MWC Race Begins At Air Force Academy

2006 MWC Regular Season Champions BYU gets set to defend title as MWC race begins this week. The Cougar women (9-4, 0-0) open league play at Air Force (4-7, 0-0) on Sat. Jan. 6 at 4 p.m.

Complete Broadcast Plans

On the internet - For the game at Air Force on Jan. 6 a tape delayed live audio stream of the game will be available on BYU Radio. Veteran broadcaster Jay Monsen will call the action. To listen log on to: http://www.byuradio.org

Live stats - fans can follow the game action via stats by clicking on:

http://www.byucougars.com/Schedule.jsp?SP=112&YR=2006

BYU Probable Starters

Pos. # Name Ht Yr PPG RPG

G/F 15 Jennie Keele 5-10 Sr 6.7 3.7

G 30 Mallary Gillespie 5-10 Jr 12.2 3.9

G/F 35 Melinda Johnsen 5-10 Sr 6.0 2.8

C 45 Dani Kubik Wright 6-3 Sr 12.8 6.5

F 52 Lauren Riley 6-3 Jr 5.8 5.2

Reserve Players

Pos. # Name Ht Yr PPG RPG

G/F 32 Shawnee Slade 5-11 So 8.2 5.8

C 54 Cassie King 6-3 So 4.9 3.2

F 05 Ashley Cheesman 6-0 Jr 1.2 1.8

F 22 Brittany Faddis 6-0 So 1.1 1.5

G 13 Jaime Judkins 5-6 Fr 0.4 1.0

G 31 Rachel Aina 5-9 So 0.3 0.1

Team Stats --

-- Shooting from the field: (.430, 308-716)

-- Shooting from the free-throw line: (.634, 128-202)

-- Shooting from three-point line: (.323, 71-220)

-- Average points per game: 62.7

2006 Run In Preseason WNIT

The Cougar team ended their run in this year's Preseason WNIT with a disappointing 58-84 loss to No. 16 Baylor on Thurs. Nov. 16. BYU had advanced to the Final Four after a 73-50 home victory over Idaho State on Nov. 10 and then a come from behind 55-52 upset victory over No. 4 Stanford. Dani Kubik Wright was named to the All-Tournament Team.

Cougars Team Summary

After compiling the best season record in school history (26-6), making their seventh postseason NCAA Championships appearance and clinching the 2006 MWC Regular Season Champion crown, the BYU team looks to take that success and winning attitude into the 2006-07 year.

BYU returns a nucleus of four starters and five letterwinners that will make this year's squad tough to beat during its non-conference and league schedules.

Once again the Cougars should finish at the top of the MWC standings, leading the way to an eighth appearance in the NCAA Championships and advancing further in that national tournament.

2006-07 Highlights

-- The Cougars non-conference road record finished at 4-4.

-- The 79 points scored against Weber State are the most scored by BYU this year and the (13) three-point goals, are a new team high.

-- Five times this season, the Cougars had two players scoring in double figures with the most recent (vs. Weber St.).

-- Three times so far this year, the Cougars had three players scorind in double figures (@ Baylor, vs. UCR, and @ Oregon).

-- BYU is 7-1 when outrebounding opponents. (Outrebounded Oregon 37-29 but loss the game by nine points).

-- The Cougars picked up season bests in 3-point field goal percentage .542 (13-24) in the Weber State game on 12/14/06.

-- To date, BYU has shot over 50 percent from the field in two games (vs. Weber State .542 on 12/14/06 and vs. UCR .521 on 12/20/06)

-- The Cougars have had four players score in double figures three times this year: (vs. SCU, @ Harvard, and @ UVSC).

-- Preseason WNIT All-Tournament Team - Dani Kubik Wright

-- Team's assist leader - Melinda Johnsen (244), as of 01/01/07

-- In the game @ Stanford - Dani Wright played a total of 35 minutes, the most minutes played in her college career.

-- In the game at home vs. Santa Clara University on 11/22/06, the .839 (26-31) free throw percentage was the best for the team so far this season.

-- The 55 total rebounds grabbed in the game vs. CSUN on 12/09/06 are a new season high for the team.

Injury Update -

Freshman point guard Haley Hall is out for the rest of the season. She tore her ACL in her left knee at the New Mexico State game on 12/06/06.

