Pocatello, ID (Dec. 28, 2000) Every time Heather Cheesman scored 16 points in a game the Cougar women had won this season. That streak ended Thursday night when a three-pointer at the buzzer gave Idaho State the two-point 58-56 win over BYU.

The visiting Cougars had a one-point 56-55 lead with 3:29 left in the game after coming back from a 14-point deficit and poor shooting in the first half. But in the final seconds it was Chris Urbanski's three-pointer with one second left on the clock that gave the homesteading Bengals the two-point win.

Cheesman's 16 points were followed by Erin Thorn's 15 and a team high seven assists. Guard Stacy Jensen led in the rebound category with five on the night. BYU shot 43 percent from the field and going six of seven from the free-throw line.

For the Bengals it was Ashley Toner leading in scoring with 16 points followed by Urbanski's 11. Center Mandi Carver led in rebounds with 10. Idaho State outrebounded the Cougars 34 to 25 in the contest.

The loss drops BYU's record to 7-4 on the year while Idaho State goes to 5-4.

SMU is up next for the Cougar women on Dec. 30 with a 4:30 p.m. tip off at the Marriott Center. The men's team is also in action at home on Saturday hosting South Alabama at 7 p.m.

After winning three of its last four games at home, BYU's women's basketball team finishes the month of December with one road and one home game. The Cougars take on Idaho State on Dec.. 28 and then return to host SMU on the 30th. The Idaho State game begins at 6:05 p.m. with the SMU game slated for a 4:30 p.m. tip off at the Marriott Center as part of a double-header with the men's team.

BYU Probable Starters - 2000 stats

l 31 Lisa Osguthorpe - 6-0 Jr, F (6.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg)

l 44 Caroline Beus - 6-1 Sr, C/F (8.4 ppg, 5.8 rpg)

l 50 Heather Cheesman - 6-1 Fr, F (8.3 ppg, 5.2 rpg)

l 11 Erin Thorn - 5-10 So, G (18.4 ppg, 5.5 rpg)

l 22 Stacy Jensen - 5-6 Jr, G (8.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg)

BYU Players Off The Bench - 2000 stats

l 04 Kaly G. Shippen - 5-6 Sr, G (5.5 ppg)

l 14 Julie Whetten - 5-8 Fr, G (4.9 ppg)

l 15 Jorja Cox - 5-11 Sr, F (2.0 ppg, 1.4 rpg)

l 20 Brittany Larson - 6-0 So, F (2.5 ppg, 1.1 rpg)

l 23 Chanell Rose - 6-0 So, F (5.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg)

Cougars Injury Report

Jennifer Lietner has about two more weeks before she's cleared to play from torn ligaments she suffered to her left foot during conditioning earlier this year.

Quickie BYU Stats - 2000 Season

l Shooting from the field - .426 (242-568)

l Shooting from the free-throw line - .743 (142-191)

l Shooting from the three-point arc - .410 (71-173)

l Averaged 69.7 points per game

Season Highlights To Date

TEAM

l Most points scored in a game - 90 @ Washington State on 11/30/00

l Most field goals made - 32 @ Washington State on 11/30/00

l Most three-pointers in a game - 10 three times (@Arkansas, @Washington State and @ Arizona

l Most rebounds made in a game - 46 @ Gonzaga on 12/02/00

l Most assists made in a game - 22 vs UCLA on11/25/00

l Most steals made in a game - 12 vs Northern Iowa on 12/07/00

INDIVIDUAL

l Most points in a game - Erin Thorn (36) @ Arizona 11/18/00

l Most field goals made in a game - Erin Thorn (12) @ Arizona 11/18/00

l Most three-pointers made in a game - Erin Thorn (8) @ Arizona 11/18/00

l Most free-throws made in a game - Heather Cheesman (9) @ Gonzaga 12/02/00

l Most rebounds made in a game - Heather Cheesman (9) @ Gonzaga 12/02/00

l Most assists made in a game - Julie Whetten (7) vs UCLA 11/25/00

l Most steals made in a game - Erin Thorn (6) vs Northern Iowa on 12/07/00

l Most blocked shots in a game - Caroline Beus (2) @ Washington State 11/30/00

Last Game Recap

The Cougars played two more games at home picking up a six-point 63-57 win over instate rival Weber State on Dec. 15 and a 14-point 58-44 victory over Marquette on Dec. 19. All-American Erin Thorn led all scores with 24 win over Weber State with Julie Whetten coming off the bench for her 10 points in the Marquette game. Thorn led BYU in rebounds with eight in the contest against the Wildcats and Lisa Osguthorpe grabbing six boards against Marquette.

