SPOKANE -- In the first round of the Women's National Invitational Tournament Wednesday evening, BYU fought hard but was overpowered in the end by Gonzaga, losing 57-71 in front of a rowdy crowd at the McCarthey Athletic Center.

Playing against a Bulldog team that was seemingly out to prove something after being overlooked by the NCAA tournament, Gonzaga seemed to quall each and every threat the Cougars presented.

"It wasn't the way we wanted our season to end, but what else can you say?" said BYU head coach Jeff Judkins. "Gonzaga is a very good team. They are a very good team and they played well together. They certainly had a lot of weapons."

In a first half that saw the scored tied five different times and five lead changes, Gonzaga went on a 11-2 run over 4:17, extending the lead to 27-18. With just five seconds remaining in the half and trailing 23-33, senior Julie Sullivan raced up the length of the court and found freshman Mallary Gillespie open beyond the arc in the corner. Gillespie nailed the three-point shot as the buzzer expired, to cut the Bulldog deficit to seven and ended the half on a positive note for BYU.

Sullivan had a team-high 8 points at the half while BYU shot just 39 percent to the Bulldogs 46 percent. Gillespie hit the only three-point basket in eight attempts for the Cougars.

BYU kept the momentum gained by Gillespie's last-second shot, and came out roaring in the second half as they cut an early 11-point second-half deficit to five following two free throws by sophomore Melinda Johnson, with 16:27 left in the game.

Gonzaga responded with a 15-6 run over the next seven minutes, capped by an Ashley Burke layup and foul shot, extending the Bulldog lead to 14 points with 9:30 remaining, 55-41. With 7:21 left, sophomore Tiari Goold scored her first points of the game with a three-pointer to bring the score to 48-57. But Gonzaga responded again with an 10-2 run, pushing the lead up to 69-50 with 2:02 remaining.

"We get into a point when we hit and miss and then we don't have confidence to come back when we get behind," added Judkins. "It's been an obstacle for us all year when we don't play smart after getting into foul trouble. We don't play our game and that's what makes the difference."

Playing in her first game back after recovering from a broken foot suffered during the season, junior Nancy Seljaas hit a three with 1:52 left, but the Cougars could not climb any closer. Senior Kali Taylor scored the last bucket of the game and also the last two points in her collegiate career, with a layup, and the BYU women's basketball season ended, losing 71-57.

Gonzaga guard Shannon Matthews led all scorers with 24 points, making 9 out of 12 shots. Sullivan led the Cougars with 14 points on four of seven shooting, adding two assists and two steals. BYU shot 43 percent for the game. Sophomore Melinda Johnson had a team-high five rebounds and five assists, to go along with six points.

BYU finished the season strong, winning eight of the last ten games, thanks to solid team play and aggressive defense. After dropping the MWC Tournament game to Utah and following tonight's loss to Gonzaga, the Cougars finished the season 19-11. Judkins has now won 15 games or more in his first four seasons as BYU head coach.

Playing in their final game for the Cougars were seniors Danielle Cheesman, Kristen Kozlowski, Julie Sullivan and Kali Taylor.

Gonzaga (28-3) will face the winner of the Southern Methodist University/Southwest Missouri State University game on either Saturday, Sunday or Monday. Game location and date will be determined after both games are completed with the SMU/SMS game being played on Thursday night.

