MWC Action Continues at Home

The first half of the MWC schedule is on tap this week for BYU's women's basketball team. The Cougars (12-6, 3-2) host New Mexico on Feb. 6 and Air Force on Feb. 8.

Tip off: BYU (12-6, 3-2) vs Univ. of New Mexico (13-5, 3-2, ) 7 p.m., MST Arena: Marriott Ctr.

Tip off: BYU (12-6, 3-2) vs Air Force (7-11, 1-4 ) 1 p.m., MST Arena: Marriott Center

live webcast

All of BYU's women's basketball games can be heard live via the internet at byu radio. org BYU radio can also be heard on the Dish Network and on Direct TV. Veteran BYU broadcaster Jay Monsen is the play-by-play announcer for all games.

BYU's Probable Starters

Pos. # Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

F 45 Lisa Hansen 6-5 Sr 4.3 3.0

F 24 Kali Taylor 5-11 So 4.3 2.1

C 51 Danielle Cheesman 6-2 So 11.1 5.6

G 11 Erin Thorn 5-10 Sr 18.5 4.5

G 04 Kestlee Nelson 5-8 Jr 3.3 1.6

Cougar Players Off The Bench

Pos. # Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

G 15 Jen Overdiek 5-10 Fr 3.3 2.3

F 33 Ambrosia Anderson 6-2 Fr 3.0 2.1

F 40 Ashleigh Chamberlain 6-4 Jr 2.6 1.5

G/F 01 Nancy Seljaas 6-0 Fr 1.4 0.5

F 20 Brittany Larson 6-0 Sr 0.8 1.6

Player Updates/injuries

Senior forward Jennifer Leitner has been dismissed from the team indefinitely for breaking team rules. Sophomore guard Julie Sullivan injured her knee (torn ACL) during practice on Jan. 13. She is out for the rest of the season.

Cougar Review

Nearing the end of the first half of MWC play, the Cougars are 3-2 after losing the last two league games, 69-73 to UNLV on 1/25/03 and 50-67 on 2/1/03 against Utah. To date the Cougars, who are the defending MWC tournament champions have compiled a 12-6, 3-2 record. At home the Cougars have a 7-1 record.

BYU returns three starters from last season's 24-9, 10-4 team who made history by winning their first-ever NCAA Tournament game, going on to the "Sweet Sixteen" in the Midwest Regional.

All-American and MWC MVP Erin Thorn leads the Cougar offense with an average of 18.5 points and 4.5 rebounds a game. Sophomore forward Danielle Cheesman follows in scoring and is averaging 11.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.

This season's roster has seen the return of MWC's 1999-2000 Newcomer of the Year Julie Whetten Sullivan who redshirted last year. She reclaimed her starting point-guard spot contributing 6.7 points and 3.1 rebounds, but as of Jan. 13 will not continue to play suffering a torn ACL. UVSC junior transfer Kestlee Nelson has not replaced Sullivan at the point guard spot. Nelson contributes 3.3 points and 1.6 rebounds a game.

Sophomore Kali Taylor has started in eight games to date and she's contributing with 4.3 and 2.1 rebounds per game.

UCSB transfer and senior Lisa Hansen who came off the bench in every game last year, has gotten the starting nod once again after the dismissal to Leitner. Hansen is tallying 4.3points and 3.0 boards a game. Kanab, Utah native Ashleigh Chamberlain comes off the bench at the forward and center spots. She's averaging just over nine minutes of playing time and is contributing 3.0 points and 2.1 rebounds per game. She tallied her first start vs Wyoming on 1/18/03. Senior forward Brittany Larson has played in all games and contributes 0.8 points and 1.6 rebounds.

Utah high school standouts Jen Overdiek, Nancy Seljaas and Ambrosia Anderson from Colorado Springs, Colorado are also contributing to this year's Cougar effort. Overdiek had a career high 15 points vs UNLV on 1/25/03 and a career high seven rebounds against Utah on 2/1/03.

2002-03 Cougar Stats

u Shooting from the field: (.434, 431-994)

u Shooting from the free-throw line: (.723, 217-300)

u Shooting from three-point line: (.376, 118-314)

u Average points per game: 66.5

A look at this week's opponents

University of New Mexico

The Lobos will be visiting the Marriott Center with a 13-5, 3-2 record. UNM's league losses were to CSU and Wyoming on the road. Senior center Jordan Adams tops the leader board in scoring for the Lobos with an average of 15.6 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. Chelsea Grear follows in scoring with12.2 points and she's the category leader in rebounds with a team high 6.4 boards a game. Sophomore guard Mandi Moore follows with 9.2 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. New Mexico is shooting 43 percent from the field and 72 percent from the free throw line. The team shoots 36 percent from behind the arc and they're averaging 70.9 points per game while holding opponents to 58.0 points.

