Second Half of MWC Race With Two At Home

As the second half of conference play continues, the BYU women's basketball team is tied in third place with UNLV and a 6-3 record. This week its a chance for the Cougars to play at home to battle for a higher finish in the standings. BYU hosts Air Force (0-8) and New Mexico (7-2) this week, Feb. 14 and 16.

Tip off: BYU (15-7, 6-3) vs Air Force (4-17, 0-8), 7 p.m.(MST) Arena: Marriott Ctr.

Tip off: BYU (15-7, 6-3) vs New Mexico (18-5, 7-2), 4 p.m. (MST) Arena: Marriott Ctr.

BYU's Probable Starters

Pos. # Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

F 21 Jennifer Leitner6-1 Jr 11.7 8.4

F 31 Lisa Osguthorpe 6-0 Sr 5.3 3.4

F 51 Danielle Cheesman 6-2 Fr 7.6 3.4

G 11 Erin Thorn 5-10 Jr 17.7 4.2

G 22 Stacy Jensen 5-6 Sr 10.4 2.9

Cougar Players Off The Bench

Pos. # Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

F/G 12 Melanie Pearson 6-1 Sr 10.4 3.2

F 23 Chanell Rose 6-0 Jr 3.3 2.4

F 45 Lisa Hansen 6-5 Jr 2.9 2.6

G 25 Kali Taylor 5-11 Fr 1.5 0.4

F 20 Brittany Larson 6-0 Jr 1.9 1.1

G 05 Amy Lewis 5-6 Jr 0.8 0.6

Quickie BYU Stats

l Shooting from the field - .459 (587-1278)

l Shooting from the free-throw line - .730 (270-370)

l Shooting from the three-point arc - .424 (187-441)

l Averaged 74.1 points per game

Last Game Recap

On their first road trip of the second half of MWC action, the Cougars split 1-1 with a win at Wyoming and a disappointing 65-75 defeat at CSU. BYU's balanced scoring continued on the road with four players knotching double figure points in both games led by All-American Erin Thorn with 14 and 17 in the games. Junior forward Jennifer Leitner also had impressive performances this week with 15 points against Wyoming and her seventh double double of the year 14 points and 10 rebounds in the CSU game. The Cougars three-point shooting did not fare as well, hitting just 4 of 16 at Wyoming and 5-21 in Ft. Collins. Melanie Pearson continues to have strong play as the Cougars "sixth man." She contributed 10 points against the Cowgirls and 13 against the Rams.

BYU Notes

With a team that returns four starters and eight letterwinners from last season, the Cougar women's basketball prepares to battle MWC opponents in the second half of the season the team is currently tied for third place with UNLV. All-American Erin Thorn continues to be the team's leading scorer with an average of 17.7 points a game. The team's leading rebounder is junior forward Jennifer Leitner who's averaging 8.4 boards a game. She's also averaging 11.7 points a game. Senior guard Stacy Jensen leads in the assist category tallying 94 to date for an average of 4.27 per game. Jensen is also scoring in double digits, contributing 10.4 points a game. Senior transfer Melanie Pearson comes off the bench to score in double digits as well. She's picking up 10.4 points a game and is averaging 3.2 rebounds a game.

Injury Update

Sophomore forward Heather Cheesman was hit in the head during practice on Jan. 24. She suffered a bruised spinal chord and after a stay in the hospital she's at home recuperating. Chessman will not return to action this season.

2001-02 Season Highlights

TEAM

4 Points - 94 vs Washington State 11/24/01

4 Field Goals Made - 36 vs Washington State 11/24/01

4 3 PT Field Goals Made - 20 vs Arkansas Pine-Bluff 12/14/01

4 Free Throws Made - 22 vs SDSU on 1/31/02

4 Rebounds - 53 vs SDSU on 1/31/02

4 Assists - 32 vs Washington State 11/24/01

4 Steals - 14 @ Weber State 12/01/01

INDIVIDUAL

4 Points - Erin Thorn, (29) vs Arkansas Pine-Bluff 12/14/01

4 Field Goals Made - Erin Thorn, (10) @ Weber State 12/01/01

4 3 PT Field Goals Made - Erin Thorn, (9) vs Arkansas PB 12/14/01

4 Free Throws Made - Melanie Pearson, (9) @ Utah, 1/26/02

4 Rebounds - Jennifer Leitner, (13) @ UCLA 11/27/01

4 Assists - Erin Thorn, (9) vs Colorado St. 1/10/02

4 Steals - Lisa Osguthorpe (5) @ TCU on 12/22/01

MWC Standings - As Of Feb. 12

School Conference Games All Games

Colorado St. 8-1 19-4

New Mexico 7-2 18-5

UNLV 6-3 18-4

BYU 6-3 15-7

Utah 4-5 11-10

Wyoming 3-6 10-11

San Diego St. 1-7 9-12

Air Force 0-8 4-17

Cougars In MWC Stats (Conf. Games Only)

