LAS -- The top-seeded BYU women's basketball team began its Mountain West Conference Tournament run Wednesday night with a 72-40 drubbing of No. 9-seed Air Force. The Cougars (22-8) will now play the winner of the late game between fourth-seeded TCU and fifth-seeded Utah in Friday's semifinal action.

Junior Mallary Gillespie scored in double figures for the 20th time this season with 20 points on 8-for-14 shooting to lead the Cougars. Gillespie also added five rebounds and tied her season high with five assists. Junior Lauren Riley also scored in double figures with 12 points for BYU. Sophomore Cassie King led the Cougars on the boards with seven rebounds while Ashley Cheesman, playing for the injured Wright, added a career-high six rebounds and Shawnee Slade posted five.

"I'm really happy for our players," said BYU head coach Jeff Judkins. "It was good to see Ashley (Cheesman), Cassie (King) and Shawnee (Slade) play some good minutes and gain some confidence."

The Cougars shot 50.9 percent from the field and recorded 11 steals while forcing 21 Falcon turnovers. BYU also held Air Force to just 28.3 percent shooting from the field in notching their fifth victory this season by more than 20 points and their biggest win this year against an MWC opponent.

Air Force's Alecia Steele scored first, giving the Falcons their first lead against the Cougars this season. However, Gillespie quickly established control for BYU, scoring five straight points to spark a 10-0 Cougar run. But just when it looked like BYU would run away with it, the Falcons came soaring back to tie things up at 10-10.

The Cougars suffered a blow during the run as MWC Co-Player of the Year Dani Kubik Wright went down with a sprained ankle. But the Cougars rallied around their injured teammate and caught fire, putting together a 19-0 run over the next 8:37 to take a commanding 29-10 lead with 4:15 left in the first half. Steele finally got the Falcons back on the scoreboard with a jumper, but the damage had been done as BYU took a 36-18 advantage into the locker room at halftime for the 17th time this year.

"I'm really proud of this team," said Judkins. "They could've gotten discouraged when Dani (Wright) went out, but they came together and said 'let's do it.' That's what's so good about this team. It's not just one person. It's been a team effort, and it's been a lot of fun to coach them."

Gillespie began the second half much as she did the first, scoring four straight points to give BYU a 40-17 lead. The two teams traded buckets from there until an 11-2 Cougar spurt extended the lead to 29 points at 57-28. Moments later, after a Falcon bucket, BYU doubled up on AFA with a three-point make from Cheesman to go up 60-30. The rout continued from there as BYU cruised to the 72-40 win.

BYU's semifinal game on Friday will tip-off at 2:30 p.m. PT at the Thomas & Mack Center. The game will be televised on the mtn., and live audio and live stats links are available at www.byucougars.com.

Official Basketball Box Score
Air Force vs BYU
03-07-07 6 p.m. at Thomas & Mack Center - Las Vegas, Nev.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VISITORS: Air Force 6-23
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
32 STEELE, Alecia...... f  4-12   0-0    4-5    1  4  5   0  12  3  2  0  1  31
44 NOVAK, Jacki........ c  1-2    0-0    1-1    1  0  1   3   3  0  1  0  2   9
04 CASTILLO, Letricia.. g  2-4    0-2    0-0    0  2  2   1   4  2  2  0  0  24
24 TAYLOR, Andrea...... g  0-1    0-1    2-2    0  3  3   2   2  2  3  0  1  20
30 FINDLAY, Pamela..... g  3-7    1-1    0-0    1  1  2   3   7  0  4  0  1  30
05 MYERS, Ashley.......    0-2    0-1    0-0    0  1  1   0   0  0  0  0  0   6
12 GLADYSZ, Kory.......    1-2    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   2  0  1  0  1   4
14 LETE, Cynthia.......    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   1   0  0  1  0  0   1
22 DAVIS, Jamie........    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   2   0  0  1  0  0   9
23 HIGGINBOTHAM, Dawn..    0-5    0-0    0-0    3  0  3   1   0  0  1  0  1  19
31 JONES, Chasmine.....    0-2    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   3
33 SCHJODT, Kathleen...    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  1  1   0   0  0  0  0  0   2
34 CULTRA, Brooke......    3-12   1-3    0-2    3  2  5   2   7  1  4  0  2  25
35 LOVELESS, Dana......    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  1  1   0   0  0  0  1  0   6
43 KREKE, Kim..........    1-4    0-0    1-1    1  1  2   0   3  0  1  0  0  11
   TEAM................                         4     4
   Totals..............   15-53   2-8    8-11  14 16 30  15  40  8 21  1  9 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half:  7-26 26.9%   2nd Half:  8-27 29.6%   Game: 28.3%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  1-3  33.3%   2nd Half:  1-5  20.0%   Game: 25.0%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  3-3  100 %   2nd Half:  5-8  62.5%   Game: 72.7%   2,1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOME TEAM: BYU 22-8
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
45 WRIGHT, Dani........ f  0-1    0-0    2-2    0  2  2   0   2  1  2  0  0   6
52 RILEY, Lauren....... c  5-10   0-0    2-2    1  3  4   1  12  1  1  0  0  21
15 KEELE, Jennie....... g  3-6    0-2    2-2    1  3  4   2   8  5  1  0  5  31
30 GILLESPIE, Mallary.. g  8-14   2-5    2-3    2  3  5   1  20  5  2  1  0  31
35 JOHNSEN, Melinda.... g  3-4    2-2    0-0    0  3  3   0   8  6  0  0  1  31
05 CHEESMAN, Ashley....    4-8    0-0    0-1    3  3  6   3   8  0  0  1  2  22
13 JUDKINS, Jaime......    0-1    0-0    0-1    0  1  1   1   0  0  3  0  0   7
22 FADDIS, Brittany....    1-3    0-1    0-0    0  0  0   1   2  1  1  0  2   7
31 AINA, Rachel........    0-1    0-1    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   4
32 SLADE, Shawnee......    3-6    1-4    1-2    2  3  5   0   8  1  1  0  1  20
54 KING, Cassie........    2-3    0-0    0-0    3  4  7   4   4  0  2  1  0  20
   TEAM................                         1     1             1
   Totals..............   29-57   5-15   9-13  13 25 38  13  72 20 14  3 11 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 14-29 48.3%   2nd Half: 15-28 53.6%   Game: 50.9%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  4-10 40.0%   2nd Half:  1-5  20.0%   Game: 33.3%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  4-5  80.0%   2nd Half:  5-8  62.5%   Game: 69.2%    2
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Officials: Randy Campbell, Rick Morris, Laura Rahe
Technical fouls: Air Force-None. BYU-None.
Attendance:
Score by Periods                1st  2nd   Total
Air Force.....................   18   22  -   40
BYU...........................   36   36  -   72
ID-534615

