MWC Schedule Brings In-state Rival Utah to the Marriott Center

With an 11-6 and 2-2 record, BYU's women's basketball team gets set to host instate rival and league foe University of Utah (14-5, 3-1) Sat., Jan., 29 at 3 p.m.

Teams: BYU (11-6, 2-2) vs. Utah (14-5, 3-1) Date: 01/29/05 Time: 3 p.m. Arena: Marriott Center

Cougars vs. Utes Game To Air Live on BYU-TV

Saturday afternoon's women's basketball game between BYU and Utah will be seen live on BYU-TV. It will also air on tape delay at 10 p.m., locally on KBYU-TV Channel 11 the same night. Chris McGown and Holly Rowe will provide play by play and commentary.

Follow the women's basketball action live on BYU Radio

All of the women's basketball games can be heard live on BYU radio via the internet at www.byuradio.org Veteran BYU broadcaster Jay Monsen calls the action. Fans can also access BYU Radio on the Dish Network.

BYU's Probable Starters

Pos. # Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

G 13 Tiari Goold 5-7 So 0.9 1.0

G 14 Julie Sullivan 5-8 Sr 10.8 3.3

F 32 Kristin Kozlowski 6-2 Sr 10.4 5.1

F 35 Melinda Johnsen 5-10 So 3.5 2.0

F 51 Danielle Cheesman 6-2 Sr 8.8 9.2

Cougar Players Off The Bench

Pos. # Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

F 33 Ambrosia Anderson 6-2 Jr 11.4 5.1

G 30 Mallary Gillespie 5-10Fr 8.1 2.3

C 45 Dani Kubik 6-3 So 7.6 4.4

G/F 01 Nancy Seljaas 6-0 Jr 4.1 2.0

F 50 Mary Martha Abell 6-3 Fr 2.3 1.8

C 52 Lauren Riley 6-3 Fr 2.1 1.9

G 10 Laura Stratton 5-6 Jr 0.3 0.4

2004-05 Team Stats --

-- Shooting from the field: (.433, 421-973)

-- Shooting from the free-throw line: (.719, 218-303)

-- Shooting from three-point line: (.324, 84-259)

-- Average points per game: 67.3

Lineup Update

Starters: Record:

Seljaas, Sullivan, Kozlowski, Johnsen, Cheesman: 6-4

Sullivan, Anderson, Kozlowski, Johnsen, Cheesman: 2-1

Sullivan, Gillespie, Anderson, Kozlowski, Cheesman: 1-0

Goold, Sullivan, Kozlowski, Johnsen, Cheesman: 2-1

Previous Game Recap

Led by senior point guard Julie Sullivan's 17 points, the BYU women's basketball team defeated Air Force, 75-66 last Saturday.

The Cougars and Falcons kept the game close in the first half, each taking turns holding the lead numerous times. With 10 minutes before the half, the Cougars were held scoreless for five minutes as the Falcons pulled ahead by four points. BYU responded with a 7-0 run to take a lead that they would keep for the rest of the half.

Sullivan was dominant on the court with eight points and five rebounds in the first half, and drained a 3-pointer with 12 seconds left to put the Cougars up 33-28.

Both teams came out on fire in the second half drilling six of the first seven shots from three-point range. Junior forward Ambrosia Anderson and sophomore center Dani Kubik made two of the six three-point shots to protect the Cougar lead.

The Cougars finished the game shooting 45 percent from the field and grabbed 42 rebounds, compared to the Falcons 38 percent from the field and 30 rebounds.

Senior forward Danielle Cheesman had 13 points and 11 rebounds, recording her 11th career double-double and fourth this season.

Anderson's 11 points gave her the eighth game this season to score in double figures. This was also the 11th game in double figures for Sullivan.

About the Cougars

--The Cougars current record: 11-6, 2-2

--The team's leading scorer is junior forward Ambrosia Anderson, who tallies 11.4points.

--Senior forward Danielle Cheesman tops the list in the rebound category with 9.2 per game.

--Cheesman notched her fourth double double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds at the Air Force game on 01/22/05. It was her 11th overall.

--Cheesman joined BYU's elite 1,000 point club when she hit a three-point bucket just minutes into the Weber State game on 12/30/04. She becomes the 14th student-athlete who has reached that similar milestone during their BYU college career.

--Senior point guard Julie Sullivan is one of the team's best free throw shooter, with a percentage of .790, (49-62).

--Anderson picked up her first double double of the 2004-05 campaign with the 20 points and 12 rebounds against SEMO on 12/10/04.

--To date, Kristin Kozlowski has scored in double figures in nine games.

--Freshman Mallary Gillespie put in seven three pointers in the game vs. Nevada on 11/24/04, that's two shy of BYU's all-time record holder in three pointers, Erin Thorn. Thorn tallied nine treys vs. Arkansas Pine-Bluff at a tournament in Denver on 12/14/01.