Top Three Finishes - TEAM

2 1st - Scoring Offense (634 pts, 70.4)

21st - Field Goal Percentage (.445, 226-508)

21st - 3-Point Field Goal Percentage (.382, 68-178)

2 3rd - Free Throw Percentage (.755, 114-151)

2 3rd - Field Goal Percentage Defense (.379, 175-462)

2 3rd - Blocked Shots (30, 3.33 avg)

21st - Assists (136, 15.11 avg)

21st - 3-Point Field Goals Made (68, 7.56 avg)

21st - Assist/Turnover Ratio (136 Asst, 15.1 avg/134 Turn, 14.9 avg, Ratio - 1.01)

Top Ten Finishes - INDIVIDUALS

2 1st - Erin Thorn - Assists (36, 4.00 avg)

2 1st - Erin Thorn - 3-PT Field Goals Made (24, 2.67)

2 1st - Erin Thorn - Free Throw Percentage (.864, 19-22)

2 5th - Erin Thorn - Asst/Turn Ratio (36, asst, 4.0 avg/24 turn, 2.7 avg, 1.50 ratio)

2 3rd - Erin Thorn - Steals (18, 2.00 avg)

2 8th - Erin Thorn - 3-PT Field Goal Percentage (.364, 24-66)

2 3rd - Erin Thorn - Scoring (145 pts., 16.1 avg)

2 2nd - Melanie Pearson - 3-PT Field Goal Percentage (.375, 9-24)

2 3rd - Jennifer Leitner - Defensive Rebounds (49, 6.12 avg)

2 3rd - Jennifer Leitner - Rebounding (68, 8.5 avg)

2 4rd - Jennifer Leitner - Blocked Shots (9, 1.12)

2 8th - Jennifer Leitner - Offensive Rebounds (19. 2.38 avg)

2 9th - Jennifer Leitner - 3-PT Field Goal Percentage (.333, 9-27)

2 2nd - Danielle Cheesman - Field Goal Percentage (.556, 30-54)

2 3rd - Stacy Jensen - Asst/Turn Ratio (28 asst, 3.1 avg/ 17 turn, 1.9 avg, 1.65 ratio)

2 3rd - Stacy Jensen - Free Throw Percentage (.857, 18-21)

2 4th - Stacy Jensen - 3-PT Field Goal Percentage (.438, 14-32)

2 7th - Stacy Jensen - 3-PT Field Goals Made (14, 1.56)

2 8th - Stacy Jensen - Assists (28, 3.11 avg)

2 1st - Lisa Osguthorpe - Asst/Turn Ratio (28 asst, 3.1 avg/11 turn, 1.2 avg, 2.55 ratio)

2 8th - Lisa Osguthorpe - Assists (28, 3.11)

Scouting Air Force

The Air Force Academy has yet to win a conference game although in three of the games they were in the contests through the final minutes having lost two by eight points and one by four. The Falcons are led by Amoy Jackson who is averaging 10.8 points and a team high 5.6 rebounds a game. Latoya Howell is another strong offensive threat for the Air Force. She's averaging 9.2 points and 2.4 rebounds a game. The Air Force Academy is shooting 34 percent from the field and 76 percent at the free throw line. They are scoring 56.8 points and allowing opponents to score 68.3 points a game.

Air Force Probable Starters

Pos. # Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

F 24 Amoy Jackson 5-10 So 10.8 5.6

F 25 Rozalyn Russ 5-8 Sr 4.2 2.9

F 35 Samantha Clifton 5-11 Sr 3.3 4.1

G 05 Latoya Howell 5-4 Fr 9.2 2.4

G 22 Ali Tomlinson 5-6 Sr 4.0 1.5

Series Record: 7-0 favoring BYU. These two MWC foes have already had one meeting this season, in Colorado Springs where the Cougars picked up the 81-52 victory.

