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PROVO -- Despite a strong comeback effort in the second half against the visiting Utah Utes, the BYU women’s basketball team fell 55-63 as the teams renewed their Deseret First Duel rivalry, Wednesday.

“We played with energy and we played physical, but the mistakes we made hurt us and the Utes capitalized on all of them,” BYU head coach Jeff Judkins said.

A competitive first half featured five lead changes with neither team taking control. The Cougars appeared to go into halftime with a lead, but a Whipple steal with just a few seconds remaining created a free throw opportunity to tie the score at 27-27 at halftime.

Utah started the second half on a 10-point run to go up 37-27 before Wood and Nielson converted consecutive three-pointers to get the Cougars back into the game.

The Utes maintained a lead throughout the second half to build a 50-42 lead.

BYU trimmed the lead to 53-48 when Foreman stole the ball away from Utah’s Katie King and pushed the ball to Slade, who made the easy transition layup. But it would not be enough.

The Cougars shot 32 percent in the game on 20-of-61 shooting and 5-of-16 from 3-point range. Coriann Wood led the team with 13 points while Keilani Moeaki scored 12. Mindy Nielson also contributed with nine points with Shawnee Slade and Kristen Riley scoring six and five points, respectively. Nielson had three steals while Jazmine Foreman led the team with four assists.

“In games like this, every possession is important,” Judkins said. “We missed a lot of layups and we had good looks. Give Utah credit; Coach Elliott always does a good job of preparing her team.”

Wood led the team with seven points with Riley and Nielsen contributing five and four points, respectively in the first half of action.

The Cougars fall to 3-2 in conference play and will next play this Saturday at Wyoming. Game time is scheduled for 2 p.m.

Official Basketball Box Score
University of Utah vs Brigham Young
01-28-09 7:00 PM at MARRIOTT CTR, BYU, PROVO, UTAH
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VISITORS: University of Utah 13-6; 6-0
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
02 WHIPPLE, Kalee...... f  3-10   2-7    2-2    3  3  6   3  10  1  1  0  2  38
22 SAWYER, Halie....... f  1-7    0-2    5-8    2  6  8   4   7  2  1  3  0  38
31 KING, Katie......... f  8-13   0-0    0-0    5  8 13   0  16  1  4  1  0  36
05 STEPHENS, Hanna..... g  1-2    1-2    0-0    0  2  2   2   3  1  4  0  1  20
15 WARBURTON, Morgan... g  4-11   1-4    8-8    0  4  4   4  17  6  3  0  1  34
01 BADON, Janita.......    3-9    1-4    1-1    0  2  2   2   8  2  3  0  1  20
10 MCDERMOTT, Josi.....    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   3
12 KNIGHT, Cydney......    0-1    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   4
23 STEVENSON, Deanne...    1-1    0-0    0-0    1  0  1   0   2  0  0  0  0   3
42 MUNNS, Mandy........    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   1   0  1  1  0  0   4
   TEAM................                         2  2  4
   Totals..............   21-54   5-19  16-19  13 27 40  16  63 14 17  4  5 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half:  8-26 30.8%   2nd Half: 13-28 46.4%   Game: 38.9%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  3-13 23.1%   2nd Half:  2-6  33.3%   Game: 26.3%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  8-10 80.0%   2nd Half:  8-9  88.9%   Game: 84.2%    2
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HOME TEAM: Brigham Young 13-5;3-3
                          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  2-10   0-4    2-2    1  2  3   3   6  1  1  1  2  33
45 MOEAKI, Keilani..... f  5-8    0-0    2-3    1  3  4   3  12  0  5  0  1  22
54 KING, Cassie........ c  1-4    0-0    0-0    1  3  4   2   2  0  3  0  1  20
03 FOREMAN, Jazmine.... g  1-10   0-4    1-2    2  4  6   2   3  4  4  0  2  37
22 NIELSON, Mindy...... g  4-8    1-2    0-0    2  3  5   4   9  2  0  1  3  32
01 JACKSON, Jenteal....    1-1    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   2  0  1  0  0   3
14 HOSTETTER, Sarah R..    1-5    1-2    0-0    0  0  0   2   3  0  0  0  1  14
21 BUHLER, Stephanie...    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   2
23 WOOD, Coriann.......    3-8    2-3    5-6    3  3  6   1  13  3  1  0  2  26
35 RILEY, Kristen......    2-7    1-1    0-0    2  1  3   2   5  2  1  0  0  11
   TEAM................                         3  2  5
   Totals..............   20-61   5-16  10-13  15 21 36  19  55 12 16  2 12 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 11-32 34.4%   2nd Half:  9-29 31.0%   Game: 32.8%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  3-7  42.9%   2nd Half:  2-9  22.2%   Game: 31.3%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  2-2  100 %   2nd Half:  8-11 72.7%   Game: 76.9%    2
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Officials: MELISSA BARLOW, KENT JOHNSON, CHUCK GONZALEZ
Technical fouls: University of Utah-None. Brigham Young-None.
Attendance: 1731
Score by Periods                1st  2nd   Total
University of Utah............   27   36  -   63
Brigham Young.................   27   28  -   55
OFFICIAL FINAL
Points in the paint-UT 28,BY 20. Points off turnovers-UT 22,BY 20.
2nd chance points-UT 14,BY 16. Fast break points-UT 4,BY 2.
Bench points-UT 10,BY 23. Score tied-2 times. Lead changed-7 times.
Last FG-UT 2nd-00:12, BY 2nd-00:44.
Largest lead-UT by 11 2nd-13:12, BY by 6 1st-17:46.

