PROVO -- After surviving a barn-burning second half that featured a combined 48 points from the two squads, the BYU women's basketball team (3-2) narrowly defeated the Seton Hall Pirates (4-2) 47-43 in the Marriott Center Friday night.

The Cougars seemed to have the game under control early, going into the locker room at the half with a 28-14 lead. But Seton Hall hit the ground running to start the second frame, tearing off a 15-2 run through the first 8:36 of the half to close the gap to 31-29. The Pirates were sparked by their defense in the opening minutes of the period, scoring nine points off of five Cougar turnovers, as well as forcing BYU into missing its first nine shots of the half. The Pirate defense remained tough throughout the game, netting 18 points off of 19 Cougar turnovers on the night.

"In the second half we gave up too many turnovers and let them back in the game," Coach Judkins said. "We just need to do a better job taking care of the ball. Turnovers cause baskets, and we have to do a better job of it."

However, as the game wore on the Cougars were able to find their second wind, rallying behind senior captain Mallary Gillespie-Carling, who netted eight points in the second half, and finished with a game high 15, marking the 51st time the senior has scored in double figures.

The two teams went back and forth for the remainder of the game, turning the final 10 minutes into a dog fight that came to a climax with :58 second remaining. Leading by a score of 42-41, Cassie King was fouled after pulling down a rebound in traffic off of a missed jumper by Seton Hall's Amber Harris. The foul sent King to the line where she found nothing but the bottom of the net in her two attempts. The two successful tries weren't the only big free throws the junior hit, as she had drained two freebies just minutes earlier to give BYU a three-point cushion.

"I always thought I was a good free thrower shooter," King said following the game. "I missed one last game and went home and shot about a thousand of them. Coming into tonight I told myself 'I don't miss free throws,' and I made those four."

Free throws ended up being the deciding factor in the game for BYU, as Carling hit four of her own down the stretch, including the final two after a steal by Shawnee Slade with one second remaining to seal the victory for BYU.

BYU's solid finish to the game brought the contest full circle, as they began the game as strongly as they could have liked. The Cougars came out strong to start things off, going on a 12-2 run over the first 9:13 of the half. The strong defensive effort led to the Cougars giving up only 14 points in the first half, the least the team has given up this season.

"This team is very good defensively. Defense is our strength and we did well in the first half," Judkins said.

The Cougars will rely on their tough defense and momentum from Friday's victory against their next opponent, as they head east to take on the No.2 ranked Connecticut Huskies in Hartford on Thursday, Nov. 29 at 7 p.m. , ET.

