Despite a strong hard fought effort and 13 three-pointers, BYU's women's basketball teams' run in this year's NCAA Championships came to an end with a disappointing 86-81 loss to 18th ranked Oklahoma, Saturday.

BYU finishes the year with a 22-9 record and a first NCAA Championship trip since 1993. Oklahoma advances with a 24-7 record. They will play the winner of the Purdue vs Dartmouth game Monday in the east region's second round action.

Senior Cady Williams led the BYU effort with 27 points and a career-high six three-pointers. Williams was one point shy of breaking her all-time scoring record of 28 points when she went down after getting an elbow to her left eye with three minutes left in the game. The injury caused her limited vision, with a possibility of a detached reitna.

The Cougars took a one-point 33-32 lead at half time in a half that saw six ties and seven lead changes. Oklahoma had taken a nine-point advantage with just under four minutes to play in the half before BYU's Williams put in her second of six three-pointers to spark the BYU team.

"Overall, I was really proud of our team. We played extremely well against a top 20 ranked team," said BYU coach Trent Shippen. "I thought that our three-pointers kept us in the game down the stretch."

Erin Thorn had her 21st game scoring in double digits with 17 points. Jennifer Lietner also tallied 17 and had a team-high nine rebounds. Jill Adams and Stacy Jensen also scored in double figures with 10 points a piece.

An early run by the Sooners at the start of second half action gave them a 12 point lead with 13 minutes to go in the game and was the key to their victory, according to BYU coach Trent Shippen. "We weren't able to keep it close in the second half and we had a couple of turnovers late in the game. I'm still very proud of our team and it was good for us to show well here, for our program and for our conference as well."

Oklahoma's Big 12 Conference Player of the Year Phylesha Whaley led all scores with 33 points with LaNeishea Caufield picking up 26 points and seven rebounds. The Sooners shot 54 percent from the field and 73 percent at the free-throw line.

In its final game of the year, BYU shot 43 percent from the field, 72 from the free-throw line and went 13-25 from behind the arc. The Cougars are 0-4 in NCAA Championships.

After a disappointing loss to Utah in the MWC Women's Basketball Championships, The Cougars are back in basketball action as one of 64 women's teams participating in this year's NCAA Championships. BYU is seeded 12th in the East Region and will play Oklahoma (23-7, 13-1) seeded 5th in the sub regional at Purdue University. The other teams in the sub regional are Dartmouth and hosts Purdue. The Cougars and Sooners will play the early game at 6 p.m. E.T. Saturday at Mackey Arena.

Cougars On Web

BYU fans can go to the internet for Oklahoma game this week by clicking on http://www.kbyu.org/sports/wball/. Chris Twitty will call the action.

MWC Championship Wrap Up

BYU came into the inaugural McLeod MWC Women's Basketball as the number two seed. The Cougars advanced to the title game Saturday night after a decisive 78-37 victory over SDSU and a 77-69 win over CSU (the only team BYU had not beaten in conference play). In the championship game, Utah ended BYU's six-game winning streak, the longest of the season, with a 47-61 victory over the Cougars to capture the conference title.

Post Season Player Honors

2 Lori Cuff- (6-1 Sr Forward, Orem, Utah/Mountain View) All-Tournament MWC Championship Team

2 Erin Thorn - (5-10 Fr Guard, Orem, Utah/Mountain View) All-Tournament MWC Championship Team

2 Erin Thorn - WBNS (Women's Basketball News Service) National All-Freshman All-America Team

2 Jill Adams - (6-3 Senior Center/Forward, Kaysville, UT/Davis) Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) All-District 7 Team

Thorn, Adams Named To All-Mountain West Conference Team

2 Senior Center Jill Adams - First-Team All-Mountain West

2 Freshman Guard Erin Thorn - Second-Team All-Mountain West

2 Freshman Guard Erin Thorn - Freshman of the Year

Cougars Get MWC Player of the Week Honors

2 Erin Thorn - Dec. 6: had career high 25 points against ISU on Dec. 1 and netted 7-of-9 three pointer to put her name second on the BYU chart for treys in a game

2 Jill Adams - Jan. 17: set a career record 28 points in the 84-75 victory over UNLV in Las Vegas on January 13, along with seven rebounds