After compiling a 12-4 league record the Cougar women's basketball team clinched its second straight MWC Regular Season Champions title. BYU is the no. 1 seed at the MWC Championships and plays its quarterfinal game on Wed. Mar. 8 vs. either CSU or AF. Tip off from the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas is 6 p.m. PT.

Complete Broadcast Plans

On TV - All MWC Championship games will air live on the mtn. The final game will air live on Versus.

On the internet - All games will air live on BYU Radio via audio streaming. Veteran broadcaster Jay Monsen will call the action. To listen log on to: http://www.byuradio.org/streaming

Live stats - fans can follow the game action via stats by clicking on:

http://www.byucougars.com/Schedule.jsp?SP=112&YR=2006

BYU Probable Starters

Pos. # Name Ht Yr PPG RPG

G/F 15 Jennie Keele 5-10 Sr 6.5 3.6

G 30 Mallary Gillespie 5-10 Jr 13.4 3.6

G/F 35 Melinda Johnsen 5-10 Sr 5.9 2.7

C 45 Dani Kubik Wright 6-3 Sr 14.1 7.0

F 52 Lauren Riley 6-3 Jr 7.3 6.6

Reserve Players

Pos. # Name Ht Yr PPG RPG

G/F 32 Shawnee Slade 5-11 So 7.7 4.8

C 54 Cassie King 6-3 So 3.6 2.6

F 05 Ashley Cheesman 6-0 Jr 2.0 1.7

F 22 Brittany Faddis 6-0 So 0.9 1.2

G 13 Jaime Judkins 5-6 Fr 0.3 0.6

G 31 Rachel Aina 5-9 So 0.2 0.2

Team Stats --

-- Shooting from the field: (.433, 681-1573)

-- Shooting from the free-throw line: (.618, 301-487)

-- Shooting from three-point line: (.316, 161-510)

-- Average points per game: 62.9

2006 Run In Preseason WNIT

The Cougar team ended their run in this year's Preseason WNIT after a disappointing 58-84 loss to No. 16 Baylor on Thurs. Nov. 16. BYU had advanced to the Final Four after a 73-50 home victory over Idaho State on Nov. 10 and then a come from behind 55-52 upset victory over No. 4 Stanford. Dani Kubik Wright was named to the All-Tournament Team.

Cougars Team Summary

After compiling the best season record in school history (26-6), making their seventh postseason NCAA Championships appearance and clinching the 2006 MWC Regular Season Champion crown, the BYU team looks to take that success and winning attitude into the 2006-07 year.

BYU returns a nucleus of four starters and five letterwinners that will make this year's squad tough to beat during its non-conference and league schedules.

Once again the Cougars should finish at the top of the MWC standings, leading the way to an eighth appearance in the NCAA Championships and advancing further in that national tournament.

2006-07 Season Highlights and Notables

TEAM

-- The Cougars non-conference road record finished at 4-4.

-- The team improved to 16-2 when leading at the half.

-- OT woes - in the two overtime games the Cougars have played so far this season, they have lost both by five points. One at home vs. UNM on 02/10/07 and @ UNLV on 02/21/07.

-- BYU is 16-4 when outrebounding opponents.

-- The 11 turnovers BYU had vs. UNLV on 01/20/07 were the lowest of the year. They had 13 vs. CSU on 01/18/07.

-- The 10 blocks vs. SDSU on 02/24/07 are a new team season high.They had nine at San Diego State on 01/25/07.

-- The Cougars have had three players scoring in double figures in 11 games. BYU has won all but two (Baylor, Oregon) of those games.

