 Time: 2 p.m. Arena: Marriott Center

Follow the women's basketball action live on BYU Radio

All of the women's basketball games can be heard live on BYU radio via the internet at www.byuradio.org Veteran BYU broadcaster Jay Monsen calls the action. Fans can also access BYU Radio on the Dish Network.

BYU's Probable Starters

Pos. # Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

G 14 Julie Sullivan 5-8 Sr 11.1 3.5

G 30 Mallary Gillespie 5-10Fr 7.7 2.5

F 32 Kristin Kozlowski 6-2 Sr 9.9 5.1

F 35 Melinda Johnsen 5-10So 3.8 2.1

F 51 Danielle Cheesman 6-2 Sr 8.6 8.5

Cougar Players Off The Bench

Pos. # Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

F 33 Ambrosia Anderson 6-2 Jr 10.6 4.9

C 45 Dani Kubik 6-3 So 8.4 4.5

C 52 Lauren Riley 6-3 Fr 2.2 1.9

F 50 Mary Martha Abell 6-3 Fr 1.9 1.7

G 15 Tiari Goold 5-10Fr 0.7 1.1

G 10 Laura Stratton 5-6 Jr 0.5 0.4

2004-05 Team Stats --

-- Shooting from the field: (.441, 545-1236)

-- Shooting from the free-throw line: (.717, 259-361)

-- Shooting from three-point line: (.311, 99-318)

-- Average points per game: 65.8

Lineup Update

Starters: Record:

Seljaas, Sullivan, Kozlowski, Johnsen, Cheesman: 6-4

Sullivan, Anderson, Kozlowski, Johnsen, Cheesman: 2-1

Sullivan, Gillespie, Anderson, Kozlowski, Cheesman: 1-0

Goold, Sullivan, Kozlowski, Johnsen, Cheesman: 2-1

Sullivan, Gillespie, Kozlowski, Johnsen, Cheesman: 2-2

Previous Game Recap

BYU's three-game winning streak was snapped Saturday afternoon in Laramie as Wyoming shot the lights out and swept the season series, defeating the Cougars 56-75.

The Cougars couldn't contain Wyoming from beyond the arc as the Cowgirls drained 11 of their 26 shots for 43 percent on the game. BYU made only one three-point basket out of 11 attempts.

Wyoming's Ashley Elliott scored a game-high 25 points, on 5 of 13 shooting and made all 13 of her free throws.

The Cougars led the Cowgirls in field goal percentage going into halftime, 54 percent to 45 percent, but trailed 31-39, thanks to eight three-point baskets in 14 attempts for Wyoming. Elliott, who leads the MWC this season in scoring, led all players at the half with 14 points, shooting 2-3 from beyond the arc.

Early in the second half, senior Julie Sullivan brought the score to 37-44 with a layup, but that was the closest BYU would get. Sophomore Dani Kubik started out strong for BYU in the second half, scoring 8 of her 10 points, but was ejected for a flagrant foul with 13:29 left in the game. Coach Judkins believed that could have been the turning point in the game.

Wyoming answered with an 8-0 run and put the game away, extending it's lead to 59-41. Senior Kristen Kozlowski stopped the drought with the Cougars only three point basket.

Junior Ambrosia Anderson led the Cougars with 13 points, followed by 10 points each for Sullivan and Kubik. It was the 12th time this season in which three different players have scored in double figures.

About the Cougars

-- The Cougars current record: 14-8, 5-4

-- The team's leading scorer is senior point guard Julie Sullivan, who tallies 11.1 points.

-- Senior forward Danielle Cheesman tops the list in the rebound category with 8.5 per game.

-- Cheesman notched her fifth double double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds in the Utah game on 01/29/05. It was her 12th overall.

-- Cheesman joined BYU's elite 1,000 point club when she hit a three-point bucket just minutes into the Weber State game on 12/30/04. She becomes the 14th student-athlete who has reached that similar milestone during their BYU college career.

-- Anderson picked up her first double double of the 2004-05 campaign with the 20 points and 12 rebounds against SEMO on 12/10/04.