Official Basketball Box Score
BRIGHAM YOUNG COUGARS vs GONZAGA BULLDOGS
03-16-05 7 p.m. at McCARTHEY ATHLETIC CENTER
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VISITORS: BRIGHAM YOUNG COUGARS 19-11
                          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  1-7    0-3    2-3    0  0  0   1   4  1  2  0  0  24
35 JOHNSEN, Melinda.... f  2-2    0-0    2-2    1  5  6   1   6  5  2  1  0  24
51 CHEESMAN, Danielle.. f  4-9    0-1    1-2    0  3  3   3   9  3  2  0  2  36
14 SULLIVAN, Julie..... g  6-12   0-1    2-2    0  1  1   3  14  2  1  0  2  32
30 GILLESPIE, Mallary.. g  4-7    2-4    0-0    1  1  2   1  10  2  2  0  1  21
01 SELJAAS, Nancy......    1-1    1-1    0-0    0  0  0   0   3  1  1  0  0   3
13 GOOLD, Tiari........    1-1    1-1    0-0    0  1  1   1   3  1  4  0  0  16
25 TAYLOR, Kali........    1-2    0-0    0-0    2  2  4   0   2  0  0  0  0   9
33 ANDERSON, Ambrosia..    2-10   0-6    0-0    0  4  4   0   4  0  4  0  1  15
45 KUBIK, Dani.........    1-2    0-1    0-0    0  2  2   3   2  0  1  0  0   9
50 ABELL, Mary Martha..    0-1    0-0    0-0    0  1  1   1   0  0  1  0  0   4
52 RILEY, Lauren.......    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  1  1   0   0  0  0  0  0   7
   TEAM................                         4  1  5
   Totals..............   23-54   4-18   7-9    8 22 30  14  57 15 20  1  6 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 11-28 39.3%   2nd Half: 12-26 46.2%   Game: 42.6%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  1-8  12.5%   2nd Half:  3-10 30.0%   Game: 22.2%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  3-5  60.0%   2nd Half:  4-4  100 %   Game: 77.8%   2,1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOME TEAM: GONZAGA BULLDOGS 28-3
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
13 BURKE, Ashley....... f  6-13   0-0    3-5    0  2  2   1  15  5  4  1  1  36
32 JEWELL, Raeanna..... f  1-5    1-1    0-0    2  3  5   1   3  3  0  0  1  24
42 HAWK, Stephanie..... f  3-7    0-0    4-4    0  2  2   2  10  0  0  0  0  23
10 MATHEWS, Shannon.... g  9-12   4-6    2-2    1  4  5   1  24  6  6  0  2  37
11 LANEY, Juliann...... g  0-2    0-1    0-0    0  3  3   1   0  3  2  0  0  15
01 HARRIS, Dominique...    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   5
03 KANE, Rachel........    1-2    1-2    0-0    0  2  2   0   3  0  0  0  0   6
21 RIDENOUR, Katy......    1-1    0-0    0-0    0  2  2   2   2  0  0  0  1  19
44 BAILEY, Anne........    5-11   0-1    0-1    1  3  4   0  10  2  3  1  1  25
54 LECOULTRE, Delphine.    2-4    0-0    0-2    0  1  1   1   4  1  0  1  0  10
   TEAM................                         3  1  4
   Totals..............   28-57   6-11   9-14   7 23 30   9  71 20 15  3  6 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 12-26 46.2%   2nd Half: 16-31 51.6%   Game: 49.1%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  3-7  42.9%   2nd Half:  3-4  75.0%   Game: 54.5%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  6-7  85.7%   2nd Half:  3-7  42.9%   Game: 64.3%    4
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Officials: Connie Perkins, Shawn Cather, Penny Davis
Technical fouls: BRIGHAM YOUNG COUGARS-SULLIVAN, Julie. GONZAGA
BULLDOGS-None.
Attendance: 3603
Score by Periods                1st  2nd   Total
BRIGHAM YOUNG COUGARS.........   26   31  -   57
GONZAGA BULLDOGS..............   33   38  -   71
ID-333069
Women's NIT 1st round.

With a 19-10, 9-5 record and a third place regular season finish in the MWC, the BYU women's basketball team has been invited to compete in the 2005 Postseason Sportsview.tv WNIT. The team's first round opponent is Gonzaga on Wed., Mar. 16 at 7 p.m. in Spokane.

Teams:BYU(19-10, 9-5)vs.Gonzaga (27-3,14-0)Date: 3/16/05 Time:7p.m. Arena:McCarthey Athletic Ctr.

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 11.6 3.5

G 30 Mallary Gillespie 5-10Fr 7.6 2.9

F 32 Kristin Kozlowski 6-2 Sr 9.5 5.4

F 35 Melinda Johnsen 5-10So 3.9 2.0

F 51 Danielle Cheesman 6-2 Sr 8.1 7.9

Cougar Players Off The Bench

Pos. # Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

F 33 Ambrosia Anderson 6-2 Jr 10.6 4.7

C 45 Dani Kubik 6-3 So 8.1 4.2

F 01 Nancy Seljaas 6-0 Jr 3.8 1.9

C 52 Lauren Riley 6-3 Fr 2.1 1.7

F 50 Mary Martha Abell 6-3 Fr 1.8 1.6

G 25 Kali Taylor 5-11 Sr 2.2 1.2

G 13 Tiari Goold 5-10 Fr 1.0 1.1

G 10 Laura Stratton 5-6 Jr 0.4 0.4

2004-05 Team Stats --

-- Shooting from the field: (.436, 656-1505)

-- Shooting from the free-throw line: (.722, 312-432)

-- Shooting from three-point line: (.314, 125-398)

-- Average points per game: 64.8

Team Stat Leaders

-- Leading scorer: Julie Sullivan - 11.6 points.