--Gillespie got her first start in a college game vs. Portland State on 01/08/05. She filled in for Melinda Johnsen who had the flu.

BYU By The Numbers

5 times that the Cougars have shot 50 percent or better from the field: vs. Colorado State on 01/15/05 (50.8, 31-61); vs. Portland State on 01/08/05 (51.7, 31-60); vs. USC on 12/18/04 (55.3, 26-47); vs. GW on 12/06/04 (50.0, 27-54); and vs. SUU on 11/19/04 (52.6, 30-57).

6 times that BYU has had at least three players scoring in double figures.

7 times that Ambrosia Anderson has scored in double figures.

8 season-high blocks by BYU in the game vs. Wyoming on 01/13/05

11 games where Julie Sullivan has scored in double figures.

Player Injury Report

--Nancy Seljaas suffered an injury to her foot at the UNM game on 1/20/05. Her status is undetermined, and is doubtful for Saturday's game.

--Kali Taylor broke a finger in her left hand this week and will be out four to six weeks.

--Junior forward Jennie Keele will get a medical redshirt for the rest of this season due to foot injury.

Cougars Picked Fifth in Preseason Media Poll

For the 2004-05 season, BYU's women's basketball team was picked to finish 5th in the regular MWC season.

Rk. Teams (1st votes) Points

1. UNLV (5) 134

2. New Mexico (8) 131

Utah (7) 131

4. Colorado State 92

5. BYU 88

6. Wyoming 65

7. San Diego State 43

8. Air Force 28

Abell Gets MWC Newcomer of the Year Nomination in Preseason Media Poll

Mary Martha Abell, a 6-3 freshman forward from Monroe, Louisiana and Monroe High School was picked as the top newcomer in the media's preseason poll announced in Denver in October 2004.