2 Stacy Jensen - Feb. 14: had a career 30 points in the home win over UNLV on Feb. 10 in Provo

BYU Probable Starters

l 32 Lori Cuff - 6-1 F, Sr (7.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg)

l 35 Cady Williams - 5-11 F, Sr (10.9 ppg, 3.8 rpg)

l 33 Jill Adams - 6-3 C, Jr (12.2 ppg, 6.3 rpg)

l 11 Erin Thorn - 5-10 G, Fr (13.1 ppg, 3.6 rpg)

l 22 Stacy Jensen - 5-6 G, So (8.3 ppg, 2.6 rpg)

BYU Players Off The Bench

l 31 Lisa Osguthorpe - 6-0 F, So (4.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg)

l 21 Jennifer Leitner - 6-1 F, Fr (7.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg)

l 44 Caroline Beus - 6-1 C, Jr (2.7 ppg, 1.6 rpg)

l 05 Alisha Griffeth - 6-0 F, Sr (3.5 ppg, 1.2 rpg)

l 04 Renae Hansen - 5-11 G, Sr (1.9 ppg, .9 rpg)

l 00 April Hayes - 6-3 C, Jr (2.8 ppg, 1.7 rpg)

Cougar Quickie Stats - After 30 games

l Shooting from the field - .453 (752-1659)

l Shooting from the free-throw line - .707 (377-533)

l Shooting from the three-point arc - .359 (208-579)

l Averaging 69.6 points per game

l BYU has had two six game winning streaks (Dec. 20- Jan. 15) and (Feb. 12-Mar. 10). During the season, the Cougars also had two four-game winning streaks

BYU Player Quick Facts - After 30 games

l Stacy Jensen had a career-high 30 points in the UNLV victory on Feb. 10

l The entire Cougar roster, minus injured Cady Williams, got some playing time and scored in the 98-81 win over UNLV on Feb. 10

l Freshman Jennifer Leitner had her first double-double of her career with 19 points and 10 rebounds in the Feb. 10 UNLV Cougar victory

l Senior Jill Adams has scored in double figures in 18 games

l Freshman Erin Thorn notched her 23rd double figure outing in the MWC title game against Utah, picking up a team high 13 points

l Jill Adams has rebounded in double figures in four games

l Lisa Osguthorpe had her first double-double of her career against Air Force on Feb. 3, picking up 11 points and 11 boards

Cougars NCAA Tournament History

Year Record @ NCAA First Round

1992-93 24-5, 13-1 0-1 (lost to UCSB 79-88 in Santa Barbara)

1984-85 19-1, 11-1 0-1 (lost to Long Beach State 85-112 )

1983-84 18-8, 9-1 0-1 (lost to USC 72-97 in Los Angeles)

Total NCAA Appearances: Three, with a 0-3 record in First Round Play

Mountain West Stats 4 (Final)

Team All Games- top 5 /Team Conf.Games Only - top 5

4 3rd in scoring offense - average 69.7 ppg (2091 points)

2nd in scoring offense - average 71.5 ppg (1001 points)

4 3rd in scoring margin - 69.7 off, 60.7def, +9.0 margin

2nd in scoring margin - 71.5 off, 62.5 def +9.0 margin

4 2nd in free throw percentage - .708 (379-535)

2nd in free throw percentage - .712 (198-278)

4 1st in field goal percentage - .453 (752-1660)

3rd in field goal percentage - .441 (354-802)

4 2nd in 3-point field goal percentage - .359 (208-579)

2nd in 3-point field goal percentage - .357 (95-266)

4 4th in field goal percentage defense - .399 (654-1640)

4th in field goal percentage defense - .414 (307-741)

4 3rd in 3-point field goals made - average 6.93 (208)

2nd in 3-point field goals made - average 6.79 (95)

4 1st in rebounding defense - average 33.6 (1008)

1st in rebounding defense - average 33.4 (467)

4 4th in steals - average 9.70 (291)

1st in steals - average 11.00 (154)

4 2nd in assists - average 16.70 (501)

1st in assists - average 17.21 (241)

4 5th in offensive rebounds - average 12.37 ( 371)

3rd in offensive rebounds - average 13.57 (190)

