PROVO -- Behind the stellar play of Mallary Gillespie, who posted her first career double-double, BYU (13-1, 3-0) overcame a sluggish first half to defeat UNLV (9-4,1-1), 77-58 Wednesday evening in the Marriott Center. The win gives the Cougars sole ownership of first place in the Mountain West Conference standings.

Gillespie netted 21 points, tying her career high and setting a season high, while also snatching 10 rebounds.

"I love playing against a zone," Gillespie said. "I feel great about the win, and I'm excited we beat them. I feel I had a great game that helped the team win."

Although the Cougars struggled with turnovers and inconsistencies in the first half, BYU took a 33-26 lead into the break. The two teams exchanged baskets for most of the first half, neither able to find its shooting touch. Seven minutes into the game the score was only 9-9.

BYU then went on a five minute shooting slump that wasn't broken until Mallary Gillespie finally nailed a three pointer with 11 minutes remaining in the half.

UNLV star Sheena Moore, who is averaging 12.7 points per game, responded with her own three pointer to tie the game, 12-12. Kameca Simmons then converted a three-point play to give the Rebles their first lead of the game, 15-12.

The Cougars then went on a run which consisted of a put back by Anderson, a three pointer by Shawnee Slade and a bucket from Dani Kubik, giving the Cougars a 19-17 lead.

After allowing the Rebels to climb back, 28-26, Laura Stratton drove and hit a pull-up jumper with just over a minute remaining in the half, followed by an Anderson trey that gave the Cougars a seven point half-time lead.

BYU finally found its rhythm in the second half, settling down and trusting its offense. To start the half Johnson scrambled for a long rebound and threw the ball ahead to Gillespie for an easy lay-up, followed by an up-and-under by Anderson and a three pointer by Gillespie.

The Rebels responded with two quick buckets by Simmons and Faye Muller, but was immediately followed by a Gillespie three-pointer that gave the Cougars a 44-33 lead.

The remainder of the half showcased a BYU offense that worked as a team and made the smart play, while the Cougars continued to widen their lead.

Although BYU dominated in the second half, the Cougars had a scare with 10 minutes remaining after Lauren Riley and Dani Kubik each received their fourth foul.

"It's sad Riley got in foul trouble because we was playing so hard and so well," head coach Jeff Judkins said.

At the 6:37 mark, Kubik fouled out on a questionable call, but Gillespie responded to the news, draining her fifth three pointer of the game. Anderson then added two buckets of her own. One play in particular emphasized Anderson's athletic ability and sheer determination. Johnsen received an outlet pass and threw a long pass up court to Anderson who was forced to put feet between her and the ground in order to barely snatch the pass and score the basket. She immediately followed that play with a three pointer, giving BYU a 67-48 lead.

Rebounding proved to be a struggle as the Rebels out rebounded BYU 40-38, including a 21-9 advantage in offensive rebounds.

Anderson led all scorers with 24 points. Simmons paced UNLV with 15 points, while Moore was held to just seven points.

On Wednesday the Cougars travel to Laramie, Wyo. for a battle against the Cowgirls at 7 p.m.

"It will be a big test for us up in Laramie," Judkins said. "We lost to them twice last year, so we're ready for a battle."

