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PROVO -- A big halftime lead for the BYU women’s basketball team was cut by a determined UNLV squad but the Cougars prevailed as a Cassie King putback sealed a 53-52 victory for the team.

Down 51-52 following a three-pointer by the Rebels’ Brittany Halberg with just 11 seconds remaining, BYU guard Jazmine Foreman drove to the basket and missed the layup, but King found position under the hoop to pull down the rebound and flip it over her shoulder for the game-winning shot.

“It was a great example of Cassie’s senior leadership to come down with the ball and score for us,” said BYU head coach Jeff Judkins. “Jazmine took the ball hard to the hoop and it was huge for Cassie to get that ball and score. This win was big for our confidence.”

The Cougars’ strong opening half gave the team a solid 27-16 halftime lead as the team shot 44 percent from the field on 11-of-25 shooting. Coming off the bench, freshman Dani Peterson gave BYU a boost with a season-high eight points by going a perfect 4-of-4 from the paint to lead the team on a 22-0 run in which the Rebels did not score for over 12 minutes.

A strong defensive effort allowed the Cougars to earn five steals and five blocks in the opening half and held UNLV to 23 percent shooting with 13 turnovers. The Rebels’ 16 points was the second-lowest this season for a BYU opponent.

The two teams exchanged baskets in the early part of the second half as the Cougars managed to maintain a solid lead. Nielson provided BYU with nine points as UNLV’s Erica Helms countered with seven points to keep the Rebels in striking distance at 45-36 with seven minutes remaining.

Mindy Nielson led the Cougars with 13 points on 6-of-12 shooting with Coriann Wood and King contributing 10 and 9 points, respectively. Overall, the team shot 37 percent from the field and outscored the Rebels in points off turnovers and second-chance points.

“I was very pleased with Dani today,” Judkins said. “I thought our team played well under increased pressure and anxiety and our leaders pulled us through.”

Shawnee Slade and Wood had six points apiece in the opening half to help the team to 14 points in the paint and 15 points off turnovers. The Cougar bench provided 19 points to the Rebels’ two.

The win moves the Cougars to 17-7 (7-5, MWC) while UNLV falls to 10-16 (3-10, MWC)

BYU was hosting a Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Pink Zone event to raise awareness about breast cancer as both teams displayed pink shoelaces to honor those affected with the disease.

The Cougars will next face off with San Diego State Feb. 25 at the Marriott Center. The game is set for 7 p.m. and will be televised on BYUTV.

“San Diego State is very athletic and we’ve got to come out prepared to play,” Judkins said.

Official Basketball Box Score
UNLV vs Brigham Young
02-21-09 2:00 PM at MARRIOTT CTR, BYU, PROVO UTAH
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VISITORS: UNLV 10-16;3-10
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
01 HARRIS, Dominique... *  4-6    2-4    2-4    2  7  9   4  12  1  4  0  1  32
05 HALBERG, Brittany... *  1-6    0-3    1-1    0  2  2   1   3  3  2  2  1  29
11 SMITH, Jamie........ *  2-8    1-2    0-0    5  4  9   1   5  0  5  0  2  29
15 HELMS, Erica........ *  4-11   1-2    0-1    1  2  3   2   9  1  5  1  2  33
24 HAMPTON, Shamela.... *  2-5    0-0    9-10   0  2  2   2  13  0  2  1  3  31
10 HOLIDAY, Allison....    1-2    0-0    0-0    0  1  1   0   2  1  0  0  1   9
20 SCANLON, Kalie......    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  1  0  0   3
23 HUNT, Latoya........    0-2    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   2
25 JUPITER, Raquel.....    0-2    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   1   0  0  1  0  0   9
32 CHANEY, India.......    2-4    0-0    1-1    0  1  1   3   5  0  1  0  0  13
33 OBERG, Shannon......    1-1    1-1    0-2    0  1  1   0   3  0  0  0  0  10
   TEAM................                         3  2  5
   Totals..............   17-47   5-12  13-19  11 22 33  14  52  6 21  4 10 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half:  6-26 23.1%   2nd Half: 11-21 52.4%   Game: 36.2%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  3-8  37.5%   2nd Half:  2-4  50.0%   Game: 41.7%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  1-3  33.3%   2nd Half: 12-16 75.0%   Game: 68.4%    2
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOME TEAM: Brigham Young 17-7;7-5
                          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  4-12   0-2    0-0    2  0  2   3   8  2  1  0  3  28
45 MOEAKI, Keilani..... f  0-3    0-1    0-0    1  0  1   0   0  0  1  0  0  10
54 KING, Cassie........ c  3-3    0-0    3-5    4  4  8   4   9  1  3  1  0  25
03 FOREMAN, Jazmine.... g  0-6    0-3    0-0    0  5  5   3   0  7  4  1  1  32
22 NIELSON, Mindy...... g  6-12   1-2    0-0    0  2  2   1  13  2  4  0  2  34
01 JACKSON, Jenteal....    0-2    0-1    0-0    0  0  0   1   0  0  0  0  0   5
14 HOSTETTER, Sarah R..    0-1    0-1    2-2    1  3  4   1   2  2  0  1  0  14
23 WOOD, Coriann.......    3-10   2-6    2-3    1  6  7   2  10  0  2  0  0  24
24 PETERSON, Dani......    4-5    0-0    0-0    1  0  1   1   8  0  2  2  0  13
35 RILEY, Kristen......    1-2    1-1    0-0    2  3  5   1   3  1  2  0  1  15
   TEAM................                         4     4
   Totals..............   21-56   4-17   7-10  16 23 39  17  53 15 19  5  7 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 11-25 44.0%   2nd Half: 10-31 32.3%   Game: 37.5%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  3-10 30.0%   2nd Half:  1-7  14.3%   Game: 23.5%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  2-2  100 %   2nd Half:  5-8  62.5%   Game: 70.0%    0
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Officials: ERIC LARSEN, DEBBIE ADAMS, KEN SOWBY
Technical fouls: UNLV-None. Brigham Young-None.
Attendance: 1006
Score by Periods                1st  2nd   Total
UNLV..........................   16   36  -   52
Brigham Young.................   27   26  -   53
OFFICIAL FINAL
Points in the paint-LV 14,BY 26. Points off turnovers-LV 13,BY 24.
2nd chance points-LV 2,BY 13. Fast break points-LV 2,BY 2.
Bench points-LV 10,BY 23. Score tied-1 time. Lead changed-3 times.
Last FG-LV 2nd-00:12, BY 2nd-00:02.
Largest lead-LV by 6 1st-18:06, BY by 18 1st-04:20.