4 5th in turnover margin - BYU 545, avg. 18.2, OPP 562, avg. 18.7, margin +0.57

1st in turnover margin - BYU 232, avg. 16.6, OPP 279, avg. 19.9, margin+3.36

Player All Games - Top Seven/Player Conference Games Only - Top Seven

4 Erin Thorn - 7th in scoring - 13.1 avg., 130 FG, 86 3FG, 46 FT, 392 points

Erin Thorn - 4th in scoring - 13.6 avg., 64 FG, 41 3FG, 21 FT, 190 points

4 Erin Thorn - 3rd in 3-point field goals made - average 2.87 (86)

Erin Thorn - 3rd in 3-point field goals made - average 2.93 (41)

4 Lori Cuff - 2nd in field goal percentage - .539 (89-165)

Lori Cuff - 2nd in field goal percentage - .568 (54-95)

4 Jill Adams - 5th in field goal percentage - .505 (139-275)

Jill Adams - 7th in field goal percentage - .492 (59-120)

4 Jennifer Lietner - 3rd in free throw percentage - .792 (61-77)

Jennifer Lietner - 5th in free throw percentage - .774 (41-53)

4 Cady Williams -7th in free throw percentage - .765 (52-68)

Stacy Jensen -2nd in free throw percentage - .812 (39-48)

4 Erin Thorn - 4th in asst/turn ratio - (asst 112, avg 3.7, turn 70, avg 2.3, ratio 1.60

Erin Thorn - 3rd in asst/turn ratio - (asst 50, 3.6 turn 26, 1.9 avg, ratio 1.92)

4 Stacy Jensen - 5th in asst/turn ratio - (asst 92, avg 3.3, turn 64, avg 2.3, ratio 1.44

Stacy Jensen -4th in asst/turn ratio - (asst 54, avg 3.9, turn 30, 2.1 avg, ratio 1.80)

4 Stacy Jensen - 6th in steals - average 2.0 (56)

Stacy Jensen - 4th in steals - average 2.50 (35)

4 Erin Thorn - 7th in steals - average 1.93 (58)

Erin Thorn - 6th in steals - average 2.14 (30)

Scouting University of Oklahoma

The Sooners finished their season with a 23-7, 13-3 record and compete in the Big 12 Conference. In their conference tournament, Oklahoma lost its first game to Texas 71-68. The Sooners are scoring 78.8 points a game to opponents 67.5 points. Their shooting percentages include 48 from the field, 75 at the free throw line and 37 percent from behind the arc. Senior forward Phylesha Whaley tops the scoring list for Oklahoma with 20.6 points and 8.2 rebounds a game. Two other teammates notch double digit scoring with 5-9 sophomore guard LaNeishea Caufield's 14.5 points and 6-0 sophomore guard Stacey Dales contributing 12.8 points and 5.2 rebounds a game. The Sooners and Cougars had one common opponent in Nebraska which both teams defeated, Oklahoma with a score of 91-69 and the Cougars by a margin of 24 points, 81-57.

Oklahoma Probable Starters

l 10 Caton Hill - 6-1 F, Fr (9.7 ppg, 7.3 rpg)

l 34 Phylesha Whaley - 5-10 F, Sr (20.6 ppg, 8.2 rpg)

l 13 Sunny Hardeman - 5-7 G, Jr (4.9 ppg, 2.0 rpg)

l 20 LaNeishea Caufield - 5-9 G, So (14.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg)

l 21 Stacey Dales - 6-0 G, So (12.6 ppg, 5.2 rpg)

Series Against Oklahoma

Series Record: 1-1

The two meetings took place during the 1988-89 season with BYU winning at home 108-77 on Dec. 30 and OKU picking a victory at home 103-81 on Jan. 9

Scouting Purdue

The Boilermakers are the hosts for one of the eight sub regionals and are the defending national champions. Purdue has hosted seven NCAA sub-regionals and two Mideast Regionals in their home court (Mackey Arena). Their record in NCAA games played at Mackey Arena is 9-3, with a .750 winning percentage. In this year's NCAA sub regional they are the number four seed. The Boilermakers finished the 1999-00 regular season with a 22-7, 11-5 record, going on to win the Big 10 Tournament. Purdue is currently on a five-game winning streak and have won the last 13 of 15 games. At Mackey Arena they are 11-1 this season. Three of their five starters score in double digits with junior guard/forward Katie Douglas leading the way with 21.3 points and 6.5 rebounds. Camille Cooper, a 6-4 junior center tallies 14.4 points and leads in rebounds grabbing 7.5 per game. Rounding out the double figure scoring is sophomore guard Kelly Komara who contributes 11.1 points a game and averages 3.9 rebounds. Purdue is averaging 68.0 points a game and allowing opponents 59.4 points. The Boilermakers are shooting 44 percent from the field, 70 percent at the free throw line and 33 percent from behind the arc.