Official Basketball Box Score
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Official Basketball Box Score
REBELS vs BYU Cougars
01-11-06 7:00 PM at MARRIOTT CTR, BYU, PROVO, UT
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VISITORS: REBELS 9-4, 1-1
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
12 HOLMES, Sequoia..... f  1-12   1-5    0-2    5  0  5   2   3  0  4  0  1  19
15 MULLER, Faye........ f  3-7    0-0    0-0    2  4  6   4   6  2  2  1  4  40
25 MCCRACKLIN, Sherry.. f  2-4    0-0    7-10   3  2  5   3  11  0  1  1  1  24
00 MOORE, Sheena....... g  3-13   1-6    0-0    2  5  7   0   7  3  1  1  0  29
21 HITCHENS, Nikki..... g  3-7    0-1    3-3    2  0  2   3   9  1  3  0  4  22
01 CLARK, Nejlah.......    0-2    0-1    0-0    0  0  0   2   0  0  0  0  0   8
03 SIMMONS, Kameca.....    6-12   0-0    3-3    3  5  8   0  15  2  1  0  0  27
20 THOMAS, Brittney....    1-7    1-6    0-0    0  0  0   1   3  0  1  0  1  17
24 HAMPTON, Shamela....    1-1    0-0    0-0    1  0  1   0   2  0  0  0  0   2
32 LEE, Kisha..........    1-3    0-1    0-0    0  0  0   0   2  0  0  0  0  12
   TEAM................                         3  3  6
   Totals..............   21-68   3-20  13-18  21 19 40  15  58  8 13  3 11 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 11-33 33.3%   2nd Half: 10-35 28.6%   Game: 30.9%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  2-5  40.0%   2nd Half:  1-15  6.7%   Game: 15.0%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  2-4  50.0%   2nd Half: 11-14 78.6%   Game: 72.2%    2
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HOME TEAM: BYU Cougars 13-1, 3-0
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
33 ANDERSON, Ambrosia.. f  9-20   2-6    4-8    1  2  3   0  24  1  3  2  0  29
35 JOHNSEN, Melinda.... f  0-2    0-0    0-0    0  3  3   0   0  9  2  0  4  34
45 KUBIK, Dani......... c  4-4    0-0    2-2    0  3  3   5  10  0  1  0  0  14
15 KEELE, Jennie....... g  1-2    0-1    0-0    1  3  4   1   2  5  1  0  0  25
30 GILLESPIE, Mallary.. g  8-12   5-7    0-0    4  6 10   1  21  4  3  1  1  34
01 SELJAAS, Nancy......    0-2    0-2    0-0    0  0  0   1   0  0  2  0  0   9
04 JUDKINS, Jenna......    1-2    0-0    0-0    0  1  1   0   2  0  0  0  0   1
10 STRATTON, Laura.....    1-1    0-0    3-4    0  0  0   0   5  0  0  0  0   3
13 AINA, Rachel........    0-1    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   1   0  0  1  0  0   2
23 BROWN, Brit.........    0-0    0-0    0-0    1  0  1   0   0  1  1  0  0   2
24 HUTSON, Vanessa.....    0-1    0-1    0-0    0  0  0   1   0  2  0  0  0  12
32 SLADE, Shawnee......    3-3    3-3    0-0    0  2  2   0   9  1  0  0  1   9
41 FADDIS, Brittany....    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  1  0  0   2
52 RILEY, Lauren.......    2-3    0-0    0-0    1  6  7   4   4  0  4  0  0  20
54 KING, Cassie........    0-0    0-0    0-1    0  2  2   1   0  0  0  0  0   4
   TEAM................                         1  1  2
   Totals..............   29-53  10-20   9-15   9 29 38  15  77 23 19  3  6 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 13-25 52.0%   2nd Half: 16-28 57.1%   Game: 54.7%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  4-10 40.0%   2nd Half:  6-10 60.0%   Game: 50.0%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  3-4  75.0%   2nd Half:  6-11 54.5%   Game: 60.0%    2
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Officials: SCOTTY HERMANN, ERIC LARSON, DEBBIE ADAMS
Technical fouls: REBELS-None. BYU Cougars-None.
Attendance: 910
Score by Periods                1st  2nd   Total
REBELS........................   26   32  -   58
BYU Cougars...................   33   44  -   77
OFFICIAL FINAL
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Riding a four-game winning streak and a one-point at the buzzer victory over Utah last Saturday, the Cougar women's basketball team (12-1, 2-0) continues its quest for an MWC title. Up next for BYU is a Wednesday night home game against UNLV (9-3, 1-0). Tip off is set for 7 p.m., from the Marriott Center.

Teams:BYU(12-1,2-0) vs. UNLV (9-3, 1-0) Date: 01/11/06 Time: 7 p.m. Arena: Marriott Center

Follow the women's basketball action live on BYU Radio

All of the women's basketball games can be heard on BYU radio via the internet at www.byuradio.org Veteran BYU broadcaster Jay Monsen calls the action. Fans can also access BYU Radio on the Dish Network.