University of New Mexico Probable Starters

Pos. # Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

F 30 Chelsea Greer 5-10 Sr 12.2 6.4

F 42 Lindsey Arndt 6-1 So 6.1 4.0

C 40 Jordan Adams 6-3 Sr 15.6 6.2

G 21 Mandi Moore 5-7 So 9.2 5.1

G 31 Cristal Garcia 5-5 Sr 7.3 2.4

Last meeting

During last year's MWC race, the Lobos defeated the Cougars in the regular season, but BYU was able to pick up a win at the MWC Tournament.

Series record

Record: 33-14 for BYU. At the Marriott Center, UNM is 19-3.

Air Force Academy

The Air Force Falcons have compiled a 7-11, 1-4 record with their lone conference win over UNLV, 73-72 in Colorado Springs. Two Falcons are scoring in double figures for their team. They are LaToya Howell who's averaging 17.4 points and Shawna Neff with 11.9 points per game. Howell is also the team's leading rebounder. She's averaging 4.7 boards per game. Air Force is shooting 41 percent from the field and 71 percent from the free throw line. They shoot 33 percent from three point range.

Air Force Academy Probable Starters

Pos. # Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

F 33 Briana Thomas 5-10 Fr 6.3 4.5

F 40 Shawna Neff 5-10 Jr 11.9 3.6

C 40 Wendy Stillman 6-1 Sr 4.6 4.0

G 21 Gwen Grove 5-7 So 5.4 2.9

G 31 Jennifer Roesch 6-0 So 5.7 2.6

Last meeting

BYU was able to pick up both wins during last year's MWC season.

Series record

Record: 8-0 for BYU.

Last Game Recap

BYU suffered its second consecutive MWC loss, this time it was at home against instate rival Utah. The Cougars fell to the Utes 50-67. Sophomore forward Danielle Cheesman led the BYU effort with 17 points and five rebounds. All-American Erin Thorn tallied 15 points, seven assists, and three rebounds. Freshman Jen Overdiek grabbed a season-high seven boards in the game

Thorn watch

Erin Thorn - 5-10 Senior Guard, Orem, Utah/Mountain View HS

u Senior Erin Thorn was picked as a 2002-03 Pre-Season College All-America Second Team honoree.

u Thorn was also named to the "Players to Watch" list for the 2003 Senior CLASS Award.

u Stats to date include scoring in double figures in all games, tallying a season high 34 points (just two shy of her career high 36 points) against Montana State on Dec. 30. She continues to be the team's leading scorer with an average of 18.5 points, is third on the list in rebounds with 5.1 boards a game and has tallied a team high 92 assists to date, that's an average of 5.1 per game. Thorn had 21 straight free throws before missing one against the University of Denver on 1/4/03.

Media Picks Cougars MWC Champs

During this year's MWC Basketball Media Day, the media picked BYU to win this year's regular season title capturing eight of the 15 first-place votes.

Senior guard and All-American Erin Thorn earned Top Returning Player honors.

She was joined on the squad by five additional seniors, including teammate Jennifer Leitner. Colorado State's Ashley Augspurger, New Mexico's Jordan Adams, UNLV's Constance Jinks and Wyoming's Carrie Bacon.

2002-03 Mountain West Conference Preseason Media Poll

Rk. Team (1st-place votes) Pts

1. BYU (8) 110

2. Colorado State (7) 103

3. New Mexico (1) 91

4. Utah 70

5. UNLV 69

6. Wyoming 49

7. San Diego State 31

8. Air Force 17

2002-03 MWC Women's Basketball Preseason All-Conference Team

Jennifer Leitner, Sr., F BYU

Erin Thorn, Sr., G BYU

Ashley Augspurger, Sr., F Colorado State

Jordan Adams, Sr., C New Mexico

Constance Jinks, Sr., G UNLV

Carrie Bacon, Sr., F Wyoming

2002-03 MWC Women's Basketball Preseason Top Returning Player

Erin Thorn, Sr., G BYU

COUGARS IN THE MWC ( as of feb. 3, 2003, conf games only)

TEAM (All Games)

