PROVO -- Led by the hot hand of freshman Erin Thorn, the BYU women's basketball team easily disposed of Idaho State Wednesday night, 68-47.

Thorn, who assumed point guard duties much of the game for injured Stacy Jensen, torched the Bengal defense for 25 points, 21 of which came from three-point territory. Thorn went seven of nine from the three-point line to narrowly miss tying the BYU all-time record for three-pointers in a game set by Kari Gallup, who sank eight against Air Force in 1998. Thorn also grabbed five rebounds and dished out four assists in the win.

"She's one of the best three point shooters in this freshman class," BYU head coach Trent Shippen said. "She plays with a lot of confidence, which you don't always have as a freshman just coming in."

Senior forward Cady Williams also had a solid night for the Cougars, netting 14 for BYU. Forward Jill Adams also scored in double figures, contributing 11 points. BYU just barely outshot the Bengals, 38 to 37 percent, but scored 33 points from outside with 11 threes total.

"We shot well tonight," Shippen said. "This was a big, big win for us."

Idaho State's Mandi Carver was the only Bengal to score in double figures and led the team with 14 ponts. With the loss, the Bengals fell to 2-3.

The Cougars (4-0) hope to carry their momentum into their 10-day road trip beginning Friday against 15th-ranked UC-Santa Barbara in the Jayhawk Classic. Tipoff is at 5 p.m.

After it's third straight win of the season, the BYU women's basketball team moves to the Smith Fieldhouse for a Wed., December 1 contest against Idaho State. Tip off is 7 p.m. The Cougars then travel to Lawrence, Kansas to play in this year's KU Credit Union Jayhawk Classic, Dec. 3-4. In that tournament, BYU will play No. 15 UC Santa Barbara and could also play the Jayhawk's, ranked 18th in the AP poll.

Cougars Picked To Finish 4th In First MWC Season

Coaches and Media picked BYU to finish in fourth place in this first season under the new Mountain West Conference.

BYU Probable Starters ('98-99 Stats)

l 33 Jill Adams - 6-3 F, Sr (10.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg)

l 35 Cady Williams - 5-11 F, Sr (12.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg)

l 00 April Hayes - 6-3 C, Jr (4.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg)

l 22 Stacy Jensen - 5-6 G, So (4.1 ppg, 2.2 rpg)

l 11 Erin Thorn - 5-10 G, Fr (Orem, UT/Mountain View HS)

BYU Players Off The Bench ('98-99 Stats)

l 05 Alisha Griffeth - 6-0 F, Sr (6.0 ppg, 1.7 rpg)

l 04 Renae Hansen - 5-11 G, Sr (7.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg)

l 31 Lisa Osguthorpe - 6-0 F, So (2.7 ppg, 1.8 rpg)

l 44 Caroline Beus - 6-1 C, Jr (Kuna, ID/Ricks College)

l 15 Jorja Cox - 5-11 G, Jr (RS, Othello, WA/Columbia Basin CC)

l 21 Jennifer Leitner - 6-1 F, Fr (RS/Chico, CA/Pleasant Valley HS)

'99-00 Cougar Highlights

l BYU has one all three of its games to date, two at home and one on the road.

l The Cougars are led in scoring by senior Jill Adams. She's been the leading scorer in two of the three games including a season-high 24 points against Washington. Adams is also the leading rebounder with a season high of 13 against Gonzaga.

l Freshman guard Erin Thorn from Orem, Utah has been voted the pre-season Freshman Of The Year by the Women's Basketball Writers Association.

BYU vs Idaho State Notes

ISU comes to the Smith Fieldhouse with a 2-2 record after wins over San Diego State and Wyoming. Their losses were to Oregon State and Pacific. Mandi Carver leads the Bengals in scoring averaging 17.0 points per game and 8.3 rebounds. Sarah Nelson and Chris Urbanski also score in double digits with 11.5 and 10.9 respectively. ISU is averaging 67.3 points per game while opponents are scoring 71.3 points. In field goal percentages, the Bengals are .405 from the field and opponents are shooting .436 from the field.