CougarTV Available for All Home Women's Basketball Games

BYU women's basketball fans now have an opportunity to watch live home games via internet streaming on the computer. Log on to www.byucougars.com to sign up.

BYU's Probable Starters

Pos. # Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

G/F 15 Jennie Keele 5-10 Jr 5.4 3.8

G 30 Mallary Gillespie 5-10 So 9.7 3.8

F 35 Melinda Johnsen 5-10 Jr 4.8 4.5

F 33 Ambrosia Anderson 6-2 Sr 20.1 8.3

C 45 Dani Kubik 6-3 Jr 8.5 5.9

Cougar Players Off The Bench

Pos. # Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

F 01 Nancy Seljaas 6-0 Sr 3.5 1.5

G 10 Laura Stratton 5-6 Sr 0.9 0.7

G 23 Brit Brown 5-7 So 0.6 0.3

G 24 Vanessa Hutson 5-8 Fr 3.3 1.6

G/F 32 Shawnee Slade 5-11 Fr 3.1 1.5

F 41 Brittany Faddis 6-0 Fr 1.1 0.4

C 52 Lauren Riley 6-3 So 6.6 6.3

2005-06 Team Stats --

-- Shooting from the field: (.422, 334-791)

-- Shooting from the free-throw line: (.620 , 132-213)

-- Shooting from three-point line: (.332, 77-232)

-- Average points per game: 67.5

Notables in 2005-06

-- Leading scorer: Ambrosia Anderson - 20.1 ppg

-- Assist leader: Melinda Johnsen- 3.15 apg

-- Blocks leader(s): A. Anderson and Lauren Riley- 7to date

-- Steals leader: Melinda Johnsen - 27 to date, 2.10 spg

-- BYU continues its best record and start in school history. During the 2002-03 season they went 5-0 through the first five games before the team's first loss.

-- BYU has outrebounded its opponents in 11 of 13 games to date

By The Numbers

1 game where the Cougars have shot at least 50 percent, vs. NAU, 50.8

2 games where four players have scored in double figures (@ Stony Brook and @ UC Riverside)

10 games in which two players have scored in double figures

11 games where BYU has outrebounded opponents

13 games where Ambrosia Anderson has scored in double figures

34 biggest margin of victory, vs. NAU 82-48

Cougar Honors To Date

Ambrosia Anderson was named the M WC Player of the Week on Nov. 28, 2005

MWC Pre Season Poll

Cougars Picked To Finish 6th In PreSeason Poll

Rk. Team (1st-place votes) Points

1. Utah (23) 214

2. New Mexico (2) 180

3. TCU (1) 164

4. UNLV 137

5. Colorado State 117

6. BYU 107

7. Wyoming 90

8. San Diego State 45

9. Air Force 31

BYU IN MWC Stats

TEAM ALL GAMES CONF. GMS.

Category Place Place

Scoring Offense 3rd, 67.5 ppg 4th, 62.5

Scoring Defense 2nd, 53.5 ppg 2nd, 51.5

Scoring Margin 1st, +13.9 2nd, 11.0

Free Throw Pct. 9th, .617 (132-214) 4th, .727

Field Goal Pct. 3rd, .422 (334-791) 5th, .395

Field Goal Pct. Def. 1st, .350 (253-722) 4th, .371

3-Point FG Pct. 4th, .332, (77-232) 3rd, .344

3-Point FG Pct. Def. 2nd, .258, (51-198) 5th, .293

Rebounding Offense 1st, 43.5 1st, 42.5

Rebounding Defense 5th, 36.0 2nd, 33.0

Rebounding Margin 3rd, +7.5 1st, +9.5

Assists 4th, 14.92 6th, 12.00

Blocked Shots 9th, 2.31 6th, 2.50

Steals 3rd, 10.00 1st, 10.50

Turnover Margin 4th, +1.25 1st, +2.00

Assist/Turnover Ratio 5th, 0.84 7th, 0.73

Offensive Rebounds 3rd, 14.54 1st, 17.00

Defensive Rebounds 1st, 28.92 3rd(t), 25.50

3-Point FG's Made 3rd, 5.92 4th (t), 5.50

All Gms Conf. Gms.