Tracking the Cougars vs. MWC as of Jan.24

Category Conference Games All Games

Scoring Offense 2nd, 65.8 3rd, 67.3

Scoring Defense 6th, 64.5 5th, 60.5

Scoring Margin 4th, +1.2 6th, +6.8

Field Goal Pct. 2nd, .404 1st, .433

Free Throw Pct. 7th, .705 3rd, .719

3-Point Field Goal Pct. 4th, .327 4th, .324

Rebounding Offense 2nd, 41.8 2nd, 40.5

Rebounding Defense 4th, 35.2 3rd, 33.0

Blocked Shots 4th, 3.50 6th, 2.65

Assists 5th, 13.50 2nd, 16.00

Steals 4th, 7.00 5th, 8.00

Assist/Turnover Ratio 4th, .79 4th, .84

3-Point Field Goals Made 5th, 4.50 4th, 4.94

Offensive Rebounds 1st 16.75 4th, 13.12

Defensive Rebounds 3rd, 25.00 1st, 27.35

Tracking BYU Players in the MWC as of Jan. 24

Name Category Conf. Games All Games

Sullivan, J. Scoring 7th, 14.8 13th, 10.8

Cheesman, D. Scoring 19tht, 10.0 21st, 8.8

Anderson, A. Scoring 17tht, 10.5 12th, 11.4

Kozlowski, K. Scoring 22ndt, 8.0 15th, 10.4

Kubik, D. Scoring 30tht, 6.5 ----

Gillespie, M. Scoring 30tht, 6.5 23rd, 8.1

Kozlowski, K. FG Pct. ---- 2nd, .555

Anderson, A. FG Pct. 8th, .459 10th, .443

Sullivan, J. FG Pct. 10th, .435 14th, .406

Chessman, D. FG Pct. 12th, .421 8th, .450

Cheesman, D. Rebounding 4th, 9.0 3rd, 9.1

Kozlowski, K. Rebounding 6tht, 8.0 15th, 5.1

Kubik, D. Rebounding 15tht, 5.5 ----

Sullivan, J. Assists 4th, 3.75 5th, 4.00

Sullivan, J. FT Pct. 14tht, .727 5th, .790

Kozlowski, K. FT Pct. ---- 8th, .768

Anderson, A. FT Pct. ---- 9th, .756

Anderson, A. 3-PT FG Pct. 3rd, .462 5th, .380

Gillespie, M. 3-PT FG Pct. ---- 8th, .357

Cheesman, D. Blocked Shots 3rdt, 1.00 15tht, .053

Kubik, D. Blocked Shots 9tht, 0.75 ----

Johnsen, M. Blocked Shots 9tht, 0.75 ----

Anderson, A. Steals 3rdt, 2.00 ----

Sullivan, J. Steals ---- 14th, 1.47

Anderson, A. 3-PT FG Made 8tht, 1.50 12tht, 1.12

Gillespie, M. 3-PT FG Made 12tht, 1.00 3rd, 1.76

Cheesman, D. Offensive Reb. 1st, 4.75 3rd, 3.24

Kozlowski, K. Offensive Reb. 4th, 3.50 8th, 2.41

Kubik, D. Offensive Reb. 13tht, 2.00 ----

Cheesman, D. Defensive Reb. 9th, 4.50 2nd, 5.94

Anderson, A. Defensive Reb. ---- 12th, 4.06

About University of Utah

After two weeks of MWC play, the University of Utah is tied for second place with Wyoming. Both have 3-1 records. Utah's overall record stands at 14-5. Two players are scoring in double figures for the Utes with Kim Smith leading the way as she tallies 16.7 points and a game high 9.4 rebounds a game. Shona Thorburn contributes to the offense with an average of 14.2 points and grabs 6.9 boards a game. To date, Utah is shooting 42 percent from the field, 72 percent form the free throw line and can shoot 36 percent from behind the arc. After 19 games, the Utes are scoring 66.5 points and allow opponents to soot 53.5 points a game.

University of Utah Probable Starters

Pos. # Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

G 10 Shona Thorburn 5-10 Jr 14.2 6.9

G 32 Lana Sitterud 5-10 Sr 9.6 3.0

F 04 Kim Smith 6-1 Jr 16.7 9.4

F 45 Jessica Perry 6-3 Fr 5.4 3.6

C 23 Deanne Hanchett 6-3 Fr 8.6 4.4

Series Record: 30-50 in favor of the University of Utah

Last Meeting: During last year's league schedule, the Utes picked up wins in both games, winning by four in Provo, 66-62 on 1/31/04 and by 11 in Salt Lake City, 73-62 on 2/28/04. When playing in the Marriott Center, the University of Utah has a 17-15 advantage.

Head Coach - Jeff Judkins

Overall Record: 69-41, begins his fourth season at BYU.

Under Coach Judkins, the team has gone to back-to-back NCAA appearances as well as to the title games of the MWC Championships, winning the title game in 2001-02.

An all-state selection in basketball, football and baseball, Judkins played basketball for the University of Utah 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 (24), Jordan (22), Jenna (20), Jaime (17), Jaxson (14).

Judkins Record vs. MWC Schools

School Record In 2005

Air Force 6-0 1-0

CSU 1-5 1-0

New Mexico 2-6 0-1

San Diego State 6-0 ----

UNLV 5-4 ----

Utah 3-4 ----

Wyoming 5-2 0-1

2004-05 Cougar Roster Breakdown

Seniors (4):

Danielle Cheesman, Kristen Kozlowski, Julie Sullivan, Kali Taylor

Juniors (5):

Ambrosia Anderson, Julie Cross, Jennie Keele (Overdiek), Nancy Seljaas, Laura Stratton

Sophomore (3):

Dani Kubik, Tiari Goold,Melinda Johnsen

Freshman (4):

Mary Martha Abell, Mallary Gillespie, Lauren Riley, Summer Sykes

By Position

Forward (6):

Mary Martha Abell, Ambrosia Anderson, Danielle Cheesman, Kristen Kozlowski,

Summer Sykes

Guard (6):

Julie Cross, Mallary Gillespie, Tiari Goold, Laura Stratton, Julie Sullivan, Kali Taylor

Guard/Forward (3):

Melinda Johnsen, Jennie Keele, Nancy Seljaas

Center /Forward(2):

Dani Kubik, Lauren Riley

Team's Practice Schedule/Media Interviews

The BYU team practices at the Marriott Center from 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m., on Monday's, Wednesday's, Thursday's, and Friday's. On Tuesday's , practice time is from 1 to 3 p.m.

Media interviews with coach Judkins and players can be done prior to or at the end of practice. All interviews must be scheduled in advance with the women's basketball athletic communications director, Norma Collett at 801-422-4908, 801-372-0989 during regular business hours or via email at: collett@byucougars..com

No interviews will be given the day of a game until after the game. Updated information on the women's basketball team is available 24 hours a day on the BYU web site at www.byucougars.com/basketball_w/

Stats on the team are updated on the web site every Monday morning. Media members may contact Norma Collett to receive news releases and game notes via email.

All working media personnel will be put on a media gate list for entry into the arena. The list will be available by the elevators near the main ticket office in the Marriott Center. No other credentials are needed. Media will be assigned a seat on press row to cover each home game.

What's Next

Next week the Cougars remain at home hosting two more MWC teams. BYU hosts San Diego State on Thurs., Feb. 3 at 7 p.m., and UNLV on Sat., Feb. 5 in a 3 p.m. tip off. The Cougars and Rebels game will air live on BYU-TV.