MWC Play Begins This Week

January started off with a disappointing home loss for the Cougar women, but the team plans to rebound this week as the conference race begins with BYU hosting CSU and Wyoming on Jan. 10 and 12. The 9-4 Cougars host the Rams, ranked 19th (11-3) on Thursday and the Cowgirls (7-5) from Wyoming on Saturday.

Tip off: BYU (9-4) vs Colorado State (11-3), 7:00 p.m.(MST) Arena: Marriott Ctr

Tip off: BYU (9-4) vs Wyoming (7-5), 1:00 p.m. (MST) Arena: Marriott Ctr.

Conference Home Opener On TV

Thursday night's MWC home opener between BYU and CSU will air live on BYU-TV and on KBYU-TV, Chan. 11. BYU-TV can be seen via satellite on the Dish Network 500 system, on Direct-TV, and on some AT&T cable systems. Holly Rowe will call the action with analysis from Kathy Aiken.

BYU's Probable Starters

Pos. # Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

F 21 Jennifer Leitner 6-1 Jr 11.5 8.3

F 31 Lisa Osguthorpe 6-0 Sr 6.2 3.9

F 23 Chanell Rose 6-0 Jr 4.2 2.7

G 11 Erin Thorn 5-10 Jr 18.8 4.7

G 22 Stacy Jensen 5-6 Sr 10.4 3.0

Cougar Players Off The Bench

Pos. # Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

F/G 1 Melanie Pearson 6-1 Sr 10.0 2.5

F 51 Danielle Cheesman 6-2 Fr 7.4 2.9

F 45 Lisa Hansen 6-5 Jr 3.3 2.8

G 25 Kali Taylor 5-11 Fr 1.8 0.4

F 20 Brittany Larson 6-0 Jr 2.0 1.1

F 50 Heather Cheesman 6-1 So 2.7 1.2

G 05 Amy Lewis 5-6 Jr 0.7 0.6

Quickie BYU Stats

l Shooting from the field - .469 (361-770)

l Shooting from the free-throw line - .712 (156-219)

l Shooting from the three-point arc - .452 (119-263)

l Averaged 76.7 points per game

Last Game Recap

The Cougars five-game winning streak came to a halt after losing to Arkansas 57-85 on Jan. 2. In that game, Melanie Pearson had a season-high 15 points to lead the BYU team. Jennifer Leitner was the only other player to score in double figures with her 10 for the game. The week before, the Cougars had a record crowd of 1,137 fans watching the team defeat Southern Utah by 10, 78-68. Three players scored in double digits in that game with Erin Thorn's 19, Stacy Jensen's season-high 18 and Jennifer Leitner's 11.

BYU Notes

After 13 games played to date, All-American Erin Thorn continues to be the team's leading scorer with an average of 18.8 points a game. The team's leading rebounder is junior forward Jennifer Leitner who's averaging 8.3 boards a game. She's also averaging 11.5 points a game. Senior guard Stacy Jensen leads in the assist category with an average of 5.1 per game. Jensen is the other Cougar scoring in double digits, contributing 10.4 points a game.

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 - 21 @ USC 11/29/01

4 Rebounds - 43 @ SMU 12/8/01

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 - Jennifer Leitner, (8) @ USC 11/29/01

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

4 Assists - Stacy Jensen, (8) vs Washington State 11/24/01

4 Steals - Erin Thorn, (5) vs Washington State 11/24/01

Scouting Colorado State

Colorado State has an 11-3 record coming into Thursday night's game. The Rams are ranked 19th in this week's poll. This will be the first conference matchup of the season for CSU and BYU. Three Rams' players are scoring in double figures with Ashley Augspurger leading the pack with 14.1 points a game. Angie Gorton tallies 13.8 points and Elizabeth English is contributing 13.0 points a game. Shannon Strecker who has started in 11 of 14 games for CSU is the leading rebounder on the team with an average of 6.7 boards a game. The Rams are scoring 76.9 points a game to opponents 60.4 points. From the field CSU is shooting 45 percent and 74 percent from the free throw line.They shoot 35 percent from behind the arc.

Series Record: 36-17 for BYU. During last year's conference season, BYU won one and lost two to the Rams. Each team won on its home court. In the finals of the MWC Championships it was CSU vs BYU for the conference crown with the Rams defeating the Cougars 59-56 in Las Vegas for the title. The teams were playing for an automatic berth into the NCAA women's basketball tournament.

CSU Probable Starters

Pos. # Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

F 00 Ashley Augspurger 6-1 Jr 14.1 6.0

C 50 Shannon Strecker 6-2 Jr 8.4 6.7

G 11 Jasai Ferrucho 5-7 So 4.8 2.0

G 14 Angie Gorton 6-0 Sr 13.8 5.5

G 24 Jackie Campbell 5-10 Jr 9.6 2.9

Scouting Wyoming

Wyoming plays the Cougars on Saturday after playing Utah in Salt Lake City on Thursday. Coming into this week, the Cowgirls have a 7-5 record including a perfect 5-0 record at home. On the road they are 1-3. The Cowgirls open MWC play on a four-game winning streak. Four players contribute in double digit scoring for Wyoming led by Carrie Bacon with an average of 14.1 points and 5.8 rebounds a game. Darci Arsene is averaging 12.4 points and is the team's leading rebounder with an average of 7.7 boards a game. Right behind her is teammate Ann McColl who has an average of 12.3 points a game and is grabbing 5.8 rebounds. Carly Stucky rounds out the double figure scoring with her 11.6 points a game. The Cowgirls are scoring 72.7 points a game, allowing opponents 67.1 points. As a team, Wyoming is shooting 40 percent from the field and 73 percent from the free throw line. From behind the arc, the team is shooting 29 percent.

Series Record: 34-13 favoring the Cougars. During the 2000-01 season, BYU won both contests, 78-57 in Provo and 83-59 in Laramie.

Wyoming Probable Starters

Pos. # Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

F 21 Darci Arsene 6-1 Jr 12.4 7.7

F 41 Carrie Bacon 6-0 Jr-RS 14.1 5.8

C 51 Ann McColl 6-2 Jr 12.3 5.8

G 12 Carly Stucky 5-10 So-RS 11.6 3.8

G 25 Cherrith Wiersma 5-9 Jr-RS 3.7 2.3

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) We've had some real good practices since the holiday break. We will definitely have to come into this week playing our best game because this is going to be a very tough league. We need to win our conference games at home if we want to win the conference title. Everyone is healthy right now and that's good. We were disappointed with our last game but we're working through those problems.

(On CSU) They are probably the best three-point shooting team in our conference. They have a group of veteran players that are very good. I think we matchup well with them.

(On Wyoming) This team has two or three players back this season and they are a very aggressive team and are coming into the conference season playing very well. We will need to do a good on their inside game and we have to be able to handle their pressure.

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 via e-mail norma_collett@byu.edu

Up Next

After opening MWC play at home, the Cougar team is on the road for its next three MWC matchups. BYU is at New Mexico on Jan. 17 and at Air Force on Jan. 19. They travel to Salt Lake City to take on instate rival and conference foe Utah on Jan. 26. BYU's next home game is on Jan. 31 against SDSU.

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

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