Category Name Place Place

Scoring Ambrosia Anderson 1st, 20.1 5th (t), 17.0

Scoring Dani Kubik -- -- -- 23rd (t), 8.0

Scoring Vanessa Hutson -- -- -- 23rd (t), 8.0

Scoring Mallary Gillespie 23rd, 9.7 26th (t), 7.5

Rebounding Ambrosia Anderson 2nd, 8.3 -- -- --

Rebounding Lauren Riley 11th, 6.3 7th (t), 7.5

Rebounding Dani Kubik 13th, 5.9 2nd, 8.5

Field Goal Pct. Dani Kubik 3rd .511 (45-88) -- -- --

Field Goal Pct. Lauren Riley 4th, .506 (39-77)-- -- --

Field Goal Pct. Ambrosia Anderson 11th, .454 (104-229)-- -- --

Assists Melinda Johnsen 10th, 3.15 12th (t), 3.00

Assists Mallary Gillespie 12th, 3.08 -- -- --

Steals Melinda Johnsen 6th(t), 2.08 2nd, 3.00

Steals Vanessa Hutson -- -- -- 11th (t), 1.50

Steals Jennie Keele -- -- -- 11th (t), 1.50

Free throw Pct. Mallary Gillespie -- -- -- 1st (t), 1.000

Free Throw Pct. Ambrosia Anderson -- -- -- 14th (t), .750

3-Point FG PCt. Vanessa Hutson -- -- -- 1st (t), 1.000

3-Point FG Pct. Ambrosia Anderson 6th, .388 (26-67) -- -- --

3-Point FG Pct. Mallary Gillespie 13th, .333 (23-69) -- -- --

3-Point FG Pct. Jennie Keele -- -- -- 12th, .400

3-Point FG Made Vanessa Hutson -- -- -- 5th (t), 2.00

3-Point FG Made Ambrosia Anderson 4th(t), 2.0011th (t), 1.00

3-Point FG Made Mallary Gillespie 8th, 1.77 -- -- --

3-Point FG Made Jennie Keele -- -- -- 11th (t), 1.00

Blocked Shots Dani Kubik -- -- -- 7th (t), 1.00

Blocked Shots Jennie Keele -- -- -- 14th (t), .50

Blocked Shots Ambrosia Anderson -- -- -- 14th (t), .50

Assist/To Ratio Melinda Johnsen 6th, 1.54 11th (t), 1.20

Assist/To Ratio Mallary Gillespie 7th, 1.46 -- -- --

Offen. Rebs. Dani Kubik 3rd(t), 2.69 3rd (t), 4.00

Offen. Rebs. Lauren Riley 10th, 2.31 6th (t), 3.50

Defen. Rebs. Ambrosia Anderson 1st, 6.15 -- -- --

Defen. Rebs. Dani Kubik -- -- -- 9th (t), 4.50

Defen. Rebs. Lauren Riley 14th(t), 4.00 14th (t), 4.00

Last Game Recap

vs. University of Utah

n one of the best games of the series, Mallary Gillespie's put back at the buzzer gave BYU a 61-60 upset over No. 22 Utah. The victory was the Cougars first over the Utes since the 2002 season.

BYU improved to 12-1 on the season and 2-0 in conference play. Utah jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead before the Cougars evened things up. Both teams then exchanged baskets for the next several minutes before BYU went on a 10-0 run midway through the first half to take a 17-10 lead. The Utes took a 29-28 lead with 2:16 left in the first half.Then the Cougars' Melinda Johnsen hit two free throws to give BYU a three point edge before the Utes' Joh-Teena Filipe got a bucket to cut it back to one. BYU held from there to take a 32-31 lead into the locker room.

