At UNLV, Host SDSU This Week In MWC Action

BYU (19-6, 10-2) remains in first place in this week's standings after wins at Wyoming and CSU. In this week's action the team heads to Las Vegas for a matchup with UNLV (10-14, 4-8) on Wed. Feb., 21 at 7 p.m., PST. The team then returns to the Marriott Center to host San Diego State (12-11, 5-7) on Sat., Feb. 24 at 2 p.m.

Complete Broadcast Plans

On TV - The game between BYU and SDSU on Feb. 24 will air live on BYUTV and locally on KBYU-TV channel 11. Holly Rowe and Kristin Kozlowski will call the action. The game will also air tape delay on the mtn. various times.

On the internet - Thurs., game at UNLV will air tape delay and the Sat., game vs. SDSU will air live on BYU Radio via audio streaming. Veteran broadcaster Jay Monsen will call the action. To listen log on to: http://www.byuradio.org/streaming

Live stats - fans can follow the game action via stats by clicking on:

http://www.byucougars.com/Schedule.jsp?SP=112&YR=2006

BYU Probable Starters

Pos. # Name Ht Yr PPG RPG

G/F 15 Jennie Keele 5-10 Sr 6.8 3.6

G 30 Mallary Gillespie 5-10 Jr 13.2 3.5

G/F 35 Melinda Johnsen 5-10 Sr 5.8 2.8

C 45 Dani Kubik Wright 6-3 Sr 13.6 6.9

F 52 Lauren Riley 6-3 Jr 7.1 6.5

Reserve Players

Pos. # Name Ht Yr PPG RPG

G/F 32 Shawnee Slade 5-11 So 8.1 4.9

C 54 Cassie King 6-3 So 4.0 2.8

F 05 Ashley Cheesman 6-0 Jr 1.0 1.7

F 22 Brittany Faddis 6-0 So 0.9 1.2

G 13 Jaime Judkins 5-6 Fr 0.3 0.6

G 31 Rachel Aina 5-9 So 0.2 0.2

Team Stats --

-- Shooting from the field: (.436, 588-1350)

-- Shooting from the free-throw line: (.624, 257-412)

-- Shooting from three-point line: (.330, 148-448)

-- Average points per game: 63.2

Cougars Team Summary

After compiling the best season record in school history (26-6), making their seventh postseason NCAA Championships appearance and clinching the 2006 MWC Regular Season Champion crown, the BYU team looks to take that success and winning attitude into the 2006-07 year.

BYU returns a nucleus of four starters and five letterwinners that will make this year's squad tough to beat during its non-conference and league schedules.

Once again the Cougars should finish at the top of the MWC standings, leading the way to an eighth appearance in the NCAA Championships and advancing further in that national tournament.

2006-07 Season Highlights and Notables

TEAM

-- The Cougars non-conference road record finished at 4-4.

-- The team improved to 15-1 when leading at the half.

-- BYU is 14-3 when outrebounding opponents. (Outrebounded Utah 38-35 on 01/27/07, and on 12/30/06 at Oregon, 37-29 but loss both games.

-- The 11 turnovers BYU had vs. UNLV on 01/20/07 were the lowest of the year. They had 13 vs. CSU on 01/18/07.

-- The nine blocks at SDSU on 01/25/07 are a new team high.

-- The Cougars have had three players scoring in double figures in eight games. BYU has won all but two (Baylor, Oregon) of those games.

-- Eight times this season, the Cougars have had two players scoring in double figures, the most recent, at CSU on 02/17/07).

-- The 79 points scored against Weber State are the most scored by BYU this year and the (13) three-point goals, are a new team high.

-- BYU's 69 points in the game at Wyoming on 02/15/07 were the second most points the Cougars have scored in a conference game this season. They had 70 over Air Force on Feb. 8.

-- BYU's defense held the Cowgirls to 28.3 percent shooting from the field on 02/15/07, making it the second lowest in league competition for the Cougars to date.

-- The Cougars picked up season best in 3-point field goal percentage .542 (13-24) in the Weber State game on 12/14/06.

-- To date, BYU has shot over 50 percent from the field in two games (vs. Weber State .542 on 12/14/06 and vs. UCR .521 on 12/20/06)

-- The Cougars have had four players score in double figures three times this year: (vs. SCU, @ Harvard, and @ UVSC).

