Two Conference Games On The Road

Two Conference Games On The Road

The 2005 MWC race is in full force this week and BYU's women's basketball team (10-5) takes its 1-1 league record on the road. The Cougars play at New Mexico on Jan. 20 and Air Force on Jan. 22.

Teams: BYU (10-5, 1-1) vs. New Mexico (12-2, 1-0) Date: 01/20/05 Time: 7 p.m. Arena: The Pit

Teams: BYU (10-5, 1-1) vs. AF (5-9, 0-1) Date: 01/22/05 Time: 2 p.m. Arena: Clune Arena

Follow the women's basketball action live on BYU Radio

All of the women's basketball games can be heard live on BYU radio via the internet at www.byuradio.org Veteran BYU broadcaster Jay Monsen calls the action. Fans can also access BYU Radio on the Dish Network.

BYU's Probable Starters

Pos. # Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

G 14 Julie Sullivan 5-8 Sr 10.2 3.1

F 32 Kristin Kozlowski 6-2 Sr 10.6 5.1

F 33 Ambrosia Anderson 6-2 Jr 11.5 5.2

F 35 Melinda Johnsen 5-10 So 3.4 1.8

F 51 Danielle Cheesman 6-2 Sr 8.7 9.1

Cougar Players Off The Bench

Pos. # Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

C 45 Dani Kubik 6-3 So 8.6 4.4

G 30 Mallary Gillespie 5-10 Fr 8.1 2.1

G/F 01 Nancy Seljaas 6-0 Jr 4.2 1.9

F 50 Mary Martha Abell 6-3 Fr 2.6 2.1

C 52 Lauren Riley 6-3 Fr 2.4 2.0

G 13 Tiari Goold 5-7 So 1.0 1.1

G 10 Laura Stratton 5-6 Jr 0.4 0.5

2004-05 Team Stats --

4 Shooting from the field: (.440, 379-861)

4 Shooting from the free-throw line: (.718, 183-255)

4 Shooting from three-point line: (.333, 77-231)

4 Average points per game: 67.9

Lineup Update

Starters: Record:

Seljaas, Sullivan, Kozlowski, Johnsen, Cheesman: 6-4

Sullivan, Anderson, Kozlowski, Johnsen, Cheesman: 2-0

Sullivan, Gillespie, Anderson, Kozlowski, Cheesman: 1-0

Goold, Sullivan, Kozlowski, Johnsen, Cheesman: 1-0

Previous Game Recap

In the second league game of the year, the Cougars stopped the Colorado State Rams dead in their tracks, 74-54.

The first half showed strong play with BYU leading by as much as 20 points. In a sudden burst of power Ambrosia Anderson made a steal, followed by a great block by Danielle Cheesman, which resulted in a three point field goal by Anderson with 6:40 remaining in the first half.

The Cougars ended the half 41-25, the most points CSU had given up in a first half all season. Leading individual total points in the first half was CSU forward Melissa Dennett. Mallary Gillespie, Kristen Kozlowski, and Melinda Johnsen came in second with 6 points each.

Starting out the second half, the Cougars remained strong. Julie Sullivan, Gillespie, Dani Kubik, and Cheesman all scored double figures, making this the fifth straight game where at least three BYU players have scored in double digits. CSU's Lindsay Thomas scored the highest with 18 points. Gillespie and Anderson both had two three-point field goals, the highest of the game. BYU ended the game with a 50.8 percent shooting average.

