Second Road Trip Of Year Takes Team To California And Weber State

The BYU women's basketball team picked up its second win of the year and now takes a second road trip in November. This time to take on UCLA on Nov. 27 and USC on Nov. 29. Then the Cougars travel to Ogden to take on Weber State on Dec. 1.

Tip off: BYU (2-1) @ UCLA (2-1), 7:00 p.m. (PST) Arena: Pauley Pavilion

Tip off: BYU (2-1) @ USC (2-3), 7:00 p.m. (PST) Arena: LA Sports Arena

Tip off: BYU (2-1) @ Weber St. (3-2) , 7:00 p.m. (MST) Arena: Dee Events Ctr.

BYU's Probable Starters

Pos. # Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

F 31 Lisa Osguthorpe 6-0 Sr 11.0 4.3

F 23 Chanell Rose 6-0 Jr 5.0 2.3

C 51 Danielle Chessman 6-2 Fr 8.7 2.7

G 11 Erin Thorn 5-10 Jr 24.3 5.0

G 22 Stacy Jensen 5-6 Sr 10.3 4.0

Cougar Players Off The Bench

Pos. # Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

F 20 Brittany Larson 6-0 Jr 4.3 1.3

F 21 Jennifer Leitner6-1 Jr 6.0 1.0

F 45 Lisa Hansen 6-5 Jr 2.3 2.7

F 50 Heather Cheesman 6-1 So 1.3 1.7

G 05 Amy Lewis 5-6 Jr 0.7 1.0

G 25 Kali Taylor 5-11 Fr 3.7 0.3

Quickie BYU Stats

l Shooting from the field - .529 (92-174)

l Shooting from the free-throw line - .709 (39-55)

l Shooting from the three-point arc - .577 (30-52)

l Averaged 84.3 points per game

Last Game Recap

The Cougar women played their first game of the year at home, defeating the Washington State Cougars 94-67. All-American Erin Thorn had a game high 21 points, three rebounds and five assists. Two other BYU players scored in double figures. Danielle Chessman had 15 while guard Kali Taylor put in 11. Senior guard Stacy Jensen had a season high eight assists and senior forward Lisa Osguthorpe led the team in rebounds with five.

BYU Notes

All-American Erin Thorn has started the 2001-02 season with strong performances to make her the team's leading scorer with an average of 24.3 points a game. Thorn also leads in the rebound category with an average of five boards. Three other teammates score in double digits; with 11 from Lisa Osguthorpe followed by an average of 10.7 by Melanie Pearson and 10.3 by senior guard Stacy Jensen. Jensen tops the team list in assists, dishing out 6.6 per game. The Cougars are shooting 53 percent from the field, 71 percent at the free throw line and 58 percent from behind the arc. In the three games BYU has played to date, they're averaging 84.3 points to opponents 76.3.

Scouting UCLA

The Bruins return all 11 players from last year's team that finished the season with a 6-23, 5-13 record. UCLA's top returner is senior guard Michelle Greco who averaged 19.9 points a game. Greco was also the Pac-10's leading scorer last season. To date, the Bruins have compiled a 2-1 record, 1-0 at home. They shoot 37 percent from the field and 56 percent at the free throw line. From behind the arc they are averaging 36 percent shooting. And after three games, UCLA is averaging 63 points a game and holding opponents to 61 points.

Series Record: 2-7. The two teams met last season in Provo where the Cougars got the 68-53 victory, only the second win for BYU over the Bruins.

UCLA's Probable Starters

Pos. # Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

F 20 Michelle Greco 5-19 Sr 27.7 5.3

F 35 Jamila Veasley 6-1 So 3.3 5.0

C 32 Malika Leatham 6-2 Sr 13.0 8.3

G 01 Natalie Nakase 5-2 Jr 3.7 2.3

G 21 Jalina Bradley 5-7 Jr 5.7 3.3

Scouting USC

USC has a current record of 2-3 and has played just one game at home, an 87-39 trouncing over Morgan State on Nov. 21. The Trojans compiled an 13-15, 8-10 record last year and return three starters and 11 letterwinners. USC and BYU have had one common opponent Texas which both teams lost to, USC by two and BYU by 16. The Trojans are shooting 41 percent from the field and 70 percent at the free throw line. At the tree point line they shoot 31percent.

Series Record: 0-4 in favor of USC. The two teams have not played since 1986 when the Trojans picked up the 10-point 93-83 win in Provo.

USC's Probable Starters

Pos. # Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

F 14 Carmen Krause 6-1 Sr 4.4 5.0

F 32 Ebony Hoffman 6-2 So 12.0 6.4

G 03 Tiffany Elmore 5-10 Sr 6.3 4.7

G 10 Jessica Cheeks 5-9 So 10.2 3.0

G 23 Aisha Hollans 5-9 So 21.8 4.6

Scouting Weber State

The Wildcats season record to date is 3-2 playing four of their five games away or on neutral courts. WSU returns five starters and nine letterwinners from a squad that tallied a 14-15, 9-7 record and played in the semifinal game of the Big Sky tournament. With five games under their belt, Weber State is shooting 42 percent from the field, 66 percent at the free-throw line and 43 percent from three point range. They are averaging 77 points a game, holding opponents to 72 points.

Series Record: 30-8. BYU hold a commanding lead in the series between these two teams, having won the last four times either at home or on the road. Last year the Cougars and Wildcats played at the Marriott Center with BYU getting the six-point 63-57 victory.

Weber State Probable Starters

Pos. # Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

F 42 Crystal Howe 6-4 Jr 15.6 6.6

G 10 Stephanie Stanger 5-7 Sr 15.2 4.0

G 12 Julie Gjertsen 5-10 Fr 11.4 4.4

G 14 Karsen Muller 5-6 Jr 6.6 1.6

F 34 Angela Sampson 6-0 So 3.2 3.0

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

I thought we played a very good game against Washington State on Saturday. It was a very strong team effort and it gave us an opportunity to play everyone.

This upcoming road trip to southern California will be another extremely tough test for our team. We play to very strong team's that have a great tradition in women's basketball and who are members of the Pac-10. We will have to play some great basketball and have a full team effort in order for us to pick up a couple of wins on the road.

BYU Travel Itinerary

The BYU team leaves for southern California Mon. Nov. 26 on Delta flight # 1579, arriving in Los Angeles at 12:12 p.m. During their two game road trip, the Cougars will stay at he Marina Del Ray Courtyard, 13480 Maxella Ave, 310-822-8555, 310-823-2996 fax. After the two games, the team returns to Utah on Fri. Nov. 30 on Delta flight # 377 arriving at the SL Airport at 10:35 a.m.

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 playing three games in six days, the BYU team continues traveling in the month of December. The next trip is to Dallas, Texas for a meeting with SMU on Dec. 8. The Cougars are home after that hosting Oregon on Dec. 12 in a 4 p.m. tip off at the Marriott Center.

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