Final MWC Home Game Is Against Instate Rival Utah

In their final MWC match-up of the season at home, BYU's women's basketball team hosts instate rival Utah on Saturday, Feb. 23 at 4 p.m. The Cougars are currently 16-8, 7-4 while the Utes have a 13-10, 6-5 record.

Tip off: BYU (16-8, 7-4) vs Utah (13-10, 6-5), 4 p.m.(MST) Arena: Marriott Ctr.

BYU's Probable Starters

Pos. # Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

F 21 Jennifer Leitner 6-1 Jr 11.6 8.3

F 31 Lisa Osguthorpe 6-0 Sr 5.0 3.4

F 51 Danielle Cheesman 6-2 Fr 8.0 3.8

G 11 Erin Thorn 5-10 Jr 17.5 4.1

G 22 Stacy Jensen 5-6 Sr 9.9 2.9

Cougar Players Off The Bench

Pos. # Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

F/G 12 Melanie Pearson 6-1 Sr 10.6 3.2

F 23 Chanell Rose 6-0 Jr 3.3 2.4

F 45 Lisa Hansen 6-5 Jr 2.9 2.5

G 25 Kali Taylor 5-11 Fr 1.5 0.3

F 20 Brittany Larson 6-0 Jr 2.0 1.1

G 05 Amy Lewis 5-6 Jr 0.8 0.6

Quickie BYU Stats

l Shooting from the field - .450 (629-1397)

l Shooting from the free-throw line - .732 (303-414)

l Shooting from the three-point arc - .415 (202-487)

l Averaged 73.5 points per game

Last Game Recap

As the second half of MWC play continued, the Cougar team hosted two conference foes in the Marriott Center where they picked up a 68-55 win over Air Force and then dropped a close 64-71 decision to New Mexico. Against the Falcons it was All-American Erin Thorn taking the lead with a game high 21 points and five rebounds. Jennifer Leitner and Melanie Pearson joined Thorn by scoring in double figures with 12 from Leitner and 12 from Pearson who came off the bench to play for 19 minutes.

Freshman Danielle Cheesman took on the scoring duties against the Lobos with her first double-double of her college career tallying 16 points and 12 rebounds. The 16 points tied her season high and the 12 rebounds are a season and career high as well. Pearson saw significant action in this game, playing for 29 minutes and contributing with 15 points and four boards. Thorn added 10 points and five assists in the game.

BYU Notes

With a team that returns four starters and eight letterwinners from last season, the Cougar women's basketball is on its final leg of the MWC race for 2002. In this week's standings BYU is in fourth place behind the second place tie between UNLV and UNM. All-American Erin Thorn continues to be the team's leading scorer with an average of 17.5 points a game. The team's leading rebounder is junior forward Jennifer Leitner who's averaging 8.3 boards a game. She's also averaging 11.6 points a game. Senior guard Stacy Jensen leads in the assist category tallying 105 to date for an average of 4.34 per game. Jensen is also a main contributor in scoring with an average of 9.9 points a game. Senior transfer Melanie Pearson continues to come off the bench to score in double digits, tallying 10.6 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. Freshman Danielle Cheesman follows wih 8.0 points and 3.8 boards a game.

Injury Update

Sophomore forward Heather Cheesman was hit in the head during practice on Jan. 24. She suffered a bruised spinal chord and after a stay in the hospital she's at home recuperating. Chessman will not return to action this season.