About the Cougars

u The Cougars current record: 10-5, 1-1

u The team's leading scorer is junior forward Ambrosia Anderson, who tallies 11.5 points.

u Senior forward Danielle Cheesman tops the list in the rebound category with 9.1 per game.

u Cheesman notched her third double double of the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds vs. Weber State on 12/30/04. It was her 10th overall.

u Cheesman joined BYU's elite 1,000 point club when she hit a three-point bucket just minutes into the Weber State game on 12/30/04. She becomes the 14th student-athlete who has reached that similar milestone during their BYU college career.

u Senior point guard Julie Sullivan is one of the team's best free throw shooter, with a percentage of .826, (38-46).

u Anderson picked up her first double double of the 2004-05 campaign with the 20 points and 12 rebounds against SEMO on 12/10/04.

u To date, Kristin Kozlowski has scored in double figures in eight games.

u Freshman Mallary Gillespie put in seven three pointers in the game vs. Nevada on 11/24/04, that's two shy of BYU's all-time record holder in three pointers, Erin Thorn. Thorn tallied nine treys vs. Arkansas Pine-Bluff at a tournament in Denver on 12/14/01.

u Gillespie got her first start in a college game vs. Portland State on 01/08/05. She filled in for Melinda Johnsen who had the flu.

BYU By The Numbers

5 times that the Cougars have shot 50 percent or better from the field: vs. Colorado State on 01/15/05 (50.8, 31-61); vs. Portland State on 01/08/05 (51.7, 31-60); vs. USC on 12/18/04 (55.3, 26-47); vs. GW on 12/06/04 (50.0, 27-54); and vs. SUU on 11/19/04 (52.6, 30-57).

5 times that BYU has had at least three players scoring in double figures.

7 times that Ambrosia Anderson has scored in double figures.

8 season high blocks by BYU in the game vs. Wyoming on 01/13/05

9 games where Julie Sullivan has scored in double figures.

11 times that Julie Sullivan has played at "The Pit" during her high school and college career

Player Injury Report

l Kali Taylor broke a finger in her left hand this week and will be out four to six weeks.

l Junior forward Jennie Keele will get a medical redshirt for the rest of this season. The injury she suffered to her foot on the first day of practice is not complete healed. She's only been able to play for a few minutes at a time.

Cougars Picked Fifth in Preseason Media Poll

For the 2004-05 season, BYU's women's basketball team was picked to finish 5th in the regular MWC season.

Rk. Teams (1st votes) Points

1. UNLV (5) 134

2. New Mexico (8) 131

Utah (7) 131

4. Colorado State 92

5. BYU 88

6. Wyoming 65

7. San Diego State 43

8. Air Force 28

Abell Gets MWC Newcomer of the Year Nomination in Preseason Media Poll

Mary Martha Abell, a 6-3 freshman forward from Monroe, Louisiana and Monroe High School was picked as the top newcomer in the media's preseason poll announced in Denver in October 2004.