-- In the game at home vs. Santa Clara University on 11/22/06, the .839 (26-31) free throw percentage was the best for the team in regular season games. In league games, they shot .800 (16-20) vs. TCU on 02/01/07 for the highest charity stripe percentage in league games to date.

-- The 55 total rebounds grabbed in the game vs. CSUN on 12/09/06 are a new season high for the team.

-- The 1,313 fans in attendance at the UNM game on 02/10/07 are the second highest home total of the season and the highest against a league opponent.

-- The 12 steals in the game vs. AF on 02/08/07 were the second best this season and the best against an MWC foe. In the opening game of the year vs. Idaho State the team had 13 steals.

PLAYER

-- Dani Wright set a new season and career high in rebounds with 15 vs. TCU on 02/01/07.

-- Dani Kubik Wright - Preseason WNIT All-Tournament Team

-- Dani Wright - In the game @ Stanford - played a total of 35 minutes, the most minutes played in her college career.

-- Melinda Johnsen - team's assist leader: (302) for her career, 106 this season, as of 02/19/07.

-- Melinda Johnsen grabbed seven boards against Wyoming on 02/15/07 tying her season high in rebounds and the most boards versus a league opponent this year.

-- Lauren Riley picked up a season and career high five blocks vs. AF on 02/08/07.

-- Lauren Riley picked up a new season and career high 18 points vs. UNM on 02/10/07.

-- Mallary Gillespie picked up new season and career highs in points with 31 at Wyoming on 02/15/07.

-- Mallary Gillespie picked up her third season and career MWC Player of the Week honor on Feb. 19 after her 31 point performance in the game at Wyoming on 02/15/07.

-- Jennie Keele tallied a season high 16 points at Colorado State on 02/17/07, one point shy of her 17 career high.

Balanced BYU Scoring (as of 02/20/07)

Games With Four In Double Figures (3)

vs. SCU 11/22/06 - Keele (12), Gillespie (14), Slade (22), Johnsen (10)

@ Harvard 11/29/06 - Gillespie (10), Hall (10), Wright (14), King (11)

@ UVSC 12/16/06 - Gillespie (14), Slade (13), Wright (12), Riley (13)

Games With Three In Double Figures (9)

@ Baylor 11/16/06 - Keele (12), Slade (11), Wright (17)

vs. UC Riverside 12/20/06 - Gillespie (11), Wright (27), Riley (10)

@ Oregon 12/30/06 - Johnsen (10), Wright (20), Riley (13)

@ Air Force 01/06/07 - Keele (10), Slade (13), Wright (13)

vs. Wyoming 01/13/07 - Keele (11), Slade (11), Wright (12)

vs. CSU 01/18/07 - Gillespie (16), Wright (15), Riley (12)

vs. TCU 02/01/07 - Gillespie (21), Slade (12), Riley (10)

vs. UNM 02/10/07 - Gillespie (24), Wright (20), Riley (18)

@ WY 02/15/07 - Gillespie (31), Slade (15), Wright (13)

Games With Two In Double Figures (9)

vs. Idaho St. 11/10/06 - Gillespie (10), Slade (10)

@ Stanford 11/13/06 - Gillespie (12), Hall (15)

@ Fresno St. 11/17/06 - Johnsen (12), Wright (10)

@ NMex.St. 01/06/07 - Gillespie (14), Wright (16)

vs. Weber St. 12/14/06 - Keele (13), Gillespie (30)

@ UNM 01/10/07 - Gillespie (18), Slade (16)

@ SDSU 01/25/07 - Gillespie (10), Wright (12)

vs. AFA 02/08/07 - Wright (21), Johnsen (10)

@ CSU 02/17/07 - Wright (22), Keele (16)

Double Digit Scoring 06-07

-- Mallary Gillespie has scored in double figures in a total of 16 games this season. Of those games, seven are against MWC foes.

-- Dani Wright has scored in double figures in 17 games including nine of 12 MWC games including the last four.

-- Jennie Keele has scored in double digits in six games, most recently (16) at CSU on 02/17/07.