2001-02 Season Highlights

TEAM

4 Points - 94 vs Washington State 11/24/01

4 Field Goals Made - 36 vs Washington State 11/24/01

4 3 PT Field Goals Made - 20 vs Arkansas Pine-Bluff 12/14/01

4 Free Throws Made - 22 vs SDSU on 1/31/02

4 Rebounds - 53 vs SDSU on 1/31/02

4 Assists - 32 vs Washington State 11/24/01

4 Steals - 14 @ Weber State 12/01/01

INDIVIDUAL

4 Points - Erin Thorn, (29) vs Arkansas Pine-Bluff 12/14/01

4 Field Goals Made - Erin Thorn, (10) @ Weber State 12/01/01

4 3 PT Field Goals Made - Erin Thorn, (9) vs Arkansas PB 12/14/01

4 Free Throws Made - Melanie Pearson, (9) @ Utah, 1/26/02

4 Rebounds - Jennifer Leitner, (13) @ UCLA 11/27/01

4 Assists - Erin Thorn, (9) vs Colorado St. 1/10/02

4 Steals - Lisa Osguthorpe (5) @ TCU on 12/22/01

MWC Standings - As Of Feb. 19

School Conference Games All Games

Colorado St. 9-2 20-5

UNLV 8-3 20-4

New Mexico 8-3 19-6

BYU 7-4 16-8

Utah 6-5 13-10

Wyoming 4-7 11-12

San Diego St. 1-9 9-14

Air Force 0-10 4-19

Cougars In MWC Stats (Conf. Games Only)

Top Three Finishes - TEAM

2 1st - Scoring Offense (766 pts, 69.6)

21st - Field Goal Percentage (.427, 268-627)

21st - 3-Point Field Goal Percentage (.371, 83-224)

2 3rd - Free Throw Percentage (.754, 147-195)

2 3rd - Blocked Shots (34, 3.09 avg)

21st - Assists (171, 15.55 avg)

21st - 3-Point Field Goals Made (83, 7.55 avg)

21st - Assist/Turnover Ratio (171 Asst, 15.5 avg/158 Turn, 14.4 avg, Ratio - 1.08)

Top Ten Finishes - INDIVIDUALS

2 2nd - Erin Thorn - Assists (44, 4.00 avg)

2 2nd - Erin Thorn - 3-PT Field Goals Made (31, 2.82)

2 3rd - Erin Thorn - Asst/Turn Ratio (44, asst, 4.0 avg/29 turn, 2.6 avg, 1.52 ratio)

2 9th - Erin Thorn - Steals (20, 1.82 avg)

2 7th - Erin Thorn - 3-PT Field Goal Percentage (.360, 31-86)

2 3rd - Erin Thorn - Scoring (176 pts., 16.0 avg)

2 4th - Melanie Pearson - 3-PT Field Goal Percentage (.438, 14-32)

2 4th - Melanie Pearson - Field Goal Percentage (.460, 40-87)

2 3rd - Jennifer Leitner - Defensive Rebounds (58, 5.80 avg)

2 3rd - Jennifer Leitner - Rebounding (83, 8.3 avg)

2 5th - Jennifer Leitner - Blocked Shots (10, 1.00 avg)

2 8th - Jennifer Leitner - Offensive Rebounds (25. 2.50 avg)

2 8th - Jennifer Leitner - Field Goal Percentage (.463, 44-95)

2 1st - Danielle Cheesman - Field Goal Percentage (.562, 41-73)

2 2nd - Stacy Jensen - Asst/Turn Ratio (39 asst, 3.5 avg/ 23 turn, 2.1 avg, 1.70 ratio)

2 6th - Stacy Jensen - 3-PT Field Goal Percentage (.395, 15-38)

2 8th - Stacy Jensen - 3-PT Field Goals Made (15, 1.36)

2 4th - Stacy Jensen - Assists (39, 3.55 avg)

Scouting Utah

Utah comes to Provo and the Marriott Center with a 13-10, 6-5 record and are currently on a three-game winning streak against conference opponents. The teams losses have been against New Mexico, BYU, twice to CSU and once to UNLV. On the road the Utes are 2-2 in MWC action. Three Utah players are contributing in double figures with Erin Gibbons leading the way as she contributes 14.6 points and 2.2 rebounds a game. She's followed by Lindsay Herbert and Lauren Beckman, each tallying 14 points a game with Beckman leading the way in the rebound category and an 8.7 averag per game. She also leads the way in blocks with 2.52 a game. The Utes are shooting 43 percent from the field and 74 percent from the free throw line. As a team, Utah shoots 38 percent from behind the three-point arc. They are scoring 67.4 points and holding opponents to 59.3 points.