-- Leading rebounder: Danielle Cheesman - 7.9 boards

-- Assist Leader: Julie Sullivan - 3.8

-- Blocks Leader: Dani Kubik - 1.0

-- Steals Leader: Julie Sullivan - 1.21

About the Cougars

-- 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.

-- Junior forward Ambrosia 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

48 rebounds grabbed in the AF game on 2/17/05, the most against an MWC opponent this season.

25 assists vs. UNLV on 2/05/05, the most vs. an MWC foe this year.

20 games where Julie Sullivan has scored in double figures.

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

14 steals in the game vs. AF on 2/17/05, the most against an MWC opponent this season

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

12 times that Ambrosia Anderson has scored in double figures

10 three-pointers made @ Utah on 2/24/05, the most this season

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

6 times that the Cougars have shot 50 percent or better from the field:

vs. SDSU on 03/05/05 (58.0, 29-50);

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);

vs. SUU on 11/19/04 (52.6, 30-57)

3 times that the Cougars have had four players score in double figures

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

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: 3-1

Sullivan, Gillespie, Kozlowski, Johnsen, Cheesman: 7-4

BYU and the WNIT

This will be the fourth time the Cougars have been chosen to participate in the 32-team single elimination WNIT. In the postseason tournament, BYU has compiled a 3-3 record.

WNIT Season Record Record

2000-01 19-13, 8-6 1-1 (At Oregon St. W 78-73 (At Hawai'i L ot 73-77)

1998-99 16-13, 9-5 0-1 (At Colorado L 53-70)

1981-82 24-13, 7-3 2-1 (DePaul W 72-69)

(Florida St. L 71-75)

(Illinois St. W 78-73)

2005 Postseason Sportsview.tv WNIT

The Cougars are one of 32 teams selected to participate in this year's WNIT and are one of two teams chosen from the Mountain West Conference. UNLV is also competing against Arkansas on Mar. 18.

The winner of Wednesday night's game between the Cougars and Bulldogs will play the winner of the SMU vs. Southwest Missouri State University, either Saturday or Monday, Mar. 19 or 21.

Cougars in MWC Championships - Denver, Colorado

The team was the No. 3 seed in the tournament after finishing the regular MWC race in third place with a 9-5 record.

Versus CSU: Won 70-65

Senior point guard Julie Sullivan scored a team-high 22 points.

Kristen Kozlowski picked up a season and career high 12 rebounds.

Team Stats: shot 47 percent from the field and 61 percent at the free throw line.

Versus Utah: Lost 48-64

Sullivan scored a team high 10 points, but fouled out midway through the second half.

Danielle Cheesman grabbed team high 10 rebounds.

Team Stats: shot 44 percent from the field and 67 percent at the free throw line.