-- Shawnee Slade has scored in double figures in nine contests this season, which includes five league games and the most recent (15) at Wyoming on 02/15/07.

-- Lauren Riley has six games this year where she has tallied double digit scoring. This includes three conference games, most recently (18) vs. New Mexico on 02/10/07. The 18 points are also new season and career highs for Riley.

Cougar Double Doubles 06-07

-- Dani Wright picked up her fourth season and fifth career double double with the 21 points and 11 rebounds vs. AF on 02/08/07.

-- Lauren Riley recorded her second double double of the season and third career with 18 points and 11 rebounds vs. UNM on 02/10/07.

Long Range Gillespie

-- Mallary Gillespie continues to get hot from three point range. She continues to pick up the majority of her points from behind the arc. At Wyoming on 02/15/07 where she tallied a new season and career high 31 points, she shot .714(5-7) from three point range. In the game vs. TCU on 02/01/07 she scored 15 of her team and game high 21 points from three-point land. She also tallied 18 of her team high 24 points vs. UNM on 02/10/07 from behind the arc.

-- Gillespie scored a team and game high 16 vs. CSU on 01/18/07 scoring 12 of those from three-point range.

-- In the home league game vs. UNLV on 01/20/07, she had another game and team high performance with 17 points, 15 of which were from behind the arc.

Injury Update -

Freshman point guard Haley Hall is out for the rest of the season. She tore her ACL in her left knee at the New Mexico State game on 12/06/06.

2005-06 Season Review

-- Best record in school history 26-6

-- Tallied an impressive 13-1 record on the road

-- MWC Regular Season Crown with a 13-3 record

-- The squad advanced to the MWC Championship game before losing to Utah, 60-84

-- Made seventh appearance in NCAA Championships, seeded seventh, the highest seed for the Cougar program. The team advanced to the Round of 32 with 67-62 victory over Iowa, then lost to Oklahoma 70-86

-- Breaks into the national polls after going 15-1 to begin the season. Its first appearance came the week of Jan. 16 when both the AP Poll and the USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Coaches Poll ranked the team at the No. 23 spot. The team moved as high as No. 16 in the USAToday/ESPN/WBCA Coaches Poll, the highest of the year and the highest ever in the program's history. BYU finished the season ranked 20th in the USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Coaches Poll.

2005-06 MWC Honors/All-America Citations

Co-Player of the Year

Ambrosia Anderson

First Team All- Mountain West Conference

Ambrosia Anderson

Second Team All- Mountain West Conference

Dani Kubik

Honorable Mention All- Mountain West Conference

Mallary Gillespie

Melinda Johnsen

Jennie Keele

Coach of the Year

Jeff Judkins

Honorable Mention All- America Citations

Ambrosia Anderson - AP Women's All-America Basketball Team

Ambrosia Anderson - WBCA and Eastman Kodak Company

Head Coach - Jeff Judkins

Overall Record:122-58

2006-07: 19-6, 10-2

2006 MWC Coach of the Year Jeff Judkins begins his sixth year as head coach of the women's basketball program. Prior to heading up the women's program, he served one year (1999-2000) as Director of Basketball Operations for the BYU men's team. In 2000 he became an assistant coach on the women's team.

Last season under Judkins, the Cougars compiled their best finish in school history with a 26-6 record, clinched their first MWC regular season title since 1992 and received a no. 7 seed in the NCAA tournament, the highest seed for any BYU program.

For the first time since the 2002-03 season, the team and its 13-1 record to start the year broke into the women's basketball collegiate polls, ranked No. 23 by the AP Poll and the USA Today/Espn/WBCA Coaches Poll. They would rank as high as 18 and 16 in the two respective polls, finishing the year at No. 20. Last season Judkins picked up his 100th win, a 69-67 victory over CSU on Mar. 2, the same time the team clinched the league's regular season title.

Under Judkins tutelage, the women's basketball program has had consistent success with four postseason appearances including three NCAA Championships, guiding the team to its first ever Sweet Sixteen finish in 2002. In 2005, the 19-11 team played in the first round of the WNIT.

Judkins has also coached two All-Americans in Erin Thorn and Ambrosia Anderson. Both have gone on to play in the WNBA for the New York Liberty. Thorn has been with the team for the past four years while Anderson just completed her first year playing professionally.

