PROVO -- Cold shooting in the second half did nothing to deter the BYU women’s basketball team as it came back to claim a double-overtime 61-60 win against Utah State on Saturday. With the win the Cougars improve to 7-2 on the season.

With 1.7 seconds remaining in regulation, Coriann Wood hit a three-point shot to tie the score 43-43 and send the game into overtime.

“The kid’s clutch,” said BYU head coach Jeff Judkins. “When we got in that huddle and drew up the play for her, you could tell she was very confident in taking that shot, and the team was confident she would make it.”

Cassie King led all Cougars with 14 points against USU, while Wood also scored in double-figures with 13. Shawnee Slade, Keilani Moeaki and Jazmine Foreman all recorded a team-high eight rebounds on the day.

“I’m really proud of this team,” said Judkins. “They showed a lot of heart and character tonight, not giving up. What this team did tonight is worth more than a blow out. They believed in each other and believed we could win.”

The Cougars jumped out to an early six-point lead at 12-6 thanks to back-to-back makes from King on BYU’s first possessions of the game. BYU totaled six rebounds and 6-of-10 shooting heading into the first media timeout.

Despite the Cougars’ tough defensive play, which forced several USU shot clock violations, the Aggies battled back to tie the score 12-12 with 11:40 remaining in the first half. Both teams traded baskets back-and-forth, tying the score four more times before the halftime break. A key defensive rebound by King resulted in a layup by Moeaki, helping secure a 24-22 lead as both teams headed into the locker room.

Held scoreless to begin the first nine minutes of the second half, the Cougars found themselves still found themselves leading 29-26 with 10:05 remaining in the game. A fast-break layup and three-point play by Mindy Nielson gave BYU its first points of the half, and was followed by the basket by King.

The Aggies jumped out to a six-point lead with 5:23 remaining in regulation, but four trips to the free throw line put the Cougars behind by three points with time for one last possession. Wood’s three-pointer with 1.7 seconds on the clock tied the score 43-43, sending the game into overtime. Wood’s make from behind-the-arc marked BYU’s first in the game.

In the first overtime, Nielson started things off for the Cougars, scoring two before the Aggies followed with a basket of their own. Free throws by both teams kept the score close, as the Cougars tied things up once again, 51-51, after King’s 2-for-2 trip to the line.

“We did a good job hitting the foul shot late in the game when we had to,” said Judkins.

The second overtime continued much like the first, with neither team building more than a one-possession lead. Foreman’s steal and layup put the Cougars up 59-57, while Wood’s two free throws with 7.8 seconds remaining on the clock sealed the win for BYU.

Up next the Cougars travel to take on Long Beach State on Dec. 20 at 5:30 PT.