Scouting Idaho State

Idaho State has compiled a 4-3 record to date with one of their losses to MWC opponent Wyoming on Dec. 16. The Bengals have one more game prior to hosting the Cougars on Dec. 28. Mandi Carver leads ISU in scoring with 12.3 ppg and 8.9 rpg. Sarah Nelson and Ashley Toner also score in double digits with Nelson averaging 11.0 and Toner getting 10.1 points a game. The Bengals are able to score 64.1 points a game to opponents 62.0. They are shooting 43 percent from the field and 74 percent at the line.

Idaho State Probable Starters

#12 Chris Urbanski - G 5-10, Sr (7.0 ppg, 3.7 rpg)

#25 Jennifer Griffin - G 5-5, Jr (7.7 ppg, 2.0 rpg)

#44 Mandi Carver - C 6-2, Jr (12.3 ppg, 8.9 rpg)

#33 Sarah Nelson - G 5-9, Sr (11.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg)

#42 Ashley Toner - G 6-1, So (10.1 ppg, 4.0 rpg)

Series Record: 7-2 favoring BYU

Last Meeting: In last year's contest between the two teams it was BYU getting the 68-47 win at the Marriott Center.

Scouting Southern Methodist

Prior to the game with the Cougars on Dec. 30, the Mustangs will have played at North Texas and at Utah. SMU's record as of Dec. 19 was 4-4 which included two losses against Tulane and Oklahoma. In the eight games played to date, senior guard D-dra Rucker tops the scoring board for the Mustangs with with an average of 13.8 ppg and 5.1 rpg. Katie Remke follows in scoring with 11.6 points and tops the team in rebounds with an average of 9.4 a game. SMU is shooting 36 percent from the field and 65 percent at the free-throw line. They are tallying 68.9 points a game to opponents 73.2.

Southern Methodist Probable Starters

#10 Anika Calvert - G 5-7, Sr (6.5 ppg, 3.0 apg)

#20 Alisa Wright - F 6-1, Fr (3.6 ppg, 4.4 rpg)

#23 D-dra Rucker - G 5-10, Sr (13.8 ppg, 5.1 rpg)

#42 Katie Remke - P 6-2 Sr, (11.6 ppg, 9.4 rpg)

#44 Kenni Patton - G 5-11 So, (8.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg)

Series Record: 0-4, favoring the Mustangs

Last Meeting: The Cougars and Mustangs last meeting was during the final WAC season in 1998-99 where the two teams met in the tournament in Las Vegas, with SMU picking up the 75-60 win in one of the two semifinal games in the tourney.

Did You Know....Cougar Family Connections

Kaly Gillette Shippen (#04) is coach Shippen's sister-in-law. She married his younger brother Ty Shippen who walked on to this year's men's basketball team.

Chanell Rose (#23) is BYU's men's assistant basketball coach Dave Rose's daughter. She transferred from playing one year at neighboring Utah Valley State College. Also, beginning Dec. 16 the family connections grow when Utah transfer Trent Whiting becomes eligible to play on the men's team. His wife Amber who is a transfer from Weber State is part of the women's team. She'll be redshirting this season.

Head Coach Trent Shippen

Trent Shippen enters his fourth season at the helm of BYU's women's basketball program. The 22 wins last 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

2000-01 7-3 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 60-38 (.612) Totals 71-26 (.731)

BYU Home Practices/Media Interviews

While at home the Cougars practice daily from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Marriott Center. Coach Shippen and players are available for interviews prior to or at the conclusion of practice. All interview requests must be done in advance by contacting the basketball media relations director, Norma Collett via phone or e-mail. Phone: 801-378-4908; e-mail: norma_collett@byu.edu. There are no interviews 24-hours prior to a game.

Ahead for the Cougars

On January 2nd BYU hosts Nebraska in a 4:30 p.m. tip off, the last double header of the year for the men and women's teams. The Cougars then open MWC play on the road with games at SDSU and UNLV on Jan. 11 and 13. BYU's next home game is on Jan. 18 against Wyoming.

- BYU -