The Cougar women (16-6, 6-4) get set to return to winning in MWC play this week. They are at UNM (17-6, 6-4) on Tues., Feb. 17 in at 6 p.m.

BYU returns home to host UNLV (10-13, 3-8) on Sat., Feb. 21 at 2 p.m. The contest with the Rebels is part of the nationwide WBCA Pink Zone campaign to raise breast cancer awareness.

Game Information

When:2/17/09 Where: @ UNM Tip: 6 p.m. MST Arena: The Pit

When:2/21/09 Where:vs.UNLV Tip: 2 p.m. MST Arena: Marriott Ctr.

Broadcast Plans

Television: The BYU at UNM game is live on The Mtn with Andrea Lloyd and Tracy Warren calling the action. The contest between BYU and UNLV on Feb. 21 airs live on CBS College Sports. Ann Schatz and Tammy Blackburn will call the game.

Internet: Live audio streaming is available for both games on 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. NamePos.Ht.Yr.PPGRPG

03 Jazmine ForemanG5-5So7.24.0

22 Mindy NielsonG5-10So10.74.0

32 Shawnee SladeF5-11Sr9.94.2

45 Keilani MoeakiF6-2So6.03.4

54 Cassie KingC6-3Sr7.45.9

Off the Bench

No. NamePos.Ht.Yr.PPGRPG

23 Coriann WoodF6-1So7.25.0

35 Kristen RileyC6-3Fr3.83.5

14 Sarah HostetterG/F5-11Sr3.00.8

21 Stephanie BuhlerF6-1Fr (rs)2.00.1

24 Dani PetersonF6-1Fr1.71.7

55 Megan MarksF6-3So1.41.4

13 Jaime JudkinsG5-6Jr1.10.2

01 Jenteal JacksonG5-7Fr0.90.6

2008-09 Cougar Stats Summary --

-- Shooting from the field: (.382, 501-1310)

-- Shooting from the free-throw line: (.709, 217-306)

-- Shooting from three-point line: (.279, 112-402)

-- Average points per game: 60.5

-- Average assists per game: 13.7

-- Average steals per game: 9.6

-- Average blocks per game: 3.6

-- Average turnovers per game: 17.3

SPECIAL GAME PROMOTIONS FOR Feb. 21 vs. UNLV -

WBCA PINK ZONE GAME

Anyone wearing pink will get in FREE to the game. Breast cancer survivors will be recognized at halftime. Pink BYU apparel and other special prizes will be given away throughout the game.

THIS WEEK’S MWC OPPONENTS

New Mexico (Feb. 17, 2009) in Albuquerque, NM - 6 p.m. (MST)

Heading into Tuesday’s matchup, the Lobos and Cougars have identical league records at 6-4. New Mexico also has a 17-6 overall record and is 3-2 in conference games at home. Amy Beggin and Angela Hartill are scoring in double digits for the Lobos with 15.1 points and 10.7 respectively. Amanda Adamson is grabbing a team-high 6.3 boards per game while Beggin leads in the assist and steals category dishing out 88 assists and getting 46 steals on the year. This is head coach Don Flanagan’s 14th season at the helm of the New Mexico program.