-- Ten times this season, the Cougars have had two players scoring in double figures, the most recent, at UNLV on 02/21/07, and at CSU on 02/17/07.

-- The 79 points scored against Weber State are the most scored by BYU this year and the (13) three-point goals, are a new team high.

-- BYU has had seven games where they have scored at least 70 points in the game. They have won five of them, and only one of those has been against an MWC team (70 versus AF on 02/08/07 in Provo).

-- BYU's defense held the Cowgirls to 28.3 percent shooting from the field on 02/15/07, making it the second lowest in league competition for the Cougars to date.

--The Cougars picked up season best in 3-point field goal percentage .542 (13-24) in the Weber State game on 12/14/06.

-- To date, BYU has shot over 50 percent from the field in two games (vs. Weber State .542 on 12/14/06 and vs. UCR .521 on 12/20/06)

-- The Cougars have had four players score in double figures three times this year: (vs. SCU, @ Harvard, and @ UVSC).

-- In the game at home vs. Santa Clara University on 11/22/06, the .839 (26-31) free throw percentage was the best for the team in regular season games. In league games, they shot .800 (16-20) vs. TCU on 02/01/07 for the highest charity stripe percentage in league games to date.

-- The 55 total rebounds grabbed in the game vs. CSUN on 12/09/06 are a new season high for the team.

-- The 4,018 fans in attendance at the Utah game on 02/28/07 were the highest home attendance record in the program's history.

-- The 15 steals in the game @ UNLV on 02/21/07 were the most of the season and the most in league play.

PLAYER

-- Dani Wright scored a new season and career high 30 points @ UNLV on 02/21/07.

-- Dani Wright set a new season and career high in rebounds with 15 vs. TCU on 02/01/07.

-- Dani Kubik Wright - Preseason WNIT All-Tournament Team

-- Dani Wright - In the game @ Stanford - played a total of 35 minutes, the most minutes played in her college career.

-- Melinda Johnsen - team's assist leader: (324) for her career, 128 this season, as of 03/05/07.

-- Melinda Johnsen grabbed seven boards against Wyoming on 02/15/07 tying her season high in rebounds and the most boards versus a league opponent this year.

-- Lauren Riley picked up a season and career high five blocks vs. AF on 02/08/07.

-- Lauren Riley picked up a new season and career high 18 points vs. UNM on 02/10/07.

-- Mallary Gillespie picked up new season and career highs in points with 31 at Wyoming on 02/15/07.

-- Mallary Gillespie picked up her third season and career MWC Player of the Week honor on Feb. 19 after her 31 point performance in the game at Wyoming on 02/15/07.

-- Jennie Keele tallied a season high 16 points at Colorado State on 02/17/07, one point shy of her 17 career high.

Balanced BYU Scoring (as of 03/05/07)

Games With Four In Double Figures (3)

vs. SCU 11/22/06 - Keele (12), Gillespie (14), Slade (22), Johnsen (10)

@ Harvard 11/29/06 - Gillespie (10), Hall (10), Wright (14), King (11)

@ UVSC 12/16/06 - Gillespie (14), Slade (13), Wright (12), Riley (13)

Games With Three In Double Figures (11)

@ Baylor 11/16/06 - Keele (12), Slade (11), Wright (17)

vs. UC Riverside 12/20/06 - Gillespie (11), Wright (27), Riley (10)

@ Oregon 12/30/06 - Johnsen (10), Wright (20), Riley (13)

@ Air Force 01/06/07 - Keele (10), Slade (13), Wright (13)

vs. Wyoming 01/13/07 - Keele (11), Slade (11), Wright (12)

vs. CSU 01/18/07 - Gillespie (16), Wright (15), Riley (12)

vs. TCU 02/01/07 - Gillespie (21), Slade (12), Riley (10)

vs. UNM 02/10/07 - Gillespie (24), Wright (20), Riley (18)

@ WY 02/15/07 - Gillespie (31), Slade (15), Wright (13)

vs. SDSU 02/24/07 - Gillespie (17), Wright (15), Riley (11)

vs. Utah 02/28/07 - Gillespie (15), Wright (11), Riley (10)

Games With Two In Double Figures (10)

vs. Idaho St. 11/10/06 - Gillespie (10), Slade (10)

@ Stanford 11/13/06 - Gillespie (12), Hall (15)

@ Fresno St. 11/17/06 - Johnsen (12), Wright (10)

@ NMex.St. 01/06/07 - Gillespie (14), Wright (16)

vs. Weber St. 12/14/06 - Keele (13), Gillespie (30)

@ UNM 01/10/07 - Gillespie (18), Slade (16)

@ SDSU 01/25/07 - Gillespie (10), Wright (12)

vs. AFA 02/08/07 - Wright (21), Johnsen (10)

@ CSU 02/17/07 - Wright (22), Keele (16)

@ UNLV 02/21/07 - Wright (30), Gillespie (19)

Double Digit Scoring 06-07

-- Mallary Gillespie has scored in double figures in a total of 19 games this season. Of those games, 10 are against MWC foes.

-- Dani Wright has scored in double figures in 21 games including 13 of 16 MWC games including the last seven.

-- Jennie Keele has scored in double digits in six games, most recently (16) at CSU on 02/17/07.