After picking up a win and a loss in last week’s league schedule, the Cougar women (13-4, 3-2) get set for two more games. They host instate rival Utah (12-6, 5-0) on Wed., Jan. 28 in the first Deseret First Duel between the two teams. Tip off is at 7 p.m. On Sat., Jan. 31, BYU will play at Wyoming (9-9, 1-4) in a 2 p.m. start.

Game Information

When:1/28/09 Who: vs. Utah Tip: 7 p.m. MST Arena: Marriott Ctr.

When:1/31/09Who: @WY Tip: 2 p.m. MST Arena: Arena Auditorium

Broadcast Plans

Television: The game between BYU and Utah will air live worldwide on BYUTV. Jarom Jordan and Kristin Kozlowski will call the action from the Marriott Center.

Internet: Live audio streaming is available for both games via the internet at BYU Radio with Jay Monsen calling the action. A link is available by going to http://www.byucougars.com/basketball_w/

Stats: Live stats through GameTracker are available as well. A link is available by logging on to the BYU women’s basketball home page at http://www.byucougars.com/basketball_w/

BYU Probable Starters

No. Name Pos. Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

03 Jazmine Foreman G 5-5 So 7.4 3.5

22 Mindy Nielson G 5-10 So 11.5 4.1

32 Shawnee Slade F 5-11 Sr 10.8 4.5

45 Keilani Moeaki F 6-2 So 5.6 3.5

54 Cassie King C 6-3 Sr 7.8 6.1

Off the Bench

No. Name Pos. Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

23 Coriann Wood F 6-1 So 7.1 4.5

35 Kristen Riley C 6-3 Fr 3.7 3.4

14 Sarah Hostetter G/F 5-11 Sr 2.6 0.9

24 Dani Peterson F 6-1 Fr 1.8 1.7

21 Stephanie Buhler F 6-1 Fr (rs) 1.7 0.1

55 Megan Marks F 6-3 So 1.4 1.5

13 Jaime Judkins G 5-6 Jr 0.9 0.2

01 Jenteal Jackson G 5-7 Fr 0.9 0.7

2008-09 Cougar Stats Summary --

-- Shooting from the field: (.392, 397-1014)

-- Shooting from the free-throw line: (.718, 176-245)

-- Shooting from three-point line: (.266, 80-301)

-- Average points per game: 61.8

-- Average assists per game: 14.2

-- Average steals per game: 9.4

-- Average blocks per game: 3.7

-- Average turnovers per game: 17.4

SPECIAL PROMOTIONS FOR UTAH GAME

All students will get in free the women’s game against Utah on Wed., Jan. 28 by showing their student ID card.

Injury Report

Sophomore point-guard Haley Hall suffered a season ending torn ACL injury to her right knee at Portland St. Hall has had two other ACL injuries both on her left knee prior to the 2008-09 campaign.

Head Coach - Jeff Judkins

Overall Record: 152-82

2008-09: 13-4, 3-2

This Week’s Two MWC Opponents

UTAH (Jan. 28, 2009) in Provo, UT - 7 p.m. (MST)

Utah comes into this week’s MWC action in first place with a 5-0 and 12-6 record. The Utes have three players scoring in double digits with Morgan Warburton’s 18.8 points and 6.2 rebounds. Kalee Whipple is scoring 17.1 points and 6.2 boards, with Katie King contributing 11.6 points and 6.6 boards. Halie Sawyer tops the list on the boards averaging 8.8 per contest. Warburton leads in the assist category with a total of 64 while Kalee Whipple has a team high 46 steals on the season. Coach Elaine Elliott is in her 26th season with the Utes. In the preseason polls announced last October, Utah was picked to win the regular season title.