Utah Probable Starters

Pos. # Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

F 13 Katherine McColl 6-0 Sr 5.7 6.4

F 25 Lindsay Herbert 5-11 Sr 14.0 3.7

C 52 Lauren Beckman 6-2 Sr 14.0 8.7

G 04 Erin Gibbons 5-9 Sr 14.6 2.2

G 14 Kelsy Stireman 5-7 So 4.7 2.7

Series Record: 28-46 favoring Utah. In the earlier meeting between these two instate rivals at the Huntsman Center, BYU got the win 77-65 for its seventh win at that arena. At the Huntsman Center, the Cougars have a 7-33 record. When the two teams play at the Marriott Center, Utah has a slight edge with a 14-15 record. On Jan. 26 it was Melanie Pearson coming off the bench to do the damage for the Cougars as she tallied a season and BYU career record of 28 points.

Head Coach Jeff Judkins

Jeff Judkins, an assistant during the 2000-01 season is this year's head coach for the Cougar women. Judkins, a longtime University of Utah coach and player takes over the BYU program with a proven record of success dating back to his high school days at Highland HS in Salt Lake City.

An all-state selection in basketball, football and baseball, Judkins went on to play for 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 (20), Jordan (19), Jenna (16), Jaime (13), Jaxson (10).

Coach Judkins Quotes

(On Cougars) We have got to come out and win the next three games if we want a chance at going into the NCAA tournament this year. We aren't happy with our play in our last game so we need to come out and play much better on Saturday. That game is probably the biggest game of the year for both teams and we need to come out with intensity, ready to play and play our very best.

(On Utah) They are a very good team, coached well and playing extremely well right now. They probably have one of the best post players in the league. Coming into this week's game, Lindsay Herbert is probably playing the best of her career and we'll have to make sure to take care of her.

BYU Practice Schedule At Home

The BYU team practices daily at the Marriott Center from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Coach Judkins' and or player interviews can be done prior to or after practice. No interviews are done 24-hours prior to a game. All interviews must be scheduled in advance through the Media Relations Office. The women's basketball SID is Norma Collett. She can be contacted by phone: 801-378-4908 during regular business hours or by e-mail norma_collett@byu.edu

Up Next

The Cougar women will make their final conference road trip of the year, traveling to UNLV on Feb. 28 and then on to San Diego for a contest against SDSU. BYU beat both of these teams at the Marriott Center in the first meeting between the conference foes. The team will then head back to Las Vegas the first week of March for the MWC tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center, Mar. 6-9.

2001-02 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL - NUMERICAL ROSTER (Tentative)

No. Name Ht. Cl. Pos. Exp. Hometown/School

11 Erin Thorn 5-10 Jr. G 2V Orem, UT/Mountain View H.S.

12 Melanie Pearson 6-1 Sr. G 3V Irvine, CA/Woodbridge HS/UCLA

20 Brittany Larson 6-0 Jr. F 2V Chicago, IL/New Trier HS

21 Jennifer Leitner 6-1 Jr. F 2V Chico, CA/Pleasant Valley HS

22 Stacy Jensen 5-6 Sr. G 3V West Jordan, UT/West Jordan HS

23 Chanell Rose 6-0 Jr. F 2V Orem, UT/UVSC

25 Kali Taylor 5-11 Fr. G HS Lyman, UT/Wayne HS

31 Lisa Osguthorpe 6-0 Sr. F 3V Orem, UT/Mountain View HS

45 Lisa Hansen 6-5 Jr. C 2V/RS Bakersfield, CA/Centennial HS/UCSB

50 Heather Cheesman 6-1 So. F 1V Orem, UT/Mountain View HS

51 Danielle Cheesman 6-2 Fr. F HS Orem, UT/Mountain View HS

HEAD COACH: Jeff Judkins (1st Year)

ASSISTANT COACHES: Alli Bills, Trent Shippen

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT: Jonas Chatterton

ATHLETIC TRAINER: Carolyn Billings

2001-02 Walk-On Players:

05 Amy Lewis 5-6 Jr. G Jefferson City, Montana/Jefferson City HS

24 Shauna Tuft 6-0 So. F Mesa, Arizona/Highland HS

30 Melissa Brown 5-8 So. G University Place, WA/Curtis HS

32 Aspen Casper 6-0 Jr. F Central Point, Oregon/S. Medford HS

Saturday's game between BYU and the University of Utah will air live on KBYU-TV, and on BYU-TV beginning at 4 p.m. Play by play will be by Holly Rowe with analysis from Kim Free.