-- Shawnee Slade has scored in double figures in nine contests this season, which includes five league games and the most recent (15) at Wyoming on 02/15/07.

-- Lauren Riley has eight games this year where she has tallied double digit scoring. This includes five conference games, most recently vs. Utah on 02/28/07.

Cougar Double Doubles 06-07

-- Dani Wright picked up her fifth season and sixth career double double with the 11 points and 12 rebounds vs. Utah on 02/28/07.

-- Lauren Riley recorded her third double double of the season and fourth career with 11 points and 10 rebounds vs. SDSU on 02/24/07.

Long Range Gillespie

--Mallary Gillespie continues to get hot from three point range. She continues to pick up the majority of her points from behind the arc. At Wyoming on 02/15/07 where she tallied a new season and career high 31 points, she shot .714(5-7) from three point range. In the game vs. TCU on 02/01/07 she scored 15 of her team and game high 21 points from three-point land. She also tallied 18 of her team high 24 points vs. UNM on 02/10/07 from behind the arc.

-- Gillespie scored a team and game high 16 vs. CSU on 01/18/07 scoring 12 of those from three-point range.

-- In the home league game vs. UNLV on 01/20/07, she had another game and team high performance with 17 points, 15 of which were from behind the arc.

Injury Update -

Freshman point guard Haley Hall is out for the rest of the season. She tore her ACL in her left knee at the New Mexico State game on 12/06/06.

PREVIOUS GAME RECAP

BYU @ TCU - BY-48; TCU-62

Foul trouble and turnovers plagued BYU in a 62-48 defeat to TCU in Ft. Worth. TCU capitalized on BYU turnovers throughout the afternoon. The Frogs scored 20 points off of 18 Cougar miscues and led almost the entire way. Despite shooting above 50 percent throughout the first half of play, several turnovers cost the Cougars over about seven minutes of play as TCU capitalized with 11 points off of BYU turnovers to take 30-19 advantage with 2:55 left in the half. The Frogs led 30-23 going into the locker room.

BYU came out firing to start the second half and quickly got to within two after a long jumper from Mallary Gillespie with 17:54 left to play. Foul trouble finally caught up with the Cougars as Jennie Keele fouled out with 7:47 left and starting post players Riley and Wright were straddled with four fouls apiece through most of the final 10 minutes of play. The Frogs would build their lead as high as 17 points before coming away with the 62-48 win.

2005-06 Season Review

-- Best record in school history 26-6

-- Tallied an impressive 13-1 record on the road

-- MWC Regular Season Crown with a 13-3 record

-- The squad advanced to the MWC Championship game before losing to Utah, 60-84

-- Made seventh appearance in NCAA Championships, seeded seventh, the highest seed for the Cougar program. The team advanced to the Round of 32 with 67-62 victory over Iowa, then lost to Oklahoma 70-86

-- Breaks into the national polls after going 15-1 to begin the season. Its first appearance came the week of Jan. 16 when both the AP Poll and the USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Coaches Poll ranked the team at the No. 23 spot. The team moved as high as No. 16 in the USAToday/ESPN/WBCA Coaches Poll, the highest of the year and the highest ever in the program's history. BYU finished the season ranked 20th in the USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Coaches Poll.

BYU Mountain West Conference Championships History

-- The Cougar women have advanced to the championship game in six of eight years. BYU won the title in 2002 defeating UNLV 61-46. That same year, the team went on to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA tournament.

-- During last year's MWC tournament the Cougars were the No.1 seed and ended up losing to Utah in the championship game 60-84, at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado.

-- Previous Seeds:

BYU in 2000 - 2nd

BYU in 2001 - 4th

BYU in 2002 - 3rd

BYU in 2003 - 5th

BYU in 2004 - 6th

BYU in 2005 - 1st

BYU in 2006 - 1st

BYU Team Records In MWC Championship:

widest margin of victory - (41) points over San Diego State in 2000

points in the second half - (46) points against Colorado State in 2000

3-point field goals - (12) over Wyoming in 2002

most assists in a game - (23) assists against Wyoming in 2002

BYU Player Records In MWC Championship:

Three-time All-American player, Erin Thorn (2000-01-02-03) holds 34 MWC Championship records, more than any other single player in MWC history. Thorn records include:

3-point field goals (8)

3-point field goal attempts (13)

field goal attempts (22)

free throw percentage (1.000, 11-11)

Melanie Pearson - (7) field goals

L. Osguthorpe - (11-11) free throws

Jennie (Overdiek) Keele - (12) freshman rebounds

2007 BYU Mountain West Conference Season Review

BYU vs. Air Force

At Air Force on Jan. 6, 2007 (BYU 59, AF 46)

Behind the 13-point effort of forward Shawnee Slade and center Dani Wright, BYU beat Air Force 59-46 trailing only twice and never by more than three. The Cougars lead by as much as 15 in their win over the Falcons. Slade lead the team with a game high four steals, and Wright had two blocks. BYU led Air Force in points in the paint, bench points and second chance points.

BYU had three players in double digits (Slade 13, Wright 13 and Keele 10). Keele not only contributed with points but she dished out a game-high five assists. Gillespie had seven points and three assists.