Utah Probable Starters

No. Name Pos. Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

22 Halie Sawyer F 6-1 Jr 9.0 8.8

31 Katie King F 6-1 Sr 11.6 6.6

02 Kalee Whipple F/G 6-0 Jr 17.1 6.2

05 Hanna Stephens G 5-8 Fr 3.2 1.9

15 Morgan Warburton G 5-11 Sr 18.8 6.2

Stat Comparison

Category BYU UT

Points: 61.8 66.4

FG: .392 .462

FT: .718 .803

3FG: .266 .376

Reb: 37.6 38.8

Series Information

Record: Utah leads the series with a 58-33 record.

Last Meeting: These two instate rivals and league foes met twice during MWC action last season with the Utes getting both wins. In Provo the score was 80-49 while in Salt Lake City it was 82-45. When playing in the Marriott Center, Utah comes in with a 20-16 record.

DESERET FIRST DUEL SERIES (2008-09)

As the second year of the Deseret First Duel Series is underway, the University of Utah

has a 16-6 advantage heading into this week’s battles in both men and women’s

basketball competitions. The Cougars claimed sports supremacy over the Utes last season

and took home the first Deseret First Duel trophy with a 34-30 edge in the point tally. The

rivalry series includes competition in the 12 sports in which the two universities compete

head to head during regular-season play and uses a system that awards points to the

winner of each competition.

A team trophy is awarded to the individual winner of each sport -- football, basketball, softball, etc. Points won by the individual sports count toward each school’s overall total.

The 2007-08 season marked the first year of the Deseret First Duel Rivalry Series presented by Deseret First Credit Union. The term Deseret refers to the original name of the territory of Utah (State of Deseret) and is an appropriate name for an athletic rivalry that dates back to the 1890s. The term Duel refers to a contest between two parties to decide a point of honor. Blending the two terms is the ideal name for a formalized series.

The Utah vs. BYU rivalry is one of the oldest and strongest in the country. In November 2005, the Wall Street Journal rated the rivalry the fourth best in college athletics. Thanks to a partnership with Deseret First Credit Union, the rivalry now has an official name and a traveling trophy to signify yearly supremacy.

WYOMING (Jan. 31, 2009) in Laramie, WY - 2 p.m. (MST)

The Wyoming Cowgirls have compiled a 9-9 and are 1-4 in league play with their lone win at CSU on 1/24/09.They are at the Air Force Academy on Wed., Jan. 28 before hosting BYU on Saturday afternoon. Four players are scoring in double figures for Wyoming. Megan McGuffey leads the way with 11.7 points and a team high 6.1 rebounds. Hillary Carlson is next with 10.8 points and 4.5 boards while Kristen Scheffler scores 10.6 points and 2.3 rebounds per contest. Emma Langford rounds out the double digit scoring with her 10.5 points and 4.6 rebounds. She also tops the team in both assists and steals with a total of 52 and 25 respectively. Coach Joe Legerski is in his sixth season at the helm of the Wyoming women’s basketball program.

Wyoming Probable Starters

No. Name Pos. Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

10 Rebecca Vanderjagt F 6-3 Sr 2.2 2.9

41 Hillary Carlson F 6-3 So 10.8 4.5

03 Randi Richardson G 5-7 So 2.8 2.2

12 Kristen Scheffler G 5-11 Fr 10.6 2.3

24 Megan McGuffey G 5-11 Sr 11.7 6.1

Stat Comparison

Category BYU WY

Points: 61.8 63.0

FG: .392 .394

FT: .718 .676

3FG: .266 .293

Reb: 37.6 37.6

Series Information

Record: BYU leads the series 45-19

Last Meeting: Wyoming and BYU played twice during last year’s regular season with each team winning on its home court. In Provo on Feb. 2 the Cougars picked up the 56-42 victory and in Laramie on Mar. 5 the Cowgirls won by a score of 68-34. In Laramie BYU has an 18-12 record.

Travel Itinerary

Laramie -

Team Flight: Delta # 1682 departs Fri., Jan. 30 at 9:55 a.m., from Salt Lake City, and arrives in Denver at 11:33 a.m. The team will then bus to Laramie.

Team Flight: Delta # 3735 departs Sun., Feb. 1 at 8:45 a.m., from Denver, and arrives in Salt Lake City at 10:15 a.m.

Team Hotel - Hampton Inn, 3715 E. Grand Ave, Laramie. 307-742-0125, 307-742-0126, fax.

Team Hotel - Denver Airport Marriott - 16455 E. 40th Circle, Aurora. 303-371-4333, 303-371-1134, fax

What’s Next

The first half of MWC play finishes for the Cougar team as they host the Air Force Academy on Wed., Feb. 4 at 7 p.m.

The following week the second half of league action begins with BYU traveling to Ft. Collins to battle CSU on Feb. 11 at 7 p.m. On Sat., Feb. 14 the team hosts TCU in a 3 p.m., tip off from the Marriott Center.