Official Basketball Box Score
Utah State Aggies vs Brigham Young
12-13-08 3:00 PM at MARRIOTT CTR  BYU  PROVO UTAH
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VISITORS: Utah State Aggies 4-4
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
50 JOHNSON, Nicole..... f  2-6    0-1    3-5    1  7  8   3   7  4  1  2  2  43
35 WHITEHEAD, Lydia.... c  3-6    0-0    3-4    1  5  6   5   9  0  3  0  0  22
04 SNELGRO, Danyelle... g  4-14   0-3    8-10   3  6  9   0  16  1  3  0  2  47
13 CODDINGTON, Alice... g  3-10   2-5    3-4    1  2  3   1  11  2  1  0  3  43
15 PARES, Ana.......... g  4-16   1-7    1-2    2  2  4   2  10  1  7  0  1  46
10 HOWARD, Stacey......    0-0    0-0    0-0    1  0  1   0   0  0  1  0  0   4
20 BURNS, Chelsea......    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  1  0  0   3
21 WHITE, Amber........    0-1    0-0    0-0    0  1  1   0   0  0  0  0  0  11
22 POPE, Shawnta.......    1-1    0-0    1-4    0  1  1   2   3  0  1  0  0   8
23 DIOP, Ndoumbe.......    2-2    0-0    0-0    0  1  1   5   4  0  0  0  1  21
42 DIOP, Banna.........    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   1   0  0  0  0  0   2
   TEAM................                         5  2  7
   Totals..............   19-56   3-16  19-29  14 27 41  19  60  8 18  2  9 250
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 10-23 43.5%   2nd Half:  4-20 20.0%   OT:  5-13 38.5%   Game: 33.9%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  1-4  25.0%   2nd Half:  0-6   0.0%   OT:  2-6  33.3%   Game: 18.8%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  1-2  50.0%   2nd Half: 13-20 65.0%   OT:  5-7  71.4%   Game: 65.5%    5
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOME TEAM: Brigham Young 7-2
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
32 SLADE, Shawnee...... f  3-11   0-6    2-4    4  4  8   1   8  0  2  1  0  45
45 MOEAKI, Keilani..... f  4-7    0-0    0-0    6  2  8   3   8  1  1  1  1  30
54 KING, Cassie........ c  3-6    0-0    8-8    3  1  4   4  14  0  3  0  0  30
03 FOREMAN, Jazmine.... g  3-16   0-7    2-2    2  6  8   3   8  2  0  0  3  44
22 NIELSON, Mindy...... g  3-13   0-7    1-1    1  6  7   3   7  7  5  1  2  43
01 JACKSON, Jenteal....    0-1    0-1    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   4
13 JUDKINS, Jaime......    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   4
14 HOSTETTER, Sarah R..    0-4    0-3    0-0    1  0  1   3   0  0  1  0  0   8
23 WOOD, Coriann.......    4-9    1-4    4-6    2  4  6   3  13  0  2  0  2  28
35 RILEY, Kristen......    0-3    0-1    3-4    1  1  2   1   3  0  2  1  0  14
55 MARKS, Megan........    0-1    0-1    0-0    0  0  0   1   0  0  0  0  0  0+
   TEAM................                         7  4 11
   Totals..............   20-71   1-30  20-25  27 28 55  22  61 10 16  4  8 250
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 10-27 37.0%   2nd Half:  5-33 15.2%   OT:  5-11 45.5%   Game: 28.2%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  0-12  0.0%   2nd Half:  1-15  6.7%   OT:  0-3   0.0%   Game:  3.3%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  4-4  100 %   2nd Half:  8-13 61.5%   OT:  8-8  100 %   Game: 80.0%    2
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Officials: JACK JONES, BRENDA PANTOJA, LAURA RAHE
Technical fouls: Utah State Aggies-None. Brigham Young-None.
Attendance: 604
Score by Periods                1st  2nd   OT  OT2   Total
Utah State Aggies.............   22   21    8    9  -   60
Brigham Young.................   24   19    8   10  -   61
OFFICIAL FINAL

After two impressive wins at the Hukilau Invitational, the Cougar women’s basketball team (5-2) returns home to host two instate foes. Weber State (3-4) plays at the Marriott Center on Wed. Dec. 10 at 5 p.m., while Utah State (4-3) makes an appearance on Sat., Dec. 13 at 3 p.m.

Game Information

When:12/10/08 vs: Weber St. Tip: 5 p.m. Arena: Marriott Ctr.

When:12/13/08 vs: Utah St. Tip: 3 p.m. Arena: Marriott Ctr.

Broadcast Plans

Television: Both games will air world-wide on BYUTV. Jarom Jordan and Kristin Kozlowski will call the action.