The second half started off much the same as the first ended with both teams staying close until Utah went on an 8-0 run to take a 46-42 advantage with 11:19 left. Dani Kubik stopped the Ute run with a three pointer. Late in the game, Utah was up 53-51 until Ambrosia Anderson got the lead back on a three point play. Julie Larsen gave Utah back the lead with a three pointer with 39 seconds left. Ambrosia Anderson hit a jumper to give the lead back to the Cougars. Larsen then hit two free throws to give Utah a one point lead with seven seconds remaining. On the last possession of the contest, Anderson heaved up a desperation attempt that fell short but Mallary Gillespie got the rebound and put it back in at the buzzer

Individual performances on defense and rebounding proved to be huge. BYU won the battle on the boards 39-33 behind a season and career high 11 from Kubik. They also held Smith and Shona Thorburn to a combined 16 points on the day. Melinda Johnsen provided most of the defense on Thorburn in holding her to only two points on the afternoon.

Anderson led the way again with 13 points. Jennie Keele added 10 while Vanessa Hutson scored a career high nine points on three 3-point baskets.

Player Injury Report

Sophomore forward Mary Martha Abell, from Monroe, Louisiana suffered a torn ACL injury to her knee in the exhibition game against Westminster College on Nov. 1. She will use this season as an injury redshirt year.

Head Coach - Jeff Judkins

Overall Record: 89-47, in his fifth season at BYU.

An all-state selection in basketball, football and baseball, Judkins played basketball for the University of Utah Utah from 1974-78. While playing for the Utes, he helped the team win one conference championship and two berths in the NCAA Tournament.

He was a second-team academic All-American and three-time first-team District VII academic selection. Judkins earned three first-team All-WAC honors and was a member of the 1977 United States World Games team that captured the gold medal.

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

After his NBA career, he returned to the U of U in 1989, and remained with the men's program for 10 years. Judkins, a Salt Lake City native, graduated from Utah in 1978 with a degree in health and physical education. He is a member of the Utah Sports Hall of Fame and the Crimson Club Hall of Fame.

He and his wife Mary Kay, are the parents of five children: Jessica (25), Jordan (23), Jenna (21), Jaime (18), Jaxson (15).

This Week's Cougar Opponent

UNLV

The Rebels come to Provo with a 9-3, 1-0 record and a third place standing after the weekend games. Their lone league win 65-56, was over Wyoming in Las Vegas. UNLV returns 11 letterwinners and four starters from last year's 16-15, 6-8 team that also competed in the first round of the WNIT. The Rebels have three players currently scoring in double figures with senior guard Sheena Moore toping the list averaging 12.7 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. Sherry McCracklin follows with 10.7 points and a team high 5.7 rebounds per game. Sophomore forward Sequoia Holmes rounds out the double digit scoring with 10.2 points and she grabs 4.8 boards a game. The team is shooting 43 percent from the field, 70 percent from the free throw line and 28 percent from three-point range. UNLV is scoring 67.0 points and holding opponents to just 57.4 points per game.

UNLV Probable Starters

Pos. # Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

F 15 Faye Muller 6-3 Jr 4.8 7.3

F/G 21 Nikki Hitchens 5-11 Sr 3.8 3.8

F 25 Sherry McCracklin 6-2 Sr 10.7 5.7

G 00 Sheena Moore 5-7 Sr 12.7 3.3

G 12 Sequoia Holmes 6-1 So 10.2 4.8

Series Record: 17-9 favoring BYU

Last time: The two league foes met twice during the 2004-05 season with BYU picking up both wins. In Provo on 2/05/05, the final score was 74-48 and in Las Vegas, the Cougars picked up a close 48-45 victory. At the Marriott Center, the Rebels have a 2-9 record. Their last win was on Mar. 6, 2004, a 67-59 victory for UNLV.

Up Next

After three league games two of which were played at home, the Cougars travel to Laramie, Wyoming for a conference game against the Cowgirls on Wed. Jan. 18. The team returns home to host San Diego State on Sat. Jan. 21 in a 2 p.m., contest.