POINTS LEADER: Shawnee Slade & Dani Wright-13

REBOUNDS LEADER: Lauren Riley-11

ASSISTS LEADER: Jennie Keele-5

TEAM FG: 44.2%

TEAM 3-POINT FG: 27.8%

TEAM FT: 40%

In Provo on Feb. 6, 2007 (BYU 70, AF 40)

BYU beat the Air Force Academy 70-40. The Cougars started the game off strong, leading eight to four at the 15:50 mark in the first half, with all eight points coming from Dani Wright and Lauren Riley each with four a piece. Air Force went the last 15 minutes of the first half without scoring a basket. BYU finished with 25 first-half rebounds and took a 33-6 lead into the locker room at half time.

The Air Force scoring drought was broken with 18:45 left in the game when the Falcons' Andrea Taylor hit a jump shot to bring the score to 38-8. Taylor's basket broke a 16:42 scoreless streak for Air Force. The Cougars' largest lead of the game came with 9:39 left in the second half when they lead by 43 points. The Cougars pulled down a total of 46 rebounds.

POINTS LEADER: Dani Wright-21

REBOUNDS LEADER: Dani Wright- 11

TEAM FG: 45.8 %

TEAM 3-POINT FG: 22.2%

TEAM FT: 63.2%

BYU vs. New Mexico

At Albuquerque on Jan. 10, 2007 (BYU 63, NM 59)

Mallary Gillespie scored 18 points and Shawnee Slade chipped in 16 points off the bench in the second half to lead BYU to a 63-59 victory over New Mexico in Albuquerque. It was the Cougars first win in "The Pit" since 2001. A tough BYU defense held New Mexico to just 38 percent shooting on the night, while Lobo star Dionne Marsh was held to just two points on a pair of free throws. The Cougars outrebounded New Mexico 33-31.

POINTS LEADER: Mallary Gillespie -18

REBOUNDS LEADER: Dani Wright & Lauren Riley - 8

ASSISTS LEADER: Melinda Johnsen- 5

TEAM FG: 46 %

TEAM 3-POINT FG: 50 %

TEAM FT: 61.5%

In Provo on Feb. 10, 2007 (BYU 75, NM 80 ot)

The BYU Women's basketball team lost at home for the first time in 2007 against UNM 80-75 in overtime. BYU began to heat up and overtake the Lobos with team rebounding and three-point shooting and led by five points, 34-29, at halftime.

Opening the second half of the game, BYU and UNM traded baskets until Mallary Gillespie scored five straight points to give the Cougars the lead 41-33. With the BYU lead at two, 64-62, Mallary Gillespie hit two free throws with 1:29 left to expand the Cougar lead to four, 66-62. With time running out in regulation, Cougar Shawnee Slade missed a jump shot, sending the game into overtime.

In the overtime period BYU quickly scored and led 68-66. Mallary Gillespie then hit a three pointer to give the Cougars the lead with 2:43 left in the overtime period. Free throws in the final minutes lifted New Mexico for the five-point victory, 80-75.

POINTS LEADER: Mallary Gillespie-24

REBOUNDS LEADER: Lauren Riley-11

ASSISTS LEADER: Jennie Keele-6

TEAM FG: 46.3 %

TEAM 3-POINT FG: 34.8%

TEAM FT: 68%

BYU vs. Wyoming

In Provo on Jan. 13, 2007 (BYU 55, WY 52)

Jennie Keele's half court buzzer-beating shot gave the Cougars a 55-52 win. Keele's buzzer beater was only part of the Cougars' balanced scoring effort led by Dani Kubik Wright with 12 points and five rebounds. Shawnee Slade picked up her seventh double-figure scoring game and second straight with 11 points off the bench. The Cougar post players outscored the Cowgirl post players 26-10 led by Wright. BYU won the battle of the boards 35-28 with three players grabbing five rebounds each.

POINTS LEADER: Dani Wright-12

REBOUNDS LEADER: Dani Wright, Lauren Riley, Melinda Johnsen-5

ASSISTS LEADER: Melinda Johnsen-6

TEAM FG: 46 %

TEAM 3-POINT FG: 26.7%

TEAM FT: 68.8%

At Laramie on Feb. 15, 2007 (BYU 69, WY 62)

BY beat the Wyoming Cowgirls 69 to 62 in Laramie. The Cougars started strong from the opening tip taking a 14 to nine lead with 13:31 to play in the first half. BYU made two out of their first three three-pointers and continued to shoot well from all over the court during the first ten minutes of the first half, shooting 67 percent from the field.

With 10:54 left in the second half, the Cougars built a 21-point lead, 54-33. After leading for most of the game, the Cougars loosened their grip on their 19 point lead in the closing minutes of the game and found Wyoming scoring nine unanswered points and cutting the lead to 10, 60-50, with 2:42 left in the contest. BYU would increase their lead to seven off of two Gillespie free throws and the Cougars would win the game 69-62.

POINTS LEADER: Mallary Gillespie-31

REBOUNDS LEADER: Dani Wright/Melinda Johnsen-7

TEAM FG: 51.1 %

TEAM 3-POINT FG: 40%

TEAM FT: 65%

BYU vs. CSU

In Provo on Jan.18, 2007 (BYU 69, CSU 56)

A strong defensive effort coupled with three players scoring in double figures led BYU to a 69-56 victory over CSU. Mallary Gillespie scored 14 points in the first half behind four three-point shots. BYU shot 55 percent from behind the arc in the first half, while their defense held CSU to just 33 percent shooting from the field in the first half.

