Wyoming And CSU On The Road This Week

All alone in third place in this week's MWC standings (5-2) after their fourth straight win over conference foes, the BYU's women's basketball team takes its second to the last league road trip. The Cougars meet the Cowgirls on Feb. 7 and then travel to Ft. Collins to battle the Rams of CSU who are currently in first place in the conference standings with a 6-1 record.

Tip off: BYU (14-6, 5-2) @ WYO (10-9, 3-4), 7:00 p.m.(MST) Arena: Multipurpose Gym

Tip off: BYU (14-6, 5-2) @ CSU (17-4, 6-1), 2:00 p.m.(MST)Arena: Moby

BYU's Probable Starters

Pos. # Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

F 21 Jennifer Leitner 6-1 Jr 11.4 8.4

F 31 Lisa Osguthorpe 6-0 Sr 5.3 3.6

F 51 Danielle Cheesman 6-2 Fr 7.6 3.5

G 11 Erin Thorn 5-10 Jr 17.9 4.5

G 22 Stacy Jensen 5-6 Sr 10.2 2.8

Cougar Players Off The Bench

Pos. # Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

F/G 12 Melanie Pearson 6-1 Sr 10.3 3.1

F 23 Chanell Rose 6-0 Jr 3.7 2.5

F 45 Lisa Hansen 6-5 Jr 3.1 2.6

G 25 Kali Taylor 5-11 Fr 1.6 0.4

F 20 Brittany Larson 6-0 Jr 2.1 1.1

G 05 Amy Lewis 5-6 Jr 0.9 0.7

Quickie BYU Stats

l Shooting from the field - .459 (528-1151)

l Shooting from the free-throw line - .732 (257-351)

l Shooting from the three-point arc - .441 (178-404)

l Averaged 74.6 points per game

Last Game Recap

BYU's women's hoops team is currently on a four-game conference winning streak after picking up win over SDSU 67-41, and 72-61 over UNLV both at the Marriott Center. Balanced scoring and strong defense were keys to both wins. All-American Erin Thorn picked up leading scorer honors in both contests with teammate Jennifer Leitner as the team's rebound leader. Also scoring in double digits were Melanie Pearson and Danielle Cheesman.

BYU Notes

With a team that returns four starters and eight letterwinners from last season, the Cougar women's basketball continues to compete and play well against conference opponents. To date, the BYU squad has tallied a 14-6, 5-2 record. All-American Erin Thorn continues to be the team's leading scorer with an average of 17.9 points a game. The team's leading rebounder is junior forward Jennifer Leitner who's averaging 8.4 boards a game. She's also averaging 11.4 points a game. Senior guard Stacy Jensen leads in the assist category tallying 87 to date for an average of 4.35 per game. Jensen is also scoring in double digits, contributing 10.2 points a game. Senior transfer Melanie Pearson comes off the bench to score in double digits as well. She's picking up 10.3 points a game and is averaging 3.1 rebounds 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 remains in the hospital at Utah Valley Regional Medial Center in Provo.

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. 4

School Conference Games All Games

Colorado St. 6-1 17-4

New Mexico 6-2 17-5

BYU 5-2 14-6

UNLV 5-3 17-4

Utah 3-4 10-9

Wyoming 3-4 10-9

San Diego St. 1-6 9-11

Air Force 0-7 4-16

Cougars In MWC Stats (Conf. Games Only)

Top Three Finishes - TEAM

2 1st - Scoring Offense (494 pts, 70.6)

21st - Field Goal Percentage (.438, 167-381)

21st - 3-Point Field Goal Percentage (.418, 59-141)

22nd - Free Throw Percentage (.765, 101-132)

2 3rd - Field Goal Percentage Defense (.352, 131-372)

21st - Assists (114, 16.29 avg)

21st - 3-Point Field Goals Made (59, 8.43 avg)

21st - Assist/Turnover Ratio (114 Asst, 16.3 avg/112 Turn, 16.0 avg, Ratio - 1.02)

Top Ten Finishes - INDIVIDUALS

2 1st - Erin Thorn - Assists (31, 4.43 avg)

2 1st - Erin Thorn - 3-PT Field Goals Made (22, 3.14)

2 1st - Erin Thorn - Free Throw Percentage (.900, 18-20)

2 3rd - Erin Thorn - Asst/Turn Ratio (31 asst, 4.4 avg/ 19 turn, 2.7 avg, 1.63 ratio)

2 5th - Erin Thorn - 3-PT Field Goal Percentage (.423, 22-52)

2 2nd - Erin Thorn - Scoring (114 pts., 16.3 avg)

2 9th - Erin Thorn- Defensive Rebounds (27, 3.86)

2 2nd - Melanie Pearson - 3-PT Field Goal Percentage (.474, 9-19)

2 4th - Melanie Pearson - Field Goal Percentage (.500, 23-46)

2 10th - Melanie Pearson - 3-PT Field Goals Made (9, 1.29)

2 2nd - Jennifer Leitner - Defensive Rebounds (6.33, 38)

2 3rd - Jennifer Leitner - Rebounding (51, 8.5 avg)

2 4rd - Jennifer Leitner - Blocked Shots (7, 1.17)

2 7th - Jennifer Leitner - Field Goal Percentage (.481, 26-54)

2 9th - Jennifer Leitner - Offensive Rebounds (2.17, 6-13)

2 5th - Danielle Cheesman - Field Goal Percentage (.489, 22-45)