New Mexico Probable Starters

No. NamePos.Ht.Yr.PPGRPG

03 Eileen WeissmannF6-0Jr6.14.3

44 Angela HartillC6-3Sr10.74.5

32 Amanda BestF/G6-0So7.96.3

20 Sara HalaszF/G6-0Fr.5.62.4

10 Amy BegginG5-6Jr15.14.7

Stat Comparison

CategoryBYUUNM

Points:60.567.4

FG:.382.403

FT:.709.749

3FG:.279.336

Reb:38.1 41.1

Series Information

Record: BYU leads the series 38-25

Last Meeting: The Lobos beat the Cougars in Provo by a 61-57 score in the first meeting brtween these w o MWC foes. At the Marriott Center, New Mexico has compiled a 6-22 record with their last win just last season when the Lobos grabbed a 55-45 victory on Feb. 26, 2008.

First Meeting in 2009 - Provo, Utah on 1/17/09

Score: 61-57 in favor of UNM

The BYU women’s basketball team snapped its 10-game winning streak with a 61-57 loss to No. 25 New Mexico. Jazmine Foreman led BYU with 16 points and 7 assists. Cassie King was the only other Cougar in double-digits with 10 points. The visiting team was able to withstand a second-half comeback from BYU by going to the free-throw line in the final minutes of the contest.

Key Stats in 1st GameBYUUNM

Field Goal Percentage 25-of-60 (41%) (19-of-50) 38%

Free-Throw Percentage 4-of-9 (44%) 21-of-31 (67%)

Three-point Percentage 3-of-9 (33%) 2-of-8 (25%)

Rebounds 36 38

UNLV (Feb. 21, 2009) in Provo, UT - 2 p.m. (MST)

UNLV has compiled a 10-14, 3-8 record heading into this week’s league games. They host Wyoming on Wednesday before making the trip to Provo. Three players are putting up double digit numbers in scoring for the Rebels led by Shamela Hampton’s 14.4 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. Freshman Jamie Smith contributes 10.7 points and grabs a team high 9.0 boards per game. Erica Helms follows with 10.6 points and 2.2 boards, while Helms tops the list in assists dishing out a total of 70 to date with Smith getting a record 36 steals on the year. Head coach Kathy Olivier is in her first season with UNLV.

UNLV Probable Starters

No. NamePos.Ht.Yr.PPGRPG

11 Jamie SmithF6-0Fr10.79.0

24 Shamela HamptonC6-3Sr14.48.7

01 Dominique HarrisG5-10 Sr6.64.1

05 Brittany HalbergG5-7Sr8.02.0

15 Erica HelmsG5-7So10.62.2

Stat Comparison

CategoryBYUUNLV

Points:60.864.8

FG:.386.384

FT:.708.680

3FG:.280.317

Reb:38.0 40.0

Series Information

Record: BYU leads the series 22-11

Last Meeting: In the first time these two MWC foes played, the Cougars grabbed the 67-62 victory in Las Vegas on 1/21/09. When playing at the Marriott Center, the Rebels have a 2-12 record, winning last in Provo on March 6, 2004 a 67-59 UNLV victory.

First Meeting in 2009 - Las Vegas, NV on 1/21/09

Score: 67-62 in favor of BYU

Cassie King’s career-high 19 points and 13 rebounds helped the Cougars come from behind after trailing most of the second half to defeat UNLV 67-62. The double-double was King’s first of her career. BYU’s tough defense held UNLV without a bucket for nearly four minutes down the stretch, from the 4:22 mark to the 0:42 mark of the contest. Nielson hit a three-point shot to put the Cougars up three, 63-60, with 1:24 left. The lead was BYU’s first of the second half.

Key Stats in 1st gameBYUUNLV

Field Goal Percentage 26-of-71 (37%) (23-of-54) 43%

Free-Throw Percentage 10-of-12 (83%) 12-of-19 (63%)

Three-point Percentage 5-of-19 (26%) 4-of-13 (31%)

Rebounds 44 39

TRAVEL ITINERARY

Team flight: Mon. Feb. 16 - Delta #4777 departs Salt Lake City at 4:40 p.m, arrives in Albuquerque at 6:18 p.m.

Team flight: Wed. Feb. 18 - Delta #4509 departs Albuquerque at 7 a.m., arrives in Salt Lake City 8:49 a.m.

Team Hotel: Marriott Albuquerque, 2101 Louisiana Blvd., N.E., 505-881-6800, 505-888-2982, fax.

WHAT’S NEXT

Following the Sat., Feb., 21 game vs. UNLV, the Cougar team hosts SDSU on Wed., Feb. 24 before traveling to Salt Lake City to take on instate rival Utah on Sat., Feb. 28.