BYU's post players took charge to set the tone in the second half by scoring the Cougars' first 16 points of the half. BYU was never seriously challenged in the half, going up by as many as 24 points. Dani Wright pulled down eight rebounds to help the Cougars win the battle on the boards at 44-34. BYU improved to 10-1 on the season when outrebounding its opponents.

POINTS LEADER: Mallary Gillespie-16

REBOUNDS LEADER: Dani Wright-8

ASSISTS LEADER: Melinda Johnsen-9

TEAM FG: 44.3 %

TEAM 3-POINT FG: 30%

TEAM FT: 53.8%

At Ft. Collins on Feb. 17, 2007 (BYU 67, CSU 50)

The Cougar women beat the CSU Rams 67-50. In the first five minutes of the game, the Cougars hit eight of their first ten shots, including three for five from down town, to propel BYU to a 21-11 lead. The Rams cut the lead to two at 26-28 with a three-pointer from Emily Neal and then tied the game at 28 with two free throws. BYU's Lauren Riley then hit a hook shot on the other end of the floor to give the Cougars a lead they would not give up taking a six-point 41-35 lead at the half.

The Rams cut the BYU lead to four with 13:25 to go in the game, but Keele hit a three-pointer tying her season high and giving the Cougars another five-point lead with 11 minutes to go. That would be as close as the Rams would get. Keele finished with 16 points, her season high and one shy of her career high of 17.

POINTS LEADER: Dani Wright-22

REBOUNDS LEADER: Cassie King/Jennie Keele-

TEAM FG: 44.6%

TEAM 3-POINT FG: 42.1%

TEAM FT: 75%

BYU vs. UNLV

In Provo on Jan. 20, 2007 (BYU 64, UNLV 59)

Despite shooting 41 percent from the field, the BYU women's basketball team was able to hold off UNLV with a 64-59 win. BYU opened the second half hitting three straight three-pointers, two by Jennie Keele and one by Gillespie, to take a 34-25 lead. Cougar fouls and poor shooting led to a UNLV run cutting the BYU lead to 36-31 when Melinda Johnsen hit a three-pointer to bring the score to 39-31. After Dani Wright hit one of two free throws, making the score 64-59, Lauren Riley stole the ball on the ensuing UNLV possession and quickly handed it to Johnsen who was immediately fouled. Johnsen missed both of her free throws and UNLV rebounded the ball with four seconds left and dribbled down court but came up short when time ran out.

POINTS LEADER: Mallary Gillespie-17

REBOUNDS LEADER: Lauren Riley-10

ASSISTS LEADER: Melinda Johnsen-7

TEAM FG: 41.1%

TEAM 3-POINT FG: 31%

TEAM FT: 40.9%

In Las Vegas on Feb. 21, 2007 (BYU 71, UNLV 76 ot)

BYU lost an overtime thriller to UNLV 76 TO 71, despite the solid play of center Dani Wright who finished with a new season and career high of 30 points and seven rebounds, and at one point scored 10 consecutive points for the Cougars. UNLV was able to keep things close thanks to Shamela Hampton's nine points and three rebounds in the first half. The Rebels went on an 11-2 run to even up the score at 25-25. With the play of Wright, who scored 10 of the last 12 Cougar points in the half, BYU was able to take a narrow 31-28 lead at halftime.

With under five minutes to go in the second half, the Cougars found themselves in a close one trailing UNLV for the first time in the game 55-57. Lauren Riley was fouled and made one of two to tie the game at 61-61 with 1:23 to go in the game. BYU regained the lead as Wright scored a lay-up and was fouled with 37 seconds to go. Wright made the ensuing free throw to give the Cougars a 64-61 lead. BYU had one more look at winning the game, but Gillespie missed her jumper and it sent the game into overtime tied 64-64. In overtime, Wright and Gillespie combined to score seven points, but it wasn't enough as UNLV dominated the glass and came out on top 76-71.

POINTS LEADER: Dani Wright-30

REBOUNDS LEADER: Dani Wright-7

ASSISTS LEADER: Melinda Johnsen-9

TEAM FG: 39.3%

TEAM 3-POINT FG: 23.5%

TEAM FT: 70.4%

BYU vs. San Diego State

At San Diego on Jan. 25, 2007 (BYU 54, SDSU 49)

The BYU women's basketball team remained unbeaten in conference play by beating San Diego State at Cox Arena 54 to 49. The Cougars came out in the second half strong with Mallary Gillespie scoring a three-pointer to give BYU a 33-21 lead. A combination of Cougar lay-ups, three-pointers, jump shots, and free throws brought the BYU lead to 15, 42-27 at the 10:15 mark of the second half. Mallary Gillespie hit a jumps hot to bring the score to 50-43 with 4:25 remaining. Johnsen followed her teammate by making a jump shot of her own to bring the Cougar lead back to nine, 52-43 eventually clinching the 54-49 win.