Four Cougars Garner MWC All-Conference Honors

Julie Sullivan - First Team All Conference

Danielle Cheesman - Third Team All-Conference

Kristen Kozlowski - Third Team All-Conference

Ambrosia Anderson - Honorable Mention All-Conference

BYU MWC Player of the Week Honors

Kristin Kozlowski - Jan. 10, 2005

Dani Kubik - Feb. 7, 2005

Tracking the Cougars vs. MWC - Final Regular Season

Category Conference Games All Games

Scoring Offense 4th, 62.0 4th, 64.8

Scoring Defense 3rd, 57.8 4th, 58.5

Scoring Margin 3rd, +4.2 3rd, +6.3

Field Goal Pct. 3rd .430 1st, .436

Free Throw Pct. 4th, .720 3rd, .722

3-Point Field Goal Pct. 5th, .304 5th, .314

Rebounding Offense 2nd, 38.5 2nd, 39.3

Rebounding Defense 3rd, 33.4 4th, 32.9

Blocked Shots 1st, 4.21 3rd, 3.33

Assists 3rd, 14.93 3rd, 15.81

Steals 3rd, 7.71 5th, 8.00

Assist/Turnover Ratio 4th, 0.81 4th, 0.83

3-Point Field Goals Made 6th, 4.21 6th, 4.63

Offensive Rebounds 3rd, 12.43 4th, 12.22

Defensive Rebounds 2nd, 26.07 2nd, 27.04

Tracking BYU Players in the MWC - Final Regular Season

Name Category Conf. Games All Games

Sullivan, J. Scoring 9th, 12.7 11th, 11.2

Anderson, A. Scoring ---- 16th, 10.4

Kozlowski, K. Scoring 20tht, 8.3 19th, 9.7

Cheesman, D. Scoring 22ndt, 8.1 23rd, 8.3

Kubik, D. Scoring 27th, 7.7 ----

Gillespie, M. Scoring 30th, 6.9 25th, 7.7

Kozlowski, K. FG Pct. 7th, .469 1st, .543

Chessman, D. FG Pct. 12th, .458 9th, .459

Sullivan, J. FG Pct. 13th, .428 14th, .414

Anderson, A. FG Pct. 14th, .417 12th, .427

Cheesman, D. Rebounding 5th, 6.9 4th, 8.0

Kozlowski, K. Rebounding 9th, 5.9 11tht, 5.3

Kubik, D. Rebounding 19th, 4.2 ----

Sullivan, J. Assists 7th, 3.64 6th, 3.85

Goold, T. Assists 9th, 3.36 11th, 2.89

Kubik, D. FT Pct. 2nd, .867 ----

Sullivan, J. FT Pct. 12th, .712 6th, .761

Gillespie, M. 3-PF FG Pct. 13th, .321 9th, .361

Kubik, D. Blocked Shots 6th, 0.92 ----

Cheesman, D. Blocked Shots 10th, 0.64 14tht, 0.48

Sullivan, J. Blocked Shots 14tht, 050 14tht, 0.48

Anderson, A. Steals 11tht, 1.50 ----

Gillespie, M. 3-PT FG Made 12th, 1.29 5th, 1.67

Cheesman, D. Offensive Reb. 2nd, 3.07 3rdt, 2.93

Kozlowski, K. Offensive Reb. 10tht, 2.07 11th, 2.07

Cheesman, D. Defensive Reb. 9tht, 3.86 4th, 5.07

Kozlowski, K. Defensive Reb. 9tht, 3.86 15th, 3.22

Anderson, A. Defensive Reb. ---- 11th, 3.70

About Gonzaga

Gonzaga begins its postseason run in the WNIT with a 27-3, 14-0 record. The Bulldogs are members of the West Coast Conference. In their league tournament Gonzaga lost in the championship game to Santa Clara 66-77. The team has two players scoring in double figures with senior forward Ashley Burke averaging 14.7 points and grabbing a team high 5.9 rebounds per game. Senior guard Shannon Mathews also scores in double digits with 11.4 points and 3.5 boards a game. Gonzaga is currently shooting 45 percent from the field, 77 percent at the line and 30 percent from three-point range. They score 69.4 points and hold opponents to 53.6 points per game.

Gonzaga Probable Starters

Pos. # Name HT. CL. PPG RPG

G 10 Shannon Matthews 5-6 Sr 11.4 3.5

G 11 Juliann Laney 5-11Jr 1.2 2.1

G 32 Raeanna Jewel 5-7 Sr 8.6 4.9

F 13 Ashley Burke 6-1 Sr 14.7 5.9

F 42 Stephanie Hawk 6-3 So 9.1 5.1

Series Record: 3-1 in favor of the Cougars

Last Meeting: These two teams have not played since 12/02/00 when BYU beat Gonzaga 74-57 in Spokane. On the road, the Cougars have a 2-0 record.

During the 2004-05 season, the teams had five common opponents.

New Mexico: beat Gonzaga in Albuquerque. BYU split the series with the Lobos, losing in Albuquerque

Nevada: Both teams defeated the Wolfpack

Portland State: Both teams beat the Vikings

Utah: Gonzaga Beat the Utes, the Cougars lost three times to Utah

Portland: Both teams beat the Pilots

Head Coach - Jeff Judkins

Overall Record: 77-45, 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 8-0 2-0

CSU 3-5 2-0

New Mexico 3-7 1-1

San Diego State 8-0 2-0

UNLV 7-4 2-0

Utah 3-7 0-2

Wyoming 5-4 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

What's Next

The winner of the BYU vs. Gonzaga game advances and plays the winner of the SMU vs. Southwest Missouri State game which will be played on Thurs., Mar. 17.