The longtime University of Utah coach and player came to Provo 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 the University of Utah from 1974-78.

While playing at Utah, Judkins helped lead the Utes to one conference championship and two berths in the NCAA tournament. He was a second-team academic All-American and three-time District VII academic selection. He also earned three first team All-WAC honors and was a member of the 1977 United States World Games team that captured the gold medal.

Judkins also played five years in the National Basketball Association for the Boston Celtics, Portland Trailblazers, Detroit Pistons and Utah Jazz. He was a second-round pick of the Celtics in 1978, the same year the Celtics selected Larry Bird with the sixth pick overall.

After his NBA career, he returned to Utah in 1989 and was an instrumental part of that program's success during his 10 years, recruiting such players as Keith Van Horn, Andre Miller, Mike Doleac, Hanno Mottola, Alex Jensen, Trent Whiting, Garner Meads, Jeff Johnsen and Britton Johnsen.

Judkins, graduated from the University of Utah in 1978 with a degree in health and physical education. He and his wife Mary Kaye are the parents of five children: Jessica (26), (married to Paul), Jordan (24), Jenna (22), Jaime, who plays on the basketball team, (19), and Jaxson (16). Jenna plays on the volleyball team at BYU.

Hobbies: Waterskiing, horseback riding, hunting, golf, softball, and watching ESPN.

BYU Picked Second In MWC Preseason Media Poll

School (First-place votes) Points

1. New Mexico (8) 137

2. BYU (7) 134

3. TCU (4) 126

4. Utah 102

5. Wyoming 96

6. UNLV 71

7. San Diego State 41

8. Air Force 39

9. Colorado State 36

Preseason All-MWC Team

Dionne Marsh, Jr., F, New Mexico

Hanna Zavecz, Jr., F, Wyoming

Dani Kubik Wright, Sr., C, BYU

Adrianne Ross, Jr., G, TCU

Katie Montgomery, Sr., G, New Mexico

Top Returning Player

Dionne Marsh, Jr., F, New Mexico

Top Newcomer

Justyna Podziemska, Jr., F, Wyoming

IN THE MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE THIS WEEK

February 21 (Wednesday)

BYU @ UNLV - 7 p.m.

February 22 (Thursday)

SDSU @ CSU - 7 p.m.

Utah @ Air Force - 7 p.m.

Wyoming @ TCU - 7 p.m.

February 24 (Saturday)

SDSU @ BYU - 2 p.m. (BYUTV, KBYU, mtn.)

February 25 (Sunday)

Air Force @ UNLV - 3 p.m.

CSU @ Wyoming - 3 p.m. (mtn.)

TCU @ New Mexico - 3 p.m. (CSTV)

Cougar MWC Season Honors to date for 2006-07

Player of the Week - Mallary Gillespie (Feb. 19, 2007)

Player of the Week - Mallary Gillespie (Feb. 5, 2007)

Player of the Week - Mallary Gillespie (Dec. 18, 2006)

Player of the Week - Shawnee Slade (Nov. 12, 2006)

ABOUT THIS WEEK'S MWC OPPONENTS

UNLV - Las Vegas, NV (02/121/07), 7 p.m.

The Rebels have a 4-8 league record, and are 10-14 overall. They are in seventh place in this week's league standings. UNLV has picked up MWC wins over SDSU, Wyoming, Air Force, and CSU. They enter this week's competition on a four-game losing streak. Two players are scoring in double figures for the Rebels in league play. Junior forward Sequoia Holmes tops the list with 12.5 points and 5.9 boards a game. She's followed by Shamela Hampton who contributes with 11.4 points and 7.7 rebounds. The team's leading rebounder is Faye Muller, a 6-3 senior forward, who is grabbing 9.9 boards a game. UNLV was picked to finish 6th in the regular season race. This year's MWC tournament will be played at Thomas & Mack on the UNLV campus. The Lady Rebels play at Cox Pavilion, located next to the TMC. Head Coach Regina Miller is in her ninth year with the women's hoops program.