-- Freshman Mallary Gillespie put in seven three pointers in the game vs. Nevada on 11/24/04, that's two shy of BYU's all-time record holder in three pointers, Erin Thorn. Thorn tallied nine treys vs. Arkansas Pine-Bluff at a tournament in Denver on 12/14/01.

BYU By The Numbers

15 games where Julie Sullivan has scored in double figures.

11 games that senior forward Kristin Kozlowski has scored in double figures.

12 times that BYU has had at least three players scoring in double figures.

10 times that Ambrosia Anderson has scored in double figures.

8 season-high blocks by BYU in the game vs. Wyoming on 01/13/05

5 times that the Cougars have shot 50 percent or better from the field: vs. Colorado State on 01/15/05 (50.8, 31-61); vs. Portland State on 01/08/05 (51.7, 31-60); vs. USC on 12/18/04 (55.3, 26-47); vs. GW on 12/06/04 (50.0, 27-54); and vs. SUU on 11/19/04 (52.6, 30-57).

1 time that BYU has shot 60 percent: vs. UNLV on 2/05/05 (60.4,32-53)

Player Injury Report/Updates

--Nancy Seljaas will not play against Air Force and is questionable for New Mexico after breaking her foot at the UNM game on 1/20/05.

-- Kali Taylor will not play against Air Force and is questionable for the New Mexico game. She broke a finger in her left hand.

-- Junior forward Jennie Keele will get a medical redshirt for the rest of this season due to foot injury.

-- Dani Kubik will not play in the Air Force game. She has been suspended by the MWC and BYU for a flagarant foul against a Wyoming player on 02/12/05 in Laramie.

Cougars Picked Fifth in Preseason Media Poll

For the 2004-05 season, BYU's women's basketball team was picked to finish 5th in the regular MWC season.

Rk. Teams (1st votes) Points

1. UNLV (5) 134

2. New Mexico (8) 131

Utah (7) 131

4. Colorado State 92

5. BYU 88

6. Wyoming 65

7. San Diego State 43

8. Air Force 28

Abell Gets MWC Newcomer of the Year Nomination in Preseason Media Poll

Mary Martha Abell, a 6-3 freshman forward from Monroe, Louisiana and Monroe High School was picked as the top newcomer in the media's preseason poll announced in Denver in October 2004.