POINTS LEADER: Dani Wright-12

REBOUNDS LEADER: Lauren Riley-10

TEAM FG: 47.6 %

TEAM 3-POINT FG: 27.3%

TEAM FT: 64.7%

In Provo on Feb. 24, 2007 (BYU 65, SDSU 41)

Back in the friendly confines of the Marriott Center, the BYU women's basketball team used a 33 to zero scoring run in the second half to beat the San Diego State Aztecs 65 to 41. The Cougars scored at will during the opening minutes of the game but struggled defensively allowing SDSU to take a one point lead, 8-7 in the first five minutes of the game. With the score 27 to 20 in favor of San Diego State, BYU went on a four-point run to cut the lead down to three, 27 to 24 with 3:40 left in the first half. The Aztecs answered the run with a four-point run of their own and led BYU 31 to 27 with 1:30 left before halftime. BYU took their first lead of the game on the opening possession of the second half when Mallary Gillespie hit a three-pointer to take a two-point lead, 33 to 31.

In addition to dominating the Aztecs offensively in the second half, the BYU defense was equally impressive holding SDSU scoreless for the first 13:59 of the second half. After scoring 31 first half points, BYU held San Diego State to just 10 second half points.

POINTS LEADER: Mallary Gillespie-17

REBOUNDS LEADER: Lauren Riley-10

ASSISTS LEADER: Melinda Johnsen-8

TEAM FG: 39.3%

TEAM 3-POINT FG: 25%

TEAM FT: 56.0%

BYU vs. University of Utah

At Salt Lake City on Jan. 27, 2007 (BYU 54, Utah 64)

Playing its second game in three days, the Cougar women's basketball team was unable to overcome a well-rested Utah team falling 64-54 at the Huntsman Center. Dani Wright got the Cougars going in the early minutes by scoring nine of BYU's first 12 points of the game. The game was tied at 12 points apiece after the first eight minutes of play. The Utes took a 28-24 lead going into the locker room.

Utah came out hot to start the second half and took a 32-24 advantage with 17:41 left. A pair of Mallary Gillespie free throws cut the lead to 42-36 with 7:16 left. BYU was never able to get any closer than six the rest of way and fell by 10 points at the end.

POINTS LEADER: Mallary Gillespie -21

REBOUNDS LEADER: Mallary Gillespie-10

TEAM FG: 34 %

TEAM 3-POINT FG: 31.6%

TEAM FT: 60%

In Provo on Feb. 28, 2007 (BYU 59, Utah 55)

On senior night, the three graduating players led the women's basketball team to a 59-55 victory over Utah in front of 4, 018 fans, the largest crowd in BYU Women's basketball history. With the score tied at 16-16, Dani Wright hit one of two free throws to give BYU a one-point lead. Utah's Morgan Warburton banked in a three point shot to cut the Cougar lead back down to two 30 to 28 with 30 seconds before halftime.

With nine minutes left in the game, Utah made a three-point basket to give the Utes a three-point lead, 47 to 44. Leading 57-55 with 40 seconds left in the game, BYU rebounded a missed Utah shot and quickly ran the ball down and scored on a Shawnee Slade jump shot. The basket gave the Cougars a 59 to 55 lead and on the ensuing Utah possession BYU rebounded a missed Ute shot and time ran out giving BYU the 59-55 win.

POINTS LEADER: Mallary Gillespie-15

REBOUNDS LEADER: Dani Wright-10

TEAM FG: 42.1%

TEAM 3-POINT FG: 21.7%

TEAM FT: 66.7%

BYU vs.TCU

In Provo on Feb. 1, 2007 (BYU 69, TCU 65)

Shooting a conference best 80 percent from the free throw line along with strong rebounding gave BYU a 69-65 win over TCU in the Marriot Center. Along with shooting 80 percent from the line, the Cougars also grabbed 46 total rebounds including 15 from Dani Wright and 10 from Lauren Riley. The team shot 45 percent from both the field and the three point to give BYU a 33-28 lead heading into the locker room at the break.

TCU and BYU traded baskets and free throws over the next three minutes with the Cougars never leading by more than four but never trailing. After rebounding a missed three pointer by Shawnee Slade, Mallary Gillespie was fouled and hit two free throws to extend the Cougar lead to three, 68-65 with 10 seconds left. Johnsen hit one more free throw after rebounding a TCU missed free throw to give BYU the win.

POINTS LEADER: Mallary Gillespie -21

REBOUNDS LEADER: Dani Wright-15

TEAM FG: 41.8 %

TEAM 3-POINT FG: 38.9%

TEAM FT: 80%

At Ft. Worth on Mar. 3, 2007 (BYU 48, TCU 62)

Foul trouble and turnovers plagued BYU in a 62-48 defeat to TCU in Ft. Worth. TCU capitalized on BYU turnovers throughout the afternoon. The Frogs scored 20 points off of 18 Cougar miscues and led almost the entire way. Despite shooting above 50 percent throughout the first half of play, several turnovers cost the Cougars over about seven minutes of play as TCU capitalized with 11 points off of BYU turnovers to take 30-19 advantage with 2:55 left in the half. The Frogs led 30-23 going into the locker room.