Idaho State Probable Starters

l 32 Sarah Nelson - 5-9 F, Jr (11.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg)

l 44 Mandi Carver - 6-2 F, So (17.0 ppg, 8.3 rpg)

l 31 Ashley Wiseman - 6-2 C, Sr (3.3 ppg, 2.0 rpg)

l 12 Chris Urbanski - 5-10 G, Jr (10.9 ppg, 2.3 rpg)

l 25 Angela Munger - 5-7 G, Sr (8.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg)

Series Against Idaho State

The series: 7-3 in favor of the Cougars. In last year's meeting in Pocatello, BYU defeated Idaho State 86-57. Cady Williams led the Cougars' effort with 16 points.

At KU Credit Union Jayhawk Classic

BYU vs UC Santa Barbara Notes

UC Santa Barbara is 3-1 on the year and ranked 15th in the latest AP poll. Their wins were over UNLV, TCU and the University of Illinois. Their lone loss was against Georgia on the road.

Erin Buescher is the team's leading scorer with 17.8 points per game. Kayte Christensen leads the team in rebounds averaging 8.2 per game. UCSB is averaging 74.5 points per game while opponents are allowed 65.8 points per game. The other teams that the Cougars could face in the Jayhawk Classic include Loyola Marymount and hosts Kansas. The Jayhwaks are 3-0 on the year and are ranked 18th in this week's AP poll.

UC Santa Barbara Probable Starters

l 11 Eron Buescher - 6-3 G, Jr (17.8 ppg, 7.2 rpg)

l 25 Stacy Clinesmith - 5-5 G, Sr (10.2 ppg, 3.0 rpg)

l 21 Tawnee Cooper - 5-9 G, Sr (7.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg)

l 04 Kristi Rohr - 6-1 F, Sr (13.2 ppg, 6.2 rpg)

l 20 Kayte Christensen - 6-3 F, So (8.2 ppg, 8.2 rpg)

Series Against UC Santa Barbara

The series: 1-2 in favor of the Gauchos. In last year's contest, BYU fell to UCSB 49-97 before over 1,200 basketball fans in Santa Barbara.

Coach Trent Shippen Quotes

(On the Cougars) We're playing pretty well right now. The win over Washington in Seattle was a great confidence boost for our team. We need to continue taking care of business at home and play with that same intensity on the road as well as do a better job rebounding. We hope that will have Stacy and Lori back this week. (Stacy Jensen is nursing a sprained ankle and Lori Cuff is recovering from a knee injury).

(On Idaho State) They are playing really good and have gotten off to a great season so far. They always play us very tough and get really energized against us. We'll need to play consistently for the entire 40 minutes if we want to get a win.

(On Jayhawk Classic) This is a great opportunity for us to play in this tournament. The competition will be tough and it will be a real test for us to compete against top -20 ranked teams and see how we matchup especially early on this season.

BYU Travel Itinerary

After Wednesday's game against Idaho State, the Cougar team travels to Lawrence, Kansas arriving there on Thurs., Dec. 2 at about 1 p.m. The team will stay at the Hampton Inn 785-841-4994, fax 785-841-7997. On Sunday, Dec. 5, BYU heads for Milwaukee arriving at 12:20 p.m., staying at the Milwaukee Hilton 414-271-7250, fax 414-271-1039.

Up Next For The Cougars

The BYU team stays on the road after the Kansas tournament, playing Marquette on Monday, Dec. 6 and Nebraska on December 9.

BYU Media Information/Home Practice Schedule

At home, the Cougars practice at the Marriott Center. Practice schedule is Mon-Wed-Fri from 1 to 3:30 p.m., and from 3:30 to 5 p.m., on Tu-Th. Player and/or coach Shippen interviews may be done in advance by contacting the women's basketball SID Norma Collett at 801-378-4908 or via e-mail at norma_collett@byu.edu There are no player interviews 24 hours prior to games.