2005-06 Season Review

-- Best record in school history 26-6

-- Tallied an impressive 13-1 record on the road

-- MWC Regular Season Crown with a 13-3 record

-- The squad advanced to the MWC Championship game before losing to Utah, 60-84

-- Made seventh appearance in NCAA Championships, seeded sev- enth, the highest seed for the Cougar program. The team advanced to the Round of 32 with 67-62 victory over Iowa, then lost to Oklahoma 70-86

--Breaks into the national polls after going 15-1 to begin the season. Its first appearance came the week of Jan. 16 when both the AP Poll and the USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Coaches Poll ranked the team at the No. 23 spot. The team moved as high as No. 16 in the USAToday/ESPN/WBCA Coaches Poll, the highest of the year and the highest ever in the program's history. BYU finished the season ranked 20th in the USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Coaches Poll.

2005-06 MWC Honors/All-America Citations

Co-Player of the Year

Ambrosia Anderson

First Team All- Mountain West Conference

Ambrosia Anderson

Second Team All- Mountain West Conference

Dani Kubik

Honorable Mention All- Mountain West Conference

Mallary Gillespie

Melinda Johnsen

Jennie Keele

Coach of the Year

Jeff Judkins

Honorable Mention All- America Citations

Ambrosia Anderson - AP Women's All-America Basketball Team

Ambrosia Anderson - WBCA and Eastman Kodak Company

Head Coach - Jeff Judkins

Overall Record:112-56

2006-07: 9-4

2006 MWC Coach of the Year Jeff Judkins begins his sixth year as head coach of the women's basketball program. Prior to heading up the women's program, he served one year (1999-2000) as Director of Basketball Operations for the BYU men's team. In 2000 he became an assistant coach on the women's team.

Last season under Judkins, the Cougars compiled their best finish in school history with a 26-6 record, clinched their first MWC regular season title since 1992 and received a no. 7 seed in the NCAA tournament, the highest seed for any BYU program.

For the first time since the 2002-03 season, the team and its 13-1 record to start the year broke into the women's basketball collegiate polls, ranked No. 23 by the AP Poll and the USA Today/Espn/WBCA Coaches Poll. They would rank as high as 18 and 16 in the two respective polls, finishing the year at No. 20. Last season Judkins picked up his 100th win, a 69-67 victory over CSU on Mar. 2, the same time the team clinched the league's regular season title.

Under Judkins tutelage, the women's basketball program has had consistent success with four postseason appearances including three NCAA Championships, guiding the team to its first ever Sweet Sixteen finish in 2002. In 2005, the 19-11 team played in the first round of the WNIT.

Judkins has also coached two All-Americans in Erin Thorn and Ambrosia Anderson. Both have gone on to play in the WNBA for the New York Liberty. Thorn has been with the team for the past four years while Anderson just completed her first year playing professionally.

The longtime University of Utah coach and player came to Provo 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 the University of Utah from 1974-78.

While playing at Utah, Judkins helped lead the Utes to one conference championship and two berths in the NCAA tournament. He was a second-team academic All-American and three-time District VII academic selection. He also earned three first team All-WAC honors and was a member of the 1977 United States World Games team that captured the gold medal.

Judkins also played five years in the National Basketball Association for the Boston Celtics, Portland Trailblazers, Detroit Pistons and Utah Jazz. He was a second-round pick of the Celtics in 1978, the same year the Celtics selected Larry Bird with the sixth pick overall.

After his NBA career, he returned to Utah in 1989 and was an instrumental part of that program's success during his 10 years, recruiting such players as Keith Van Horn, Andre Miller, Mike Doleac, Hanno Mottola, Alex Jensen, Trent Whiting, Garner Meads, Jeff Johnsen and Britton Johnsen.

Judkins, graduated from the University of Utah in 1978 with a degree in health and physical education. He and his wife Mary Kaye are the parents of five children: Jessica (26), (married to Paul), Jordan (24), Jenna (22), Jaime, who plays on the basketball team, (19), and Jaxson (16). Jenna plays on the volleyball team at BYU.

Hobbies: Waterskiing, horseback riding, hunting, golf, softball, and watching ESPN.

BYU Picked Second In MWC Preseason Media Poll

School (First-place votes) Points

1. New Mexico (8) 137

2. BYU (7) 134

3. TCU (4) 126

4. Utah 102

5. Wyoming 96

6. UNLV 71

7. San Diego State 41

8. Air Force 39

9. Colorado State 36

Preseason All-MWC Team

Dionne Marsh, Jr., F, New Mexico

Hanna Zavecz, Jr., F, Wyoming

Dani Kubik Wright, Sr., C, BYU

Adrianne Ross, Jr., G, TCU

Katie Montgomery, Sr., G, New Mexico

Top Returning Player

Dionne Marsh, Jr., F, New Mