PROVO -- Plagued by a poor shooting performance and lackluster play, the BYU women's basketball team suffered its first loss at home this season, falling to Colorado State, 63-52.
Colorado State (13-3, 2-0) and BYU (12-4, 2-1) came into the much-anticipated game with identical records and the sole rights to first place in the conference at stake. However, following a tight first half, the Cougars could not battle back for a win.
"We struggled with our shooting tonight," said BYU head coach Trent Shippen. "We shot 38 percent when we usually average around 48 percent. Part of that was their defense and part of that was us."
The Rams held each of BYU's top three scorers to under double digits. Jill Adams, Cady Williams and Erin Thorn scored a combined 14 points, 26 below their usual average of 40 total points per game. The only two Cougars to score in double figures were guard Stacy Jensen with 14 and forward Lori Cuff with 11.
Center Lisa Narkiewicz led the Rams with 16 points and seven rebounds, while guard Angie Thorton tacked on 12 points. Colorado State outrebounded the Cougars 32-31 and shot 44 percent to BYU's 38.
"They were definitely better than us tonight," Shippen said. "We've got to be more mentally tough against good, quality opponents, especially on our home floor."
With the loss, BYU saw its consecutive win streak snapped at six.
The Cougars will continue Mountain West Conference play Saturday, hosting Wyoming at 4 p.m.
Riding on a six-game winning streak and an undefeated season at home, BYU's women's basketball team opens conference play at the Marriott Center with games against CSU and WYO on January 20 and 22. at 5 p.m. and 4 p.m. Both games are double-headers with the men's team.
Cougars On KBYU-TV
The game between BYU and CSU will air on a tape delay basis Friday, Jan. 21 at 7 p.m., on Channel 11. The Cougars and Cowgirls game on Saturday, Jan. 22 will air live on KBYU-TV.
Adams Named MWC Player Of The Week
Senior forward Jill Adams was honored as this week's MWC Player of the Week after leading the Cougars to a 2-0 start in conference play. Adams tallied 40 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists, six steals and four blocks in the two games. Adams had a career-high 28 points, including a trip of three-pointers in the UNLV game.
BYU Probable Starters
l 32 Lori Cuff - 6-1 F, Sr (5.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg)
l 35 Cady Williams - 5-11 F, Sr (11.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg)
l 33 Jill Adams - 6-3 C, Jr (15.1 ppg, 7.3 rpg)
l 11 Erin Thorn - 5-10 G, Fr (13.2 ppg, 4.0 rpg)
l 22 Stacy Jensen - 5-6 G, So (4.3 ppg, 1.7 rpg)
BYU Players Off The Bench
l 05 Alisha Griffeth - 6-0 F, Sr (3.7 ppg, 1.5 rpg)
l 04 Renae Hansen - 5-11 G, Sr (1.9 ppg, .8 rpg)
l 00 April Hayes - 6-3 C, Jr (2.8 ppg, 2.2 rpg)
l 44 Caroline Beus - 6-1 C, Jr (2.8ppg, 1.7 rpg)
l 31 Lisa Osguthorpe - 6-0 F, So (4.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg)
l 21 Jennifer Leitner - 6-1 F, Fr (6.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg)
'99-00 Cougar Highlights
l BYU is enjoying a six-game winning streak which includes victories at Montana, Montana State, Weber State and conference wins against UNLV and SDSU.
l Three Cougars are scoring in double figures. Senior Jill Adams tops the list with 15.1 points and 7.3 rebounds also a team leader in that category. Freshman Erin Thorn follows with 13.2 points and 4.0 rebounds. Senior for- ward Cady Williams is tallying 11.8 points a game and grabbing 3.5 rebounds.
l The 10-point road victory over Montana on 12/18 was the first for BYU in Missoula in the team's 3-7 series which favors the Lady Griz.
Cougar Quickie Stats - After 15 games
l Shooting from the field - .461 (374-812)
l Shooting from the free-throw line - .721 (173-240)
l Shooting from the three-point arc - .370 (111-300)
l Averaging 68.8 points per game
l The Cougars have a 2-0 record when playing on Thursday and a 4-1 record when BYU plays on Saturday
BYU Player Quick Facts - After 15 games
l Jill Adams has scored in double figures in 12 of 15 games
l Cady Williams has scored in double figures in 11 of 15 games
l Erin Thorn has scored in double figures in 11 games to date
l Jill Adams has rebounded in double figures in four games
l Jill Adams had had three games in which she's had double-doubles (vs Washington, Gonzaga and Montana)
Scouting Colorado State
The Rams come to play in the Marriott Center with a 11-3, 1-0 record. CSU's lone conference win to date is against Wyoming whom they defeated 86-69 in Fort Collins. Heather Haanen a 5-11 junior forward leads the Ram offense with 14. 3 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. Three other CSU players are scoring in double digits. Ashley Augspurger with 12.4 ppg, Jacque Johnson who tallies 12.0 points and finally Angie Gorton who contributes 10.5 ppg and is the team's leading rebounder with 6.0 a game. The Rams are averaging 75 points a game, shoot .430 from the field and are .700 at the free-throw line.
Colorado State Probable Starters
l 44 Heather Hannen - 5-11 F, Jr (14.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg)
l 00 Ashley Augspurger - 6-1 F, Fr (12.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg)
l 23 Lisa Narkiewicz - 6-2 C, Fr (5.5 ppg, 4.1 rpg)
l 10 Jacque Johnson - 5-8 G , Sr (12.0 ppg, 2.9 rpg)
l 14 Angie Gorton - 6-0 G, So (10.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg)
Series Against CSU
BYU vs CSU: 34-13 in favor of the Cougars. The two teams met during the 1997-98 WAC season with the Rams picking up both wins. In Provo the final score was 78-88 on 2/12/98 and in Ft. Collins it was 75-81 on 1/15/98. CSU has won the last four contests against BYU.
Scouting Wyoming
Wyoming takes the court at the Marriott Center on Saturday, Jan. 22 after playing Utah on Thursday, Jan. 20. As of 1/1/00 the Cowgirls are 6-8, 0-1 on the year. Their conference loss was to CSU. Wyoming is scoring 73.0 points and allowing opponents 77.1 points per game. The Cowgirls are shooting 42 percent from the field, 68 percent at the free throw line and 34 percent from the three point arc. Wyoming is led in scoring by Carrie Bacon, a 6-0 sophomore forward who's picking up 19.5 ppg and 9.0 rpg. Shelby Hoffman and Jessica Gibbs also score in double figures with 13.4 for Hoffman and11.3 for Gibbs.
Wyoming Probable Starters
l 11 Lisa McCann - 6-2 F/G, Fr (4.3 ppg, 2.0 rpg)
l 41 Carrie Bacon - 6-0 F , So (19.5 ppg, 9.0 rpg)
l 54 Jessica Gibbs - 6-1 F , Jr (11.3 ppg, 8.9 rpg)
l 12 Carly Stucky - 5-10 G, Fr (9.8 ppg, 2.7 rpg)
l 22 Emily Stucky - 5-6 G, Jr (1.4 ppg, .9 rpg)
BYU vs WYO Series
The series: 32-13 in favor of BYU. The last time these two teams met was during the 1998-99 WAC season with the teams splitting the two games. BYU won at Wyoming 66-63 on 1/17/98 and the Cowgirls won in Provo 66-70 on 2/14/98.
Coach Trent Shippen Quotes
(On the Cougars) We need to come prepared to play tough basketball and play the full 40 minutes. And we also need to see if we can hold our home court advantage. Both of these teams will come ready to play and we need to do the same.
(On CSU) - They are a very well coached team who also play with a lot of confidence. CSU is one of the best three-point shooting teams in the country. We need to come prepared to defend them which will be no easy task because they have so many weapons.
(On WYO) - I watched them this weekend and they are a a very good team. They looked better then their record shows.
Up Next For The Cougars
Instate rival Utah comes to the Marriott Center on Friday, Jan. 28 in a 7 p.m. tip off. The game will be broadcast live on KSL -TV, Chan. 5. The Cougars then travel the following week for games against Air Force and New Mexico on Feb. 3 and 5.
BYU Media Information/Home Practice Schedule
At home, the Cougars practice at the Marriott Center. Practice schedule is Mon-Fri from 1 to 3:30 p.m. 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.