Official Basketball Box Score
Seton Hall vs Brigham Young Univer
11-23-07 7:00 PM at MARRIOTT CTR, BYU, PROVO UT
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VISITORS: Seton Hall 4-2;0-0
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
00 HARRIS, Amber....... f  1-7    0-0    1-2    2  8 10   4   3  1  1  0  0  34
02 WOMACK, Noteisha.... f  4-11   0-0    1-2    3  5  8   4   9  0  1  0  1  23
03 BROWN, Shantel...... g  1-4    0-0    1-2    0  1  1   2   3  1  4  0  5  23
21 MUKOSIEJ, Ela....... g  0-5    0-0    2-2    1  1  2   0   2  3  2  0  0  22
33 WILLIAMS, Ebonie.... g  2-11   2-4    2-2    0  2  2   2   8  1  3  0  2  30
01 BOOKER, Ashley......    5-5    1-1    1-2    0  3  3   2  12  1  4  0  6  19
05 JOSEPH, Kashmere....    1-4    0-0    0-0    0  1  1   2   2  0  1  0  0  17
15 EMERY, Nicole.......    0-1    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   4   0  0  1  0  0   7
24 RHODIN, Jadis.......    2-5    0-2    0-0    0  1  1   1   4  1  1  1  3  25
   TEAM................                         2  3  5
   Totals..............   16-53   3-7    8-12   8 25 33  21  43  8 18  1 17 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half:  4-30 13.3%   2nd Half: 12-23 52.2%   Game: 30.2%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  1-3  33.3%   2nd Half:  2-4  50.0%   Game: 42.9%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  5-8  62.5%   2nd Half:  3-4  75.0%   Game: 66.7%    4
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HOME TEAM: Brigham Young Univer 3-2;0-0
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
32 SLADE, Shawnee...... f  2-8    0-2    0-2    2  5  7   2   4  2  2  0  1  33
54 KING, Cassie........ f  1-2    0-0    5-6    0  4  4   2   7  1  1  0  0  18
52 VARLEY, Lauren...... c  3-6    0-0    1-4    1  7  8   3   7  2  2  0  0  31
03 FOREMAN, Jazmine.... g  1-6    1-3    1-2    0  0  0   1   4  1  1  0  3  23
30 CARLING, Mallary.... g  4-10   2-6    5-6    0  2  2   0  15  1  6  0  1  34
05 CHEESMAN, Ashley....    1-2    0-0    0-0    0  2  2   2   2  2  0  0  0  11
13 JUDKINS, Jaime......    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   1   0  2  0  0  1  11
22 NIELSON, Mindy......    1-2    1-1    0-0    0  2  2   1   3  1  4  1  1  19
45 MOEAKI, Keilani.....    2-9    0-0    1-2    4  3  7   1   5  0  3  1  0  20
   TEAM................                         1  4  5
   Totals..............   15-45   4-12  13-22   8 29 37  13  47 12 19  2  7 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 10-21 47.6%   2nd Half:  5-24 20.8%   Game: 33.3%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  3-5  60.0%   2nd Half:  1-7  14.3%   Game: 33.3%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  5-8  62.5%   2nd Half:  8-14 57.1%   Game: 59.1%    6
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Officials: KENT JOHNSON, KEN SOWBY, CID GARCIA
Technical fouls: Seton Hall-None. Brigham Young Univer-None.
Attendance: 703
Score by Periods                1st  2nd   Total
Seton Hall....................   14   29  -   43
Brigham Young Univer..........   28   19  -   47

A two-game home stance is on the schedule for the BYU (2-1) women's basketball team after winning its home opener. On Tuesday, Nov. 20 the Cougars host Hartford (2-1) at 4:30 p.m., then Seton Hall (4-0) on Friday in the Marriott Center.

Game #4- 11/20/07: BYU vs. Hartford Time: 4:30 p.m. MDT Arena: Marriott Ctr.

Game #5- 11/23/07: BYU vs. Seton Hall Time: 7 p.m. MDT Arena: Marriott Ctr.

Following the Cougars --

Television: The BYU game vs Hartford on Tues., Nov. 20 will air live on BYUTV. Talent will be Jarom Jordan and Cougar standout Kristen Kozlowski.

Radio: Both of the games this week will air live on KOVO 960 AM.

Internet: This week's games will also be heard live on the internet at

http://www.byuradio.org/streaming Jay Monsen will call the action for both games.

Live stats: All of the games can be accessed with the live stats link by logging on

to: www.byucougars.com/basketball_w/.

Cougar All-Acccess: Those who have signed up for Cougar All-Access can also view the home games.

BYU Probable Starters

No. Name Pos. Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

3 Jazmine Foreman G 5-5 Fr 4.0 2.0

30 Mallary G. Carling G 5-10 Sr 15.7 3.3

32 Shawnee Slade F 5-11 Jr 8.0 6.3

5 Ashley Cheesman F 6-0 Sr 2.7 2.0

52 Lauren R. Varley C 6-3 Sr 12.7 12.3

Reserve Players

No. Name Pos. Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

22 Mindy Nielson G 5-10 Fr 7.3 1.3

45 Keilani Moeaki F 6-2 Fr 4.0 3.7

54 Cassie King F 6-3 Jr 3.0 2.0

23 Coriann Wood F 6-1 Fr 2.5 1.0

13 Jaime Judkins G 5-6 So 2.3 1.3

14 Sarah Red G/F 5-11 Jr (rs) 2.0 0.0

55 Megan Marks F 6-2 Fr 1.0 4.0

0 Lauren Nichols F 6-0 Fr (rs) 0.5 0.5

21 Stephanie Buhler F 6-0 Fr

Team Stats -- 2007-08

-- Shooting from the field: (.471, 81-172)