Tracking the Cougars vs. MWC as of Jan.18

Category Conference Games All Games

Scoring Offense 3rd, 68.5 3rd, 67.9

Scoring Defense 4th, 64.0 4th, 59.9

Scoring Margin 4th, +4.5 5th, +8.0

Field Goal Pct. 3rd, .431 1st, .440

Free Throw Pct. 7th, .667 2nd, .718

3-Point Field Goal Pct. 1st, .407 3rd, .333

Rebounding Offense 2nd, 40.0 3rd, 40.1

Rebounding Defense 4th, 36.0 3rd, 32.8

Blocked Shots 2ndt, 5.00 6th, 2.73

Assists 3rd, 15.00 1st, 16.53

Steals 3rd, 8.00 5th, 8.27

Assist/Turnover Ratio 4th, 1.03 4th, .88

3-Point Field Goals Made 4th, 5.50 3rd, 5.13

Offensive Rebounds 3rd, 17.00 6th, 12.67

Defensive Rebounds 4th, 23.00 1st, 27.40

Tracking BYU Players in the MWC as of Jan. 18

Name Category Conf. Games All Games

Sullivan, J. Scoring 9th, 14.0 16th, 10.2

Cheesman, D. Scoring 18tht, 11.0 21st, 8.7

Anderson, A. Scoring 18tht, 11.0 12th, 11.5

Kubik, D. Scoring 29th, 7.0 ----

Name Category Conf. Games All Games

Kozlowski, K. Scoring 30tht, 7.0 15th, 10.6

Kubik, D. FG Pct. 9th, .500 ----

Kozlowski, K. FG Pct. 13th, .462 1st, .606

Sullivan, J. FG Pct. 14th, .458 ----

Cheesman, D. Rebounding 4th, 9.0 3rd, 9.1

Kozlowski, K. Rebounding 6tht, 8.0 15th, 5.1

Kubik, D. Rebounding 15tht, 5.5 ----

Sullivan, J. Assists 5th, 4.50 4th, 4.13

Goold, T. Assists 11tht, 3.00 11th, 2.47

Johnsen, M. Assists 14th, 2.50 -----

Sullivan, J. FT Pct. 13tht, .833 4th, .826

Anderson, A. 3-PT FG Pct. 8tht, .444 8th, .370

Gillespie, M. 3-PT FG Pct. 11th, .400 5th, .392

Cheesman, D. Blocked Shots 2nd, 2.00 15tht, .053

Kubik, D. Blocked Shots 6tht, 1.00 ----

Johnsen, M. Blocked Shots 6tht, 1.00 ----

Anderson, A. Steals 4tht, 2.00 ----

Anderson, A. 3-PT FG Made 6tht, 2.00 13tht, 1.13

Gillespie, M. 3-PT FG Made 12tht, 1.00 3rd, 1.93

Kozlowski, K. Offensive Reb. 4th, 4.50 8th, 2.40

Cheesman, D. Offensive Reb. 5tht, 4.00 6th, 2.77

Kubik, D. Offensive Reb. 9tht, 2.50 ----

Cheesman, D. Defensive Reb. 6tht, 5.00 1st, 6.20

About University of New Mexico

After the first week of MWC play, New Mexico is 1-0 with a home win over the Air Force Academy. Overall, they have compiled a 12-2 record and are 10-1 at home. Senior forward Lindsey Arndt leads the Lobos in scoring with 99.3 points and a team high 5.4 rebounds a game. Newcomer Dionne Marsh, a freshman from Flower Mound, Texas also contributes to the team's offense averaging 8.9 points and 5.1 boards a game. She's played in all games, starting in four. New Mexico is shooting 42 percent from the field and 70 percent at the free throw line, and 35 percent when shooting from three-point range. The team is tallying 64.6 points a game and holding opponents to 48.3 points.

New Mexico Probable Starters

Pos. # Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

G 05 Abbie Letz 6-0 Jr 5.8 4.4

G 21 Mandi Moore 5-7 Sr 6.4 4.6

G 40 Julie Briody 6-0 So 2.8 1.3

C 24 Jana Francis 6-3 Jr 7.5 2.9

F 42 Lindsey Arndt 6-1 Sr 9.3 5.4

Series Record: 34-18 for BYU. At the Pit, the Cougars have a 10-13 record.

Last Meeting: During last year's league schedule, New Mexico won both games, winning by six in Provo and by one in Albuquerque. BYU has not won in New Mexico since the 2000-01 season when the Cougars defeated the Lobos by a score of 79-72 on 02/03/01.

About Air Force Academy

With one game played in league action, the Air Force Academy is at 5-9, 0-1 on the year. They lost at New Mexico last week in their conference opener. Two players currently score in double digits for the Falcons with Letricia Castillo toping the list, averaging 12.4 points and 4.4 rebounds a game. Teammate Alecia Steele follows contributing 11.9 points and grabbing a team-high 7.0 boards a game. As a team, the Air Force is shooting 39percent from the field and 65 percent at the free throw line. When shooting from behind the arc, they shoot 31 percent. In all 14 games to date, the Falcons have scored an average of 64.0 points and are allowing opponents to score 66.5 points per game.

Air Force Academy Probable Starters

Pos. # Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

G 04 Letricia Castillo 5-8 So 12.4 4.4

G 25 Lauren Henderson 5-5 Fr 6.6 2.5

F 21 Jennifer Roesch 6-0 Sr 5.9 4.4

F 32 Alecia Steele 6-0 Fr 11.9 7.0

C 44 Jacki Novak 6-2 So 5.6 3.7

Series Record: 12-0 favoring BYU

Last Meeting: In last year's regular season schedule the Cougars won both contests, a 78-59 victory in Provo and a 75-60 decision in Colorado Springs.