Internet: Audio streaming is available for both games via the internet at BYU Radio with Jay Monsen calling the action. A link is available by going to http://www.byucougars.com/basketball_w/

Stats: Live stats through GameTracker are available as well. A link is available by logging on to the BYU women’s basketball home page at http://www.byucougars.com/basketball_w/

BYU Probable Starters

No. Name Pos. Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

03 Jazmine Foreman G 5-5 So 8.1 2.9

22 Mindy Nielson G 5-10 So 12.4 2.6

32 Shawnee Slade F 5-11 Sr 12.6 5.1

45 Keilani Moeaki F 6-2 So 5.3 3.1

54 Cassie King C 6-3 Sr 7.3 5.0

Off the Bench

No. Name Pos. Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

23 Coriann Wood F 6-1 So 8.0 4.6

35 Kristen Riley C 6-3 Fr 3.9 3.1

14 Sarah Hostetter G/F 5-11 Sr 2.3 0.9

55 Megan Marks F 6-3 So 2.0 0.6

01 Jenteal Jackson G 5-7 Fr 0.7 0.8

24 Dani Peterson F 6-1 Fr 0.8 1.2

13 Jaime Judkins G 5-6 Jr 0.4 0.2

21 Stephanie Buhler F 6-1 Fr (rs) 0.0 0.0

2008-09 Cougar Stats Summary --

-- Shooting from the field: (.415, 168-405)

-- Shooting from the free-throw line: (.702, 73-104)

-- Shooting from three-point line: (.315, 41-130)

-- Average points per game: 64.3

-- Average assists per game: 15.0

-- Average steals per game: 9.0

-- Average blocks per game: 3.3

-- Average turnovers per game: 18.9

-- Of Note in 2008-09 --

TEAM

-- In the win over the Trojans, the Cougars had four players score in double digits, a first this season. At least two players have had double figure scoring in all games to date.

-- BYU is now 4-2 when making at least five three pointers per game. They had five vs. Wright State and eight vs. USC. The eights vs. the Trojans are the second best of the year. The team also put up eight treys in the win at Nevada.

-- In the contest vs. USC the team dished out a season high 19 assists.

-- At the Hukilau Invitational the Cougars had the two best field goal percentages of the year, going .500 (20-40) vs. Wright State and followed it up with .490 (24-49) vs. USC.

-- With the 65-64 win over USC in Hawaii, BYU improved to 2-0 against Pac-10 schools this year. Head Coach Jeff Judkins is 9-4 overall against the Pac-10.

-- The Cougars had 14 steals vs. SUU for new season highs.

-- In the game vs. UConn, BYU went 7-8 from the free-throw line (87 percent), making it the second best of the year.

-- There were 3,109 fans in attendance at the UConn game, the highest crowd of the season to date.

-- The Cougars hosted the nation's No. 1 ranked UConn Huskies on Tuesday, Nov. 25. They were highest ranked women's basketball team to ever play in the Marriott Center and the highest ranked team that BYU has ever played.

-- So far this season, the Cougars have played four games with teams from three different conferences. Portland State, from the Big Sky; Nevada, from the WAC; and Oregon, from the Pac-10. Tuesday’s game vs. UConn will be the fourth team from the fourth conference. The Huskies are from the Big East Conference.

-- In the victory at Nevada, BYU was perfect from the line in the first half going 9-9, and finished the game making 17 of 18.

-- With the 67-45 victory over Oregon on Fri., Nov. 21, coach Jeff Judkins improved to 7-1 in home openers.

PLAYER

-- Jazmine Foreman scored a season and career high 19 points vs. USC on 12/6/08 to lead all scorers. She also had a team and game high six assists. And she was perfect from the free-throw line 4-4. Two of those sealed the Cougar victory over the Trojans in the final seconds of the contest.

-- Foreman dished out eight assists vs. Wright St., on 12/5/08 for new season highs. She also grabbed four boards for new season and career highs in that category.

-- Foreman tops the leader board in assists on the team dishing out a total of 32 to date for a 4.6 average.

-- Coriann Wood had 14 points before fouling out of the game against USC for new season and career highs in points. The double digit point output marks her third double figure game this year and her fourth overall.

-- Megan Marks’ eight points vs. SUU were new career highs. She was also perfect 4-4 from the field.

-- With nine points, Kristen Riley set a new career high vs. SUU. She was 4-6 from the field.