2 4th - Stacy Jensen - Asst/Turn Ratio (21 asst, 3.0 avg/ 13 turn, 1.9 avg, 1.62 ratio)

2 4th - Stacy Jensen - 3-PT Field Goal Percentage (.440, 11-25)

2 6th - Stacy Jensen - 3-PT Field Goals Made (9, 1.29)

2 5th - Lisa Osguthorpe - Assists (24, 3.43)

2 1st - Lisa Osguthorpe - Asst/Turn Ratio (24 asst, 3.4 avg/10 turn, 1.4 avg, 2.40 ratio)

Scouting Wyoming

Wyoming has compiled a 10-9, 3-4 record to date. During conference play they are 2-0 at home. Their MWC record of 3-4 puts them in a two-way tie with Utah for fifth place at the end of last week's games. Carrie Bacon tops the leader board in scoring with 14.0 points and 6.3 rebounds a game. Ann McColl is also contributing in double figures with her average of 12.1 points and 5.9 boards. Topping the rebound category is Darci Arsene. She's tallying a team high 7.2 boards a game and is scoring 11.9 points a game. The Cowgirls are shooting just under 40 percent from the field and 75 percent from the free throw line. They also shoot about 28 percent from behind the arc. As a team, Wyoming is picking up 69.3 points a game and allowing opponents 66 points a game.

Wyoming Probable Starters

Pos. # Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

F 21 Darci Arsene 6-1 Jr 11.9 7.2

F 41 Carrie Bacon 6-0 Jr 14.0 6.3

F 51 Ann McColl 6-2 Jr 12.1 5.9

G 12 Carly Stucky 5-10 So 9.8 3.6

G 25 Cherrith Wiersma 5-9 Jr 5.0 2.7

Series Record: 34-13 favoring BYU. These two MWC foes have already had one meeting this season, in Provo where the Cougars picked up the 81-65 win. In Laramie, BYU is 15-8.

Scouting Colorado State

The Rams sit atop the standings in the Mountain West with a 6-1 record. Their lone conference loss was at New Mexico last week where they lost 50-56 to the Lobos. And at Cox Arena CSU has a 3-0 conference record to date. Three players are currently scoring in double digits for Colorado State. At the top of that list is senior Angie Gorton who's averaging 13.9 points and 5.8 rebounds a game. Ashley Augspurger follows with 13.4 points and 5.9 rebounds. Then it's Elizabeth English who's contributing 13.0 points and 2.0 rebounds. Shannon Strecker leads the team in rebounds with her average of 6.0 boards a game. The Rams are shooting 43 percent from the field, 64 at the line and 34 percent from behind the arc. They pick up 73.0 points a game and hold opponents to just 59.6 points a game.

CSU Probable Starters

Pos. # Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

F 00 Ashley Augspurger 6-1 Jr 13.4 5.9

F 24 Jackie Campbell 5-10 Jr 8.4 2.8

C 50 Shannon Strecker 6-2 Jr 8.4 6.0

G 14 Angie Gorton 6-0 Sr 13.9 5.8

G 11 Jasai Ferrucho 5-7 So 5.6 2.2

Series Record: 36-17 in favor of the Cougars. The two teams met once this year already where the visiting CSU team beat BYU 81-64 at the Marriott Center in the team's seasoner opener in conference play. Despite the Cougars advantage in the overall series record between the two schools, the Rams have won the last 10 of 13 meetings between the two MWC foes. The Cougars are 11-11 at Cox Arena.

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) It was very good for us to be able to win last week's two conference games. The wins give us an opportunity to stay in the hunt for the conference title. I thought we executed well both on offense and defense and we continue to get some great play from our bench.

(On Wyoming and CSU) Both of these teams place extremely tough on their home courts. We split them when they came to play at our house, beating Wyoming and losing to CSU. We will need to play very well, a complete game both on defense and offense in order to have a change to pick up wins on the road this week. Wyoming has a very good team with several of their key players back this season. They'll be very tough. And CSU is at the top of the league standings right now and have everything going their way. It's always tough to play in Ft. Collins, so once again it's up to us to take care of business and get the job done that's at hand.

Cougars Travel This Week

The team departs for this week's road trip on Wed. Feb. 6 at 10 a.m. on Delta flight # 1549 arriving in Denver at 11:30 a.m. Then they travel by bus to Laramie and will stay at the Holiday Inn at 2313 Soldier Springs Road, 307-742-6611, 307-745-8371 fax. After Thursday night's game against the Cowgirls, it's back on the bus for a trip to Ft. Collins. While there the team will stay at the Ft.Collins Marriott, 350 E. Horsetooth Road, 970-226-5200, 970-226-9708 fax.BYU returns to Provo on Feb. 10 on Delta flight # 1137 arriving in Salt Lake City at 10:30 a.m. from Denver.

Team Practice Schedule On The Road

Thurs. Feb. 7 - Shoot Around at Multipurpose Gym (1-2 p.m.)

Fri. Feb. 8 - Practice in Ft. Collins (11 a.m. to 1 p.m.)

Sat. Feb. 9 - Shoot Around at Cox Arena (8-9 a.m.)

Up Next

After this week's road games, the Cougars return home for the next three MWC contests. BYU hosts Air Force on Feb. 14 and New Mexico on Feb. 16. The team's final home game is on Feb. 23 against Utah.

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 1V Mesa, Arizona/Highland HS

30 Melissa Brown 5-8 So. G 1V University Place, WA/Curtis HS

32 Aspen Casper 6-0 Jr. F 1V Central Point, Oregon/S. Medford HS