Category Place Avg/G

pScoring Offense 3rd 63.6

pScoring Defense 4th 60.2

pScoring Margin 3rd 63.6 off/60.2 deff, +3.4

pFree Throw % 4th 47-69, .681

pField Goal % 1st 116-253, .458

p3-Pt FG % 1st 39-86, .453

pRebounding Offense 6th 32.4

pRebounding Defense 1st 30.4

pBlocked Shots 2nd 4.20

pAssists 1st 17.40

pSteals 7th 7.20

p3-PT FG Made 1st 7.80

INDIVIDUAL

Category Place Avg/G

pScoring: Erin Thorn 1st 18.6

pRebounding: D. Cheesman 11th 5.4

pAssists: Erin Thorn 2nd 6.20

pAssists: Kestlee Nelson 7th 3.40

pField Goal %: Erin Thorn 4th .500 (31-62)

pFree Throw%: Erin Thorn 4thT .882 (15-17)

pSteals: Erin Thorn 8th 2.00

p3-PT FG%: Erin Thorn 3rdT .500 (16-32)

p3-PT FG%: Kestlee Nelson 7th .462 (6-13)

p3-PT FG%: Kali Taylor 8th .455 (5-11)

p3-PT FG Made: Erin Thorn 1st 3.20 (16)

p3-PT FG Made: Kestlee Nelson 11th 1.20 (6)

pBlocked Shots: Lisa Hansen 6th 1.00 (5)

pOffensive Rebounds: J. Overdiek 9thT 1.80 (9)

pDefensive Reb: D. Cheesman 6th 4.00 (20)

The Judkins file

Jeff Judkins, begins his second season at the helm of the Cougar women's program. Judkins, a longtime University of Utah coach and player has 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 (21), Jordan (20), Jenna (17), Jaime (14), Jaxson.

cougars practice schedule

The women practice daily at the Marriott Center on the BYU campus. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Friday's the team practices from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the Cougars practice from 1 to 3:30 p.m. BYU head coach Jeff Judkins and his staff are available for media interviews prior to or immediately after the daily practices. Cougar players will be available for interviews prior to or immediately after practice. All media interviews must be scheduled in advance through the women's basketball contact, Norma Collett. She can be contacted by phone at 801-422-4908 or via e-mail at norma_collett@byu.edu No media interviews will be granted 24 hours prior to any scheduled game.

Up Next for byu

The team will again take to the road in MWC action, traveling to Wyoming on Feb. 13 and at CSU on Feb. 15.

2002-03 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL - NUMERICAL ROSTER

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

01 Nancy Seljaas G/F 6-0 Fr. HS Bountiful, UT/Bountiful HS

03 Maria Chiara G 5-8 Jr 2V Hamilton, New Zealand Casper JC

04 Kestlee Nelson G 5-8 Jr 2V Sandy, UT/Alta HS/UVSC

05 Amy Lewis G 5-6 Sr 3V Jefferson City, MT/No. Idaho College

10 Marianne Miller* G 5-6 Jr HS Middleton, ID/Middleton HS

11 Erin Thorn G 5-10 Sr 3V Orem, UT/Mountain View HS

12 Angie Gatten G 5-6 Jr 2V Jefferson City, MT/No.Idaho College

13 Laura Stratton* G 5-6 So HS Missoula, MT/Sentinel HS/BYU Idaho

14 Julie Sullivan G 5-8 So 1V Silver City, NM/Silver City HS

15 Jen Overdiek G 5-10 Fr HS Syracuse, UT/Clearfield HS

20 Brittany Larson F 6-0 Sr 3V Chicago, IL/New Trier HS

21 Jennifer Leitner F 6-1 Sr 3V Chico, CA/Pleasant Valley HS

25 Kali Taylor G 5-11 So 1V Lyman, UT/Wayne HS

30 Melissa Brown * G 5-8 So HS University Place, WA/Curtis HS

32 Kristen Kozlowski F 6-2 So 1V Centerville, UT/Boise State

33 Ambrosia Anderson F 6-2 Fr HS Colorado Springs, CO/Doherty HS

40 Ashleigh Chamberlain C 6-4 Jr 2V Kanab, UT/UVSC

42 Angie Wallace# F 6-0 Fr HS Cleburne, TX/Cleburne HS

45 Lisa Hansen C 6-5 Sr 3V Bakersfield, CA /Centennial/UCSB

51 Danielle Cheesman F 6-2 So 1V Orem, UT/Mountain View HS

* 2002-03 WalkOn/# 2002-03 Redshirt

HEAD COACH: Jeff Judkins (2nd Year)

ASSISTANT COACHES: Alli Bills, Jonas Chatterton

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT: Stacy Jensen

ATHLETIC TRAINER: Carolyn Billings

NICKNAME: Cougars

COLORS: Blue, White and Tan