Head Coach - Jeff Judkins

Overall Record: 68-40, begins his fourth season at BYU.

Under Coach Judkins, the team has gone to back-to-back NCAA appearances as well as to the title games of the MWC Championships, winning the title game in 2001-02.

An all-state selection in basketball, football and baseball, Judkins played basketball for the University of Utah 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 (24), Jordan (22), Jenna (20), Jaime (17), Jaxson (14).

Judkins Record vs. MWC Schools

School Record In 2005

Air Force 6-0 ----

CSU 1-5 1-0

New Mexico 2-6 ----

San Diego State 6-0 ----

UNLV 5-4 ----

Utah 3-4 ----

Wyoming 5-2 0-1

2004-05 Cougar Roster Breakdown

Seniors (4):

Danielle Cheesman, Kristen Kozlowski, Julie Sullivan, Kali Taylor

Juniors (5):

Ambrosia Anderson, Julie Cross, Jennie Keele (Overdiek), Nancy Seljaas, Laura Stratton

Sophomore (3):

Dani Kubik, Tiari Goold,Melinda Johnsen

Freshman (4):

Mary Martha Abell, Mallary Gillespie, Lauren Riley, Summer Sykes

By Position

Forward (6):

Mary Martha Abell, Ambrosia Anderson, Danielle Cheesman, Kristen Kozlowski,

Summer Sykes

Guard (6):

Julie Cross, Mallary Gillespie, Tiari Goold, Laura Stratton, Julie Sullivan, Kali Taylor

Guard/Forward (3):

Melinda Johnsen, Jennie Keele, Nancy Seljaas

Center /Forward(2):

Dani Kubik, Lauren Riley

Travel Plans

Departs: Wed., Jan. 19 on Delta Flight #3982 at 5 p.m., arriving at 6:30 p.m. in Albuquerque

The team's hotel: Albuquerque Marriott at, 2101 Louisiana Blvd., NE, 505-881-6800, 505-888-2982 fax.

Shoot-Around: Thurs., Jan. 20, 12-1 p.m. at "The Pit"

Game: vs. New Mexico, 7 p.m.

Departs: Friday, Jan. 21 on Frontier Flight #4330, at 10:10 a.m., arriving at 11:20 a.m., in Colorado Springs.

Team hotel: Embassy Suites, 7290 Commerce Center Dr., 719-599--9100, 719-599-4644, fax.

Practice: Friday, Jan. 21, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., at Clune Arena

Game: vs. Air Force, 2 p.m.

Departs: Sat., Jan. 22 on Delta Flight # 3910, arriving in Salt Lake City at 10:03 p.m.

Team's Practice Schedule/Media Interviews

The BYU team practices at the Marriott Center from 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m., on Monday's, Wednesday's, Thursday's, and Friday's. On Tuesday's , practice time is from 1 to 3 p.m.

Media interviews with coach Judkins and players can be done prior to or at the end of practice. All interviews must be scheduled in advance with the women's basketball athletic communications director, Norma Collett at 801-422-4908, 801-372-0989 during regular business hours or via email at: collett@byucougars..com

No interviews will be given the day of a game until after the game. Updated information on the women's basketball team is available 24 hours a day on the BYU web site at www.byucougars.com/basketball_w/

Stats on the team are updated on the web site every Monday morning. Media members may contact Norma Collett to receive news releases and game notes via email.

All working media personnel will be put on a media gate list for entry into the arena. The list will be available by the elevators near the main ticket office in the Marriott Center. No other credentials are needed. Media will be assigned a seat on press row to cover each home game.

What's Next

The 2005 MWC race continues with BYU hosting instate rival Utah on Sat. Jan. 29 at 3 p.m. The Cougars continue playing at home hosting San Diego State on Thurs., Feb. 3 and UNLV on Sat., Feb. 5.