-- Shooting from the free-throw line: (.586, 17-29)

-- Shooting from three-point line: (.260, 13-50)

-- Average points per game: 64.0

byu quick hits

The team

-- Two starters are among the six letterwinners returning for the 2007-08 season.The team also returns two redshirts in addition to six very talented newcomers

-- The seniors are MWC Second Team honoree guard Mallary Gillespie-Carling and MWC Honorable Mention Lauren Riley-Varley. Both were also named to the 2007 MWC All-Tournament Team.

-- Among the letterwinners are junior forward/guard combo Shawnee Slade, senior forward Ashley Cheesman and junior center Cassie King. The trio return with the most playing experience and an understanding of coach Judkins' game plan. Guard Jamie Judkins who also comes in with significant playing time experience.

-- Two redshirts who were on the team last year, freshman forward Lauren Nichols and sophomore guard Sarah Red, a transfer from the University of Utah, will also provide solid experience on the team as newcomers.

-- Six new incoming freshmen will take to the court in 2007-08. They are:

Stephanie Buhler, a 6-0 forward from Oregon City, Ore., and Oregon City High School

Jazmine Foreman, 5-5 guard from Vancouver, Wash., and Hudson's Bay High School

Megan Marks, a 6-2 forward from South Jordan, Utah and Bingham High School

Keilani Moeaki, a 6-2 forward from Warrenville, Ill. and Wheaton Warrenville South High School

Mindy Nielson, 5-10 guard form Centennial. Colo., and Regis Jesuit High School

Coriann Wood, a 6-1 forward from Basin City, Wash., and Connell High School.

-- 2007-08 Season Highlights and Notables --

TEAM

-- BYU opened the season on the road at UC Santa Barbara picking up the 61-50 victory. It then traveled to paly at Arkansas State from the Sun Belt Conference. It was the first meeting between the two schools. The Cougars fell 53-54 to the Indians.

-- When playing on the road this season, BYU has a 1-1 record.

-- The 55 rebounds by the Cougars vs Fresno State on 11/17/07 are a season high and rank tied for third place in the program's history.

-- The win over Fresno State improved BYU's all-time record in home openers to 24-11 and under coach Judkins is now 6-1 in home openers.

-- The 78 points and the 55 rebounds recorded in the win over Fresno State are the most in both categories to date.

PLAYER

-- Center Lauren Riley Varley picked up back-to-back double doubles in the first two games of this season. She tallied 14 points and 11 rebounds against UCSB and 16 points and 13 boards at Arkansas State. She led all players in the rebound category in those contests.

-- Riley-Varley's 16 points at Arkansas State were a new season and career high.

-- Riley-Varley tops the list in rebounds for the team to date grabbing an average of 12.0 boards per contest. She also leads the team in blocks with three to date. In tha game vs. Fresno State she grabbed a game and tam high 13 rebounds.

-- Mallary Gillespie-Carling scored in double figures in both road games marking the 48th and 49th time in her career where she has scored in double digits. In the game vs. Fresno State she marked her 50th double figure game with a team high 17 points.

-- Gillespie-Carling is the team's assist leader so far this year dishing out a total of 12.

-- Freshman Mindy Nielson tallied a career-high 11 points vs. Fresno State on 11/17/07.

-- Shawnee Slade scored 16 points vs Fresno State marking her 11th career double figure contest

2007-08 Mountain West Conference

In October the Cougar team was picked to finish third in the MWC Preseason Poll. Senior Mallary Gillespie Carling was picked to the five member Preseason All-Conference Team.

Rk. Team (1st place votes) Points

1. Wyoming (24) 203

2. TCU (2) 188

3. BYU (1) 182

4. New Mexico (3) 174

5. Utah 158

6. UNLV 109

7. San Diego State 93

8. Colorado State 53

9. Air Force 37

Preseason All-Conference Team

Name Class Pos. Institution

Adrianne Ross Sr. G TCU

Dionne Marsh Sr. F New Mexico

Hanna Zavecz Sr. F Wyoming

Morgan Warburton Jr. G Utah

Mallary Gillespie-Carling Sr. G BYU

About This Week's Opponents

HARTFORD UNIVERSITY - Provo, Utah (11/20/07)

Hartford Univ., returns four starters and a total of 10 letterwinners from a team that compiled a 25-9 record and finished first in the America East Conference. Head Coach Jennifer Rizzotti is in her eighth year at the helm of the Hawks program. Hartford has played three games to date with a 2-1 record. Toping the list in scoring is Danielle Hood, a 6-1 senior forward. Hood is averaging 22.0 and 5.0 rebounds. Diana Delva follows with 12.3 points. Leading the way in rebounds is Erica Beverly, who is grabbing 6.0 boards per game.

Hartford U. Probable Starters

Pos. # Name Ht Yr PPG RPG

G 04 Jamie McCabe 5-10 Sr 6.0 2.0

G 23 Lisa Etienne 5-6 Jr 2.3 3.0

G 33 MaryLynne Schaefer 5-10 Jr 8.7 5.0

F/C 24 Danielle Hood 6-1 Sr 22.0 5.7

F/C 40 Diana Delva 6-2 So 12.3 4.0

Stat Comparisons BYU HU

Field Goals: .471 .423

Free Throws: .586 .694

Three-Pointers: .260 .311

Points Per Game: 64.0 68.7

Rebounds Per Game: 43.7 39.3

Series History

Record: 0-1 favoring the Hawks. Hartford University is making its first appearance at the Marriott Center.

Last Meeting: In their first ever meeting at Hartford, the home team won 60-43.

SETON HALL - Provo, Utah (11/23/07)

The Pirates from the Big East conference return four starters and nine letterwinners to this year's team. Seton Hall (4-0) will play at Utah Valley Univ., on Wednesday before the BYU game on Friday night. Jadis Rhodin leads the team in scoring with 12.5 points and 3.3 rebounds per contest. Also in double figure scoring is Ela Mukosiej with 11.5 points and 3.8 boards. Neoisha Womack topds the list in rebounds with an average of 10.5 per game. Phyllis Mangina is in her 23rd season as the Hawks head coach.

Seton Hall Probable Starters

Pos. # Name Ht Yr PPG RPG

F 00 Amber Harris 6-1 Sr 6.0 0.0

F 02 Noteisha Womack 6-3 Jr 4.0 7.0

G 03 Shantel Brown 5-7 So 6.0 9.0

G 21 Ela Mukosiej 5-11Sr 22.0 5.0

G 33 Ebonie Williams 5-8 Fr 6.0 0.0

Stat Comparisons BYU SHU

Field Goals: .471 .415

Free Throws: .586 .756

Three-Pointers: .260 .386

Points Per Game: 64.0 70.2

Rebounds Per Game: 43.7 42.2

Series History

Record: 1-0 favoring BYU. Seton Hall University is making its first appearance in the Marriott Center.

Last Meeting: The two teams met for the first time during the 2005-06 season in New Jersey on Dec. 3, 2005 where the Cougars picked up the 54-50 victory.

Media Availability

Team Practice Times - at home

-The team practices are held at the Marriott Center MWF from 11:30 a.m., to 1:30 p.m. On Tuesday's, practice is scheduled from 1 to 3 p.m., and on Thursday's from 11:30 to 2 p.m.

- Coach Judkins and players are available for interviews prior to or after their practices. All interviews are scheduled in advance. Norma Collett is the Basketball Communications Director for the team and can be contacted by phone or email.

Contact at -- office: 801-422-4908, cell: 801-372-0989 and email: norma_collett@byu.edu

Looking Ahead

After Thanksgiving, the Cougar team will head to the northeast to play two first place opponents. BYU will play powerhouse Connecticut on Thurs. Nov. 29 and then travel to Sacred Heart on Sat., Dec. 1.

The team then returns to play two games at home hosting New Mexico State on Dec. 5, and then nearby Utah Valley University on Dec. 8. Both games tip off at 4:30 p.m.