Tracking the Cougars vs. MWC as of Feb. 14

Category Conference Games All Games

Scoring Offense 3rd, 63.0 3rd, 65.8

Scoring Defense 3rd, 59.8 5th, 59.5

Scoring Margin 3rd, +3.2 4th, +6.4

Field Goal Pct. 1st, .440 1st, .441

Free Throw Pct. 6th, .706 5th, .717

3-Point Field Goal Pct. 5th, .289 5th, .311

Rebounding Offense 1st, 38.9 2nd, 39.6

Rebounding Defense 4th, 33.6 4th, 32.8

Blocked Shots 2nd, 4.00 4th, 3.05

Assists 3rd, 15.11 1st, 16.09

Steals 6th, 6.89 6th, 7.73

Assist/Turnover Ratio 3rd, .89 4th, .87

3-Point Field Goals Made 6th, 3.67 6th, 4.50

Offensive Rebounds 4th, 12.67 5th, 12.27

Defensive Rebounds 1st, 26.22 1st, 27.32

Tracking BYU Players in the MWC as of Feb. 14

Name Category Conf. Games All Games

Sullivan, J. Scoring 8th, 13.3 13th, 11.1

Anderson, A. Scoring 16tht, 9.2 16th, 10.6

Cheesman, D. Scoring 20th, 8.9 22th, 8.6

Kubik, D. Scoring 23rd, 8.2 ----

Kozlowski, K. Scoring 24th, 8.0 18th, 9.9

Gillespie, M. Scoring 30th, 6.3 25th, 7.7

Kubik, D. FG Pct. 1st, .617 ----

Chessman, D. FG Pct. 9th, .459 8th, .460

Kozlowski, K. FG Pct. 10th, .452 2nd, .554

Anderson, A. FG Pct. 11th, .449 9th, .442

Sullivan, J. FG Pct. 13th, .427 14th, .410

Cheesman, D. Rebounding 4tht, 7.7 3rd, 8.5

Kozlowski, K. Rebounding 9th, 5.9 13th, 5.1

Kubik, D. Rebounding 16th,4.8 ----

Sullivan, J. Assists 4th, 3.89 5th, 4.00

Goold, T. Assists 8th, 3.33 9th, 2.77

Sullivan, J. FT Pct. 14tht, .697 6th, .767

Kozlowski, K. FT Pct. ----- 7th, .762

Sullivan, J. 3-PF FG Pct. 1st, .727 ----

Anderson, A. 3-PT FG Pct. 9th, .389 ----

Kubik, D. Blocked Shots 5th, 1.00 ----

Cheesman, D. Blocked Shots 11tht, 0.56 ----

Sullivan, J. Blocked Shots 11tht, 0.56 15th, 0.50

Anderson, A. Steals 12tht, 1.33 ----

Sullivan, J. 3-PT FG Made 12tht, 1.00 ----

Gillespie, M. 3-PT FG Made ---- 6th, 1.59

Cheesman, D. Offensive Reb. 1st, 3.56 4th, 3.09

Kozlowski, K. Offensive Reb. 8th, 2.22 10th, 2.14

Cheesman, D. Defensive Reb. 8th, 4.11 2nd, 5.45

Kozlowski, K. Defensive Reb. 10th, 3.67 ----

Kubik, D. Defensive Reb. 14tht, 3.22 ----

Anderson, A. Defensive Reb. ---- 11th, 3.86

About Air Force Academy

The Air Force Academy is currently in seventh place in the MWC standings with a 7-14, 2-6 record. The Falcons picked up league wins over Wyoming and San Diego State. Two players continue to score in double figures for AF led by Alecia Steele with 11.8 points and a team high 6.7 rebounds per game. Sophomore guard Letricia Castillo follows in scoring with 11.0 points and 3.7 boards a contest. The team is shooting 38 percent from the field, 66 percent at the foul line and 29 percent from behind three point range. After a total of 21 games, the Falcons are scoring 61.3 points and allowing opponents to score 68.0 points per game.

Air Force Probable Starters

Pos.# Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

G 04 Letricia Castillo 5-8 So 11.0 3.7

G 25 Lauren Henderson 5-5 Fr 6.7 2.3

F 21 Jennifer Roesch 6-0 Sr 5.5 4.5

F 32 Alecia Steele 6-0 Fr 11.8 6.7

C 44 Jacki Novak 6-2 So 5.0 2.8

Series Record: 13-0 in favor of the Cougars

Last Meeting: BYU and the Air Force Academy met once already this season, in Colorado Springs where the Cougars picked up the 75-66 win. The Air Force Falcons have a 0-6 record when playing in the Marriott Center.

About University of New Mexico

Atop the MWC race is New Mexico with a 19-3 and 8-1 record. The Lobos lone conference loss was at UNLV where the team lost by three, 60-63. Dionne Marsh and Lindsey Arndt top the list in scoring with 11.4 points from Marsh and 10.0 from Arndt who also leads in the rebound category with 6.1 per game. The Lobos are shooting 42 percent from the field, 72 percent from the free throw line and 37.5 percent when shooting from three-point range. New Mexico is scoring 65.7 points and holding opponents to just 51.3 points.

New Mexico Probable Starters

Pos.# Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

G 21 Mandi Moore 5-7 Sr 7.1 4.7

G 13 Katie Montgomery5-10So 7.8 3.2

G 05 Abbie Letz 6-0 Jr 6.3 4.4

F 33 Dionne Marsh 6-1 Fr 11.4 5.3

F 42 Lindsey Arndt 6-1 Sr 10.0 6.1

Series Record: 34-19 favoring BYU

Last Meeting: In the first meeting between the Cougars and the Lobos in Albuquerque, New Mexico came out on the winning side with a 64-51 victory. The Lobos are 10-13 when playing in Provo at the Marriott Center. New Mexico has won the last three of five games played in Provo.