BYU came out firing to start the second half and quickly got to within two after a long jumper from Mallary Gillespie with 17:54 left to play. Foul trouble finally caught up with the Cougars as Jennie Keele fouled out with 7:47 left and starting post players Riley and Wright were straddled with four fouls apiece through most of the final 10 minutes of play. The Frogs would build their lead as high as 17 points before coming away with the 62-48 win.

POINTS LEADER: Dani Wright-12

REBOUNDS LEADER: Lauren Riley-9

TEAM FG: 47.7 %

TEAM 3-POINT FG: 10.0%

TEAM FT: 35.7%

Cougar MWC Season Honors to date for 2006-07

Player of the Week - Mallary Gillespie (Feb. 19, 2007)

Player of the Week - Mallary Gillespie (Feb. 5, 2007)

Player of the Week - Mallary Gillespie (Dec. 18, 2006)

Player of the Week - Shawnee Slade (Nov. 12, 2006)

2007 MWC Postseason Honors

Co-Player of the Year - Dani Wright

Coach of the Year - Jeff Judkins

First Team All-MWC - Dani Wright

Second Team All-MWC - Mallary Gillespie

Honorable Mention All-MWC - Melinda Johnsen, Lauren Riley

Travel Plans

Tues., Mar. 6 - Flight: Southwest # 1746, leaves Salt Lake City at 12:10 p.m., arrives in Las Vegas at 12:30 p.m.

Hotel: Courtyard by Marriott, 3275 Paradise Road, 702-791-3600, 702-796-7981, fax.

Sat. Mar. 10 - Flight: Southwest # 2339, leaves Las Vegas at 1 p.m., arrives in Salt Lake City at 3:20 p.m.

Practice Times

Wed. Mar, 7 - Shootaround 10:00 a.m., to 10:25 a.m., at Cox Pavilion

- Shootaround 10:30 a.m. to 10:55 a.m., at Thomas & Mack Center

Media Information

During the 2007 MWC Women's Basketball Championships all practices will be closed to the media. Coach Judkins and players will be available after their scheduled practices. Please contact Norma Collett, the women's basketball communications director at 801-372-0989 to set up interviews. She will be staying at the Courtyard Marriott with the team.

Head Coach - Jeff Judkins

Overall Record:124-60

2006-07: 21-8, 12-4

2006 MWC Coach of the Year Jeff Judkins begins his sixth year as head coach of the women's basketball program. Prior to heading up the women's program, he served one year (1999-2000) as Director of Basketball Operations for the BYU men's team. In 2000 he became an assistant coach on the women's team.

Last season under Judkins, the Cougars compiled their best finish in school history with a 26-6 record, clinched their first MWC regular season title since 1992 and received a no. 7 seed in the NCAA tournament, the highest seed for any BYU program.

For the first time since the 2002-03 season, the team and its 13-1 record to start the year broke into the women's basketball collegiate polls, ranked No. 23 by the AP Poll and the USA Today/Espn/WBCA Coaches Poll. They would rank as high as 18 and 16 in the two respective polls, finishing the year at No. 20. Last season Judkins picked up his 100th win, a 69-67 victory over CSU on Mar. 2, the same time the team clinched the league's regular season title.

Under Judkins tutelage, the women's basketball program has had consistent success with four postseason appearances including three NCAA Championships, guiding the team to its first ever Sweet Sixteen finish in 2002. In 2005, the 19-11 team played in the first round of the WNIT. Judkins has also coached two All-Americans in Erin Thorn and Ambrosia Anderson. Both have gone on to play in the WNBA for the New York Liberty. Thorn has been with the team for the past four years while Anderson just completed her first year playing professionally.

Coach Judkins has won at least 17 games every year but one since becoming the women's head coach. With his 21 wins this season he has recorded three 20 win seasons and two MWC Regular Season titles.

The longtime University of Utah coach and player came to Provo with a proven record of success dating back to his high school days at Highland HS in Salt Lake City. An all-state selection in basketball, football and baseball, Judkins went on to play for the University of Utah from 1974-78.

While playing at Utah, Judkins helped lead the Utes to one conference championship and two berths in the NCAA tournament. He was a second-team academic All-American and three-time District VII academic selection. He also earned three first team All-WAC honors and was a member of the 1977 United States World Games team that captured the gold medal.

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

After his NBA career, he returned to Utah in 1989 and was an instrumental part of that program's success during his 10 years, recruiting such players as Keith Van Horn, Andre Miller, Mike Doleac, Hanno Mottola, Alex Jensen, Trent Whiting, Garner Meads, Jeff Johnsen and Britton Johnsen. Judkins, graduated from the University of Utah in 1978 with a degree in health and physical education. He and his wife Mary Kaye are the parents of five children: Jessica (26), (married to Paul), Jordan (24), Jenna (22), Jaime, who plays on the basketball team, (19), and Jaxson (16). Jenna plays on the volleyball team at BYU.

Hobbies: Waterskiing, horseback riding, hunting, golf, softball, and watching ESPN.

Judkins Record vs. MWC School

School Record In 2007

Air Force 10-0 2-0

CSU 5-5 2-0

New Mexico 5-8 1-1

San Diego State 10-0 2-0

UNLV 8-5 1-1

Utah 4-7 1-1

Wyoming 7-4 2-0

TCU 2-1 1-1