Women Take Two Game Winning Streak On The Road Again

After playing four games in seven days, BYU's women's basketball team will spend the week at home preparing for SMU, it's next road opponents. THe Cougars travel to Dallas for a game against WAC foe Southern Methodist on Sat. Dec. 8.

Tip off: BYU (4-2) @ SMU (3-3), 2:00 p.m. (CT) Arena: Moody Coliseum

BYU's Probable Starters

Pos. # Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

F 21 Jennifer Leitner 6-1 Jr 9.5 7.5

F 31 Lisa Osguthorpe 6-0 Sr 7.5 3.8

F 23 Chanell Rose 6-0 Jr 4.2 1.7

G 11 Erin Thorn 5-10 Jr 20.5 4.5

G 22 Stacy Jensen 5-6 Sr 10.3 2.5

Cougar Players Off The Bench

Pos. # Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

F/G 12 Melanie Pearson 6-1 Sr 9.8 2.8

F 51 Danielle Cheesman 6-2 Fr 7.0 2.8

F 45 Lisa Hansen 6-5 Jr 3.5 3.2

G 25 Kali Taylor 5-11 Fr 2.8 0.5

F 20 Brittany Larson 6-0 Jr 2.3 1.2

F 50 Heather Cheesman 6-1 So 2.0 1.2

G 05 Amy Lewis 5-6 Jr 0.5 0.0

Quickie BYU Stats

l Shooting from the field - .484 (167-345)

l Shooting from the free-throw line - .752 (76-101)

l Shooting from the three-point arc - .481 (50-104)

l Averaged 76.7 points per game

Last Game Recap

BYU picked up its fourth win of the year and extended its winning streak to two with a 70-49 victory over Weber State to begin the month of December. The game was played at the Dee Events Center in Ogden where All-American Erin Thorn led all scores with 22 points, scoring 15 of those in the first 10 minutes of the second half of action. Junior forward Lisa Hansen came off the bench for a season high 10 points for BYU. The Cougars were perfect from the free throw line making all nine of their attempts.

BYU Notes

All-American Erin Thorn continues to be the team's leading scorer with an average of 20.5 points a game. The team's leading rebounder is junior forward Jennifer Leitner who's averaging 7.5 boards a game. Senior guard Stacy Jensen leads in the assist category with an average of 4.3 per game. Jensen is the other Cougar scoring in double digits, contributing 10.3 points a game.

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 - 13 vs Washington State 11/24/01

4 Free Throws Made - 21 @ USC 11/29/01

4 Rebounds - 39 @ UCLA 11/27/01

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

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

INDIVIDUAL

4 Points - Erin Thorn, (26) @ Texas 11/20/01

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

4 3 PT Field Goals Made - Erin Thorn, (6) @ Texas 11/20/01

4 Free Throws Made - Jennifer Leitner, (8) @ USC 11/29/01

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

4 Assists - Stacy Jensen, (8) vs Washington State 11/24/01

4 Steals - Erin Thorn, (5) vs Washington State 11/24/01

Thorn Closing In On Three-Pointer Record

All-American Erin Thorn is just five three pointers away from becoming BYU's all-time scoring leader from behind the arc. Currently she's got 200 treys. Cougar standout Kari Gallup holds the three-point career record with 204. Gallup reached the mark during her senior year. Thorn is just a junior and could break the record in this weekend's game. She also joined BYU's 1,000-point club after the UCLA game. Her total to date is 1,028.

Scouting SMU

The SMU Mustangs from Dallas, Texas have compiled a 3-3 record to date. They host Oklahoma on Dec. 5 prior to taking on the Cougars on Dec. 8. SMU returns three starters and nine letterwinners from last year's 17-12, 11-5 team. Junior forward Kaci Alexander is the Mustangs leading scorer with an average of12.3 points a game. She and teammate Tyesha Glover top the list in the rebound category with an average of 8.3 boards a game each. Glover is also the other player in double digit scoring with a 10.2 average. SMU is shooting 57.3 points a game, shoots 38 percent from the field, 55 percent from the free throw line and 23 percent form behind the arc.

Series Record: 1-4 in favor of SMU. Last year was the only time in the series between the two schools that the Cougars have been victorious. BYU won 72-58 in the Marriott Center on December 30. The previous contests have all been won by the Mustangs.

SMU's Probable Starters

Pos. # Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

G 4 Vanita Krouch 5-6 Jr 2.5 3.0

F 30 Tyesha Glover 6-1 So 10.2 8.3

G 33 Jackee' Brown 6-2 So 7.9 2.8

P 34 Kaci Alexander 6-4 Jr 12.3 8.3

G 40 Andrea Cossey 5-11 So 9.3 2.7

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 the University of Utah in 1989, and was an integral part of the program's success during his 10 year tenure.

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 (18), Jenna (16), Jaime (13) and Jaxson (10).

Coach Judkins Quotes

(On Cougars) Right now we're about where I thought we would be. The new players are starting to pick up our game plan better. We're on the right track, we still have a long way to go, but for right now we're doing good.

(On SMU) They are a great program and a good defensive team. I know that it is extremely hard to play on their home floor. They are also well coached and are well disciplined. We will need to be up for the challenge both mentally and physically.

BYU Travel Itinerary

The BYU team departs for Dallas on Delta Flight # 306 on Friday, Dec. 7, arriving at 12:10 p.m. BYU will stay at the Wyndham Garden Hotel, 8051 LBJ Freeway, 972-680-3000, 972-680-3200 fax. The Cougars return to Salt Lake City on Sat. Dec. 8, Delta Flight # 383, arriving at 9:15 p.m. at the airport.

Cougars Practice Schedule - At Home

BYU practices are Mon., Wed., and Fri., from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. On Tues., and Thurs., they practice form 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. All coach and player interviews must be scheduled in advance through the women's basketball SID Norma Collett. She can be contacted via phone or e-mail. Office phone: 801-378-4908, e-mail: norma_collett@byu.edu No coach or player interviews will be scheduled 24 hours prior to a game.

Up Next

After the one game road trip, BYU will play its first game at home in December on the 12th. The Cougars host Oregon in a 4 p.m. tip off.

2001-02 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL - NUMERICAL ROSTER

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: Trent Shippen, Alli Bills

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT: Jonas Chatterton

ATHLETIC TRAINER: Carolyn Billings

NICKNAME: COUGARS

COLORS: BLUE AND WHITE

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