-- Shawnee Slade’s 18 points vs. SUU were new season highs.

-- Slade contributed 13 points in the win over USC marking her fifth double figure game this year and 25th overall.

-- Slade tops the list both in points and rebounds on the team with 12.6 points and 5.1 boards per contest.

-- Mindy Nielson scored 20 points vs. Wright State for her third double digit output of the season and her 10th overall.

-- Nielson scored 14 points vs. UConn for her second double figure game of the 2008-09 campaign.

-- Nielson picked up new season and career highs in points with 27 at Nevada on 11/18/08. She was also 9-10 from the free throw line.

This Week’s Cougar Opponents

Weber State (Dec. 10, 2008) in Provo, Utah - 5 p.m.

Weber State enters this week’s competition on a two-game losing streak and a 3-4 record. The Wildcats return two starters and a total of seven letterwinners. They are led in scoring by Caitlin Anderson who is averaging 17.4 points and a team high 8.9 boards per game. Two teammates join her in double digit scoring with 13.9 from junior guard Tonya Schnibbe and 13.6 from forward Ali Thorderson. Schnibbe also tops the list in assists dishing out an average of 8.0 per contest. Head Coach Carla Taylor enters her 21st season as Weber State’s head coach.

Weber State Probable Starters

No. Name Pos. Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

15 Caitlin Anderson F 5-10 So 17.4 8.9

20 Ali Thorderson F 5-10 Jr 13.6 5.3

03 Joey O’Neill C 6-3 Fr 5.3 6.3

12 Abby Thorderson G 5-10 Fr 4.1 0.7

24 Tonya Schnibbe G 5-6 Jr 13.9 3.1

Stat Comparison

Category BYU Weber St.

Points: 64.3 68.0

FG: .415 .388

FT: .702 .770

3FG: .315 .366

Reb: 33.4 38.3

Series Information

Record: BYU leads the overall series with a 36-9 record.

Last Meeting: Dec. 12, 2007. In last year’s game played at the Dee Events Center, Weber State picked up the 65-54 victory. When playing in the Marriott Center, the Wildcats have a 1-17 record getting their lone win coming on Dec. 20, 1989 a 93-87 victory.

Utah State (Dec. 13, 2008) in Provo, Utah - 3 p.m.

Utah State has compiled a 4-3 record with wins over Northern Arizona, Montana State Northern, Texas State and Eastern Washington. On the road they are 1-1. The team returns two starters and nine letterwinners Three players are scoring in double figures for the Aggies with 13.0 from senior guard Danyelle Snelgro. Ana Pares contributes 12.0 points while Lydia Whitehead scores 10.4 points and tops the rebound category grabbing 7.1 boards per contest. Head Coach Raegan Pebley is in her seventh season with the Utah State Aggies.

Utah State Probable Starters

No. Name Pos. Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

35 Lydia Whitehead F 6-4 Jr 10.4 7.1

50 Nicole Johnson F/C 6-2 Jr 3.6 6.1

04 Danyelle Snelgro G 5-5 Sr 13.0 4.4

13 Alice Coddington G 5-10 So 5.0 4.0

15 Ana Pares G 5-8 Sr 12.0 4.0

Stat Comparison

Category BYU Utah St.

Points: 64.3 52.1

FG: .415 .370

FT: .702 .592

3FG: .315 .262

Reb: 33.4 39.7

Series Information

Record: BYU leads the series with a 25-3 record.

Last Meeting: Dec. 29, 2007. During last year’s game in Logan, the Cougars grabbed the 70-64 victory. When playing in the Marriott Center, the Aggies have a 1-11 record. The team’s last win in Provo was on Feb. 9, 1974, a 42-33 win for Utah State.

What’s Next

The Cougar squad rounds out the month of December with one road and one home game. BYU travels to California for a game at Long Beach State on Dec. 20. They return to host Arkansas State on Dec. 30 in a 7 p.m. tip off.