UNLV Probable Starters

Pos. #Name Ht Yr PPG RPG(conf. stats)

F 15 Faye Muller 6-3 Sr 7.9 9.9

C 24 Shamela Hampton 6-3 So 11.4 7.7

G 12 Sequoia Holmes 6-1 Jr 12.5 5.9

G 05 Brittany Halberg 5-7 So 7.3 1.8

G 11 Allison Holiday 5.2 2.0

Stat Comparisons BYU LV (conf. game stats)

Field Goals: .442 .372

Free Throws: .614 .649

Three-Pointers: .338 .258

Points Per Game: 63.8 57.2

Rebounds Per Game: 37.3 38.4

Series Record

The series between these two teams is 20-9 favoring BYU. The two schools started playing each other during the 1974-75 season. At UNLV, the Cougars have an 8-6 record with their most recent win, a 55-51 victory during last year's race on Feb. 11.

Last Meeting

In the first league game between the two teams in Provo on 01/25/07, BYU picked up the 64-59 victory in front of 1,072 fans, the second highest attendance at the Marriott Center this season in league play.

SAN DIEGO STATE - Provo, UT (02/24/07)

SDSU has compiled a (12-11, 5-7) record with conference wins over Air Force, CSU, Utah, UNLV and Wyoming. At the start of this week's schedule, the Aztecs are in sixth place. SDSU plays at Colorado State on Feb. 22 before coming to Provo for Saturday afternoon's game. For SDSU, Jennifer Layton, a 6-1 junior forward tops the list in scoring with an 10.6 average and a 5.4 rebound average. In other stats, Quenese Davis leads in assists with a total of 127 to date, while Shanna Demus ranks second in steals with 46 on the year. In rebounds it's senior center Desiree Johnson who leads the team grabbing 6.3 boards per game.

SAN DIEGO STATE Probable Starters

Pos. #Name Ht Yr PPG RPG (conf.stats)

F 22 Shanna Demus 5-8 Jr 8.8 4.3

F 24 Jennifer Layton 6-1 Jr 9.1 3.4

C 32 Desiree Johnson 6-2 Sr 5.0 6.2

G 01 Tamika Lipford 5-3 So 2.5 0.8

G 03 Quenese Davis 5-9 Fr 10.3 4.6

Stat Comparisons BYU SD (conf. game stats)

Field Goals: .442 .374

Free Throws: .614 .675

Three-Pointers: .338 .299

Points Per Game: 63.8 56.8

Rebounds Per Game: 37.3 32.2

Series Record

These two conference foes have played against each other since 1977 and have compiled a 23-9 record that favors the Cougars. When playing in Provo and the Marriott Center, San Diego has 2-12 record.

Last Meeting

Earlier this year the two MWC teams met in San Diego on 01/25/07 where the Cougars picked up the 54-49 victory. The win there gave BYU a 6-0 record and were on a six game winning streak.

Travel Plans

Team flights:

Tues. Feb. 20 - Delta flight# 924 departs from SLC at 3:59 p.m, arriving in Las Vegas at 4:28 p.m.,

Thurs. Feb. 22 - Delta flight# 1294 departs Las Vegas at 9:16 a.m., arriving in Salt Lake City at 11:32 a.m.

Team hotel:

Tues.-Wed. Feb. 20-21 - Embassy Suites, 4315 Swenson Street, 702-795-2800, 702-765-6899, fax

Media Information - Las Vegas Trip

Wednesday Shootaround - Feb. 21, 2007

-- BYU will practice from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m., at Cox Pavilion

Regular Team Practice Times - At Home

-- The team practices are held at the Marriott Center MWF from 11:30 a.m., to 1:30 p.m. On Tuesday's, practice is scheduled for 1 to 3 p.m., and on Thursday's it is 12:30 to 3 p.m.

-- Coach Judkins and players are available for interviews prior to or after their practices. All interviews are scheduled in advance. Norma Collett is the Media Director for the team and can be contacted by phone or email. She travels to all of the away games.vOffice phone is 801-422-4908, cell phone is 801-372-0989 and email is norma_collett@byu.edu

Up Next

BYU's final home league game is scheduled for Wed., Feb. 28 at 8.p.m., when instate rival and MWC foe Utah comes to the Marriott Center. That game will air live on CSTV.