Head Coach - Jeff Judkins

Overall Record: 71-42, begins his fourth season at BYU.

Under Coach Judkins, the team has gone to back-to-back NCAA appearances as well as to the title games of the MWC Championships, winning the title game in 2001-02.

An all-state selection in basketball, football and baseball, Judkins played basketball for the University of Utah Utah from 1974-78. While playing for the Utes, he helped the team win one conference championship and two berths in the NCAA Tournament.

He was a second-team academic All-American and three-time first-team District VII academic selection. Judkins earned three first-team All-WAC honors and was a member of the 1977 United States World Games team that captured the gold medal.

He played five years in the NBA for the Boston Celtics, Portland Trailblazers, Detroit Pistons and the Utah Jazz. He was a second-round pick by the Celtics in 1978, the same year the Celtics selected Larry Bird with the sixth pick overall.

After his NBA career, he returned to the U of U in 1989, and remained with the men's program for 10 years. Judkins, a Salt Lake City native, graduated from Utah in 1978 with a degree in health and physical education. He is a member of the Utah Sports Hall of Fame and the Crimson Club Hall of Fame.

He and his wife Mary Kay, are the parents of five children: Jessica (24), Jordan (22), Jenna (20), Jaime (17), Jaxson (14).

Judkins Record vs. MWC Schools

School Record In 2005

Air Force 6-0 1-0

CSU 1-5 2-0

New Mexico 2-6 0-1

San Diego State 6-0 1-0

UNLV 5-4 1-0

Utah 3-4 0-1

Wyoming 5-2 0-2

2004-05 Cougar Roster Breakdown

Seniors (4):

Danielle Cheesman, Kristen Kozlowski, Julie Sullivan, Kali Taylor

Juniors (5):

Ambrosia Anderson, Julie Cross, Jennie Keele (Overdiek), Nancy Seljaas, Laura Stratton

Sophomore (3):

Dani Kubik, Tiari Goold,Melinda Johnsen

Freshman (4):

Mary Martha Abell, Mallary Gillespie, Lauren Riley, Summer Sykes

By Position

Forward (6):

Mary Martha Abell, Ambrosia Anderson, Danielle Cheesman, Kristen Kozlowski,

Summer Sykes

Guard (6):

Julie Cross, Mallary Gillespie, Tiari Goold, Laura Stratton, Julie Sullivan, Kali Taylor

Guard/Forward (3):

Melinda Johnsen, Jennie Keele, Nancy Seljaas

Center /Forward(2):

Dani Kubik, Lauren Riley

Team's Practice Schedule/Media Interviews

The BYU team practices at the Marriott Center from 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m., on Monday's, Wednesday's, Thursday's, and Friday's. On Tuesday's , practice time is from 1 to 3 p.m.

Media interviews with coach Judkins and players can be done prior to or at the end of practice. All interviews must be scheduled in advance with the women's basketball athletic communications director, Norma Collett at 801-422-4908, 801-372-0989 during regular business hours or via email at: collett@byucougars..com

No interviews will be given the day of a game until after the game. Updated information on the women's basketball team is available 24 hours a day on the BYU web site at www.byucougars.com/basketball_w/

Stats on the team are updated on the web site every Monday morning. Media members may contact Norma Collett to receive news releases and game notes via email.

All working media personnel will be put on a media gate list for entry into the arena. The list will be available by the elevators near the main ticket office in the Marriott Center. No other credentials are needed. Media will be assigned a seat on press row to cover each home game.

What's Next

The Cougars play their final three MWC games on the road. At Utah on Feb., 24 in a 7 p.m., tip off. Then the team travels to Las Vegas for a game at UNLV on Mar. 3 and then at SDSU on Mar. 5. BYU will be in Denver for the 2005 MWC Championships from Mar. 8-12. All tournament games will be played at the Pepsi Center.