Scouting New Mexico

The Lobos are all alone in second place in this week's MWC standings with a 7-2 record. New Mexico's two losses were against UNLV who is tied with BYU for third place. On the road the Lobos are 2-1 in conference action. Two players are currently scoring in double digits for UNM. They are junior Jordan Adams who's averaging 14.6 points and 6.1 rebounds a game and Mandi Moore who contributes 10.1 points and 4.3 boards a game. Chelsea Grear is the team's leading rebounder grabbing an average of 6.4 boards a game. New Mexico is shooting 42 percent from the field, 74 at the free throw line and 33 percent from behind the arc. As a team, the Lobos are picking up 67.7 points a game and allowing opponents just 55.8 points a game.

New Mexico Probable Starters

Pos. # Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

F 30 Chelsea Grear 5-10 Jr 9.8 6.4

F 42 Lindsay Arndt 6-1 Fr 7.4 6.0

C 40 Jordan Adams 6-3 Jr 14.6 6.1

G 12 Molly McKinnon 5-8 Sr 7.9 2.6

G 21 Mandi Moore 5-8 Fr 10.1 4.3

Series Record: 32-13 in favor of BYU. The two teams have played once this year. The two conference foes met in Albuquerque at "The Pit" with the Lobos sneaking by with a 58-52 victory over the Cougars.

Head Coach Jeff Judkins

Jeff Judkins, an assistant during the 2000-01 season is this year's head coach for the Cougar women. Judkins, a longtime University of Utah coach and player takes over the BYU program 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 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 (20), Jordan (19), Jenna (16), Jaime (13), Jaxson (10).

Coach Judkins Quotes

(On Cougars) I think we're playing really well right now. We beat Wyoming pretty handedly and gave CSU a pretty good game. We're getting better with each game and we have our players playing much better now then at the beginning of January.

(On Air Force) They'll play match up zone, so for us it will be critical to get the ball in side and also to make sure we can score on the open shots and we must defend the ball well.

(On New Mexico) This is a team that plays the motion really well. When we played them in Albuquerque we probably played our best defensive game we just couldn't score. Jennifer Leitner did an excellent job on Jordan Adams and she'll have to do that again this week. We need to make our shots against them and get the ball to where we can score.

BYU Practice Schedule At Home

The BYU team practices daily at the Marriott Center from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Coach Judkins' and or player interviews can be done prior to or after practice. No interviews are done 24-hours prior to a game. All interviews must be scheduled in advance through the Media Relations Office. The women's basketball SID is Norma Collett. She can be contacted by phone: 801-378-4908 during regular business hours or by e-mail norma_collett@byu.edu

Up Next

After hosting the two MWC games this week, the Cougar women stay at home to finish their home conference season hosting instate rival Utah on Sat. Feb. 23 in a 4 p.m. tip off.

2001-02 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL - NUMERICAL ROSTER (Tentative)

No. Name Ht. Cl. Pos. Exp. Hometown/School

11 Erin Thorn 5-10 Jr. G 2V Orem, UT/Mountain View H.S.

12 Melanie Pearson 6-1 Sr. G 3V Irvine, CA/Woodbridge HS/UCLA

20 Brittany Larson 6-0 Jr. F 2V Chicago, IL/New Trier HS

21 Jennifer Leitner 6-1 Jr. F 2V Chico, CA/Pleasant Valley HS

22 Stacy Jensen 5-6 Sr. G 3V West Jordan, UT/West Jordan HS

23 Chanell Rose 6-0 Jr. F 2V Orem, UT/UVSC

25 Kali Taylor 5-11 Fr. G HS Lyman, UT/Wayne HS

31 Lisa Osguthorpe 6-0 Sr. F 3V Orem, UT/Mountain View HS

45 Lisa Hansen 6-5 Jr. C 2V/RS Bakersfield, CA/Centennial HS/UCSB

50 Heather Cheesman 6-1 So. F 1V Orem, UT/Mountain View HS

51 Danielle Cheesman 6-2 Fr. F HS Orem, UT/Mountain View HS

HEAD COACH: Jeff Judkins (1st Year)

ASSISTANT COACHES: Alli Bills, Trent Shippen

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT: Jonas Chatterton

ATHLETIC TRAINER: Carolyn Billings

2001-02 Walk-On Players:

05 Amy Lewis 5-6 Jr. G Jefferson City, Montana/Jefferson City HS

24 Shauna Tuft 6-0 So. F 1V Mesa, Arizona/Highland HS

30 Melissa Brown 5-8 So. G 1V University Place, WA/Curtis HS

32 Aspen Casper 6-0 Jr. F 1V Central Point, Oregon/S. Medford HS