Series Against Purdue

Series Record: 0-2 in favor of the Boilermakers. BYU played in a Purdue tournament in Nov. 1988 in Indiana with the Boilermakers picking up the 86-59 win. Purdue was in Provo on Jan. 3, 1990 where they once again beat the Cougars 96-83.

Scouting Dartmouth

Dartmouth is seeded 13th in the East Region with a 20-7, 12-2 Ivy League record. The Big Green have participated in 12 NCAA Championships dating back to 1980. A trio of starters lead in scoring for Dartmouth. Senior guard Courtney Banghart tops the list with 17.3 points a game and 2.3 rebounds. Katharine Hanks, a 6-1 freshman forward also scores in doubles digits and is the team's leading rebounder with 15.4 points and grabs 7.1 boards. Third on the list is Liz Martin, a 5-9 senior forward/guard who contributes 11.2 points and 5.4 rebounds a game. The Big Green shoots 45 percent form the field, 35 percent from three-point range and 74 percent at the free throw line. Dartmouth scores 73.8 points a game to opponents 65.5.

Series Against Dartmouth

Series Record: 0-0.

Head Coach Trent Shippen

Trent Shippen is in his third season at the helm of BYU's women's basketball program. The 22 wins this year are a first for the Cougar program since the 1992-93 season when BYU finished with a 24-5, 13-1 record and made its last NCAA Championships appearance. This is Shippen's first Division I coaching assignment. Shippen came to BYU after a three year stint as head coach at Ricks College in Rexburg, Idaho. While at Ricks, he led his 1995 team to a fifth place finish in the NJCAA Tournament, and was voted Region 18 Coach of the Year. He was also the recipient of the Alberta Lee Cox Sportsmanship Award at the 1995 NJCAA Tournament. He played college hoops at Ricks College and at Colorado State University. At Ricks he earned All-Region 18 honors as a sophomore and was a member of the 1983-84 Viking team that placed sixth at the NJCAA Tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas. During his career at CSU he helped the Rams place third in the NIT Tournament in 1988, where Shippen set the Madison Square Garden single-game record with six three-pointers. The following year he helped CSU win the league title, advance to the second round of the NCAA tournament, was selected Academic All-WAC, and averaged 7.6 points and 2.9 assists.

Shippen File

BYU RICKS COLLEGE

1999-00 22-8 1994-95 33-3

1998-99 16-13 1995-96 19-11

1997-98 15-14 1996-97 19-12

Totals 53-35 (.602) Totals 71-26 (.731)

Coach Trent Shippen Quotes

(On the Cougars/NCAA Championships) We had a great finish going into our conference tournament winning our last eight of 10 games which I feel was critical for our NCAA nomination. This will be a great experience for our players and we want to do our best. We have a tough bracket with extremely strong, athletic and experienced team. We plan on taking it one game at a time.

(On Oklahoma) They are a good transition and passing team after watching them on tape. They have tremendous athletic players in Phylesha Whaley and LaNeishea Caufield. Whaley shoots inside and outside and she will be a tough matchup for us. Oklahoma comes from a great women's basketball conference and their head coach Sherri Coale, has done an excellent job turning the program around the last four years.

Up Next For The Cougars

If the Cougars defeat the Sooners, they would play the winner of the Purdue vs Dartmouth game on Monday, Mar. 20 at 8:05 p.m. ET.

Cougars Indiana Itinerary

BYU arrives in West Lafayette on Thurs., March 16 at 7 p.m. The team hotel is the Hawthorne Suites on 163 Frontage Road, Lafayette 765-446-8668, 765-446-9785 fax.

BYU Practice Schedule While In Indiana

The Cougars open practice is at 1:35 p.m. to 3:05 p.m. at Mackey Arena on Friday, immediately following their 1 to 1:30 p.m. press conference. Saturday's shoot-around is scheduled for 11:05 a.m. to 12:05 p.m. BYU's women's basketball SID Norma Collett is traveling with the team and may be reached at the Hawthorne Suites or by cellular phone at 801-372-0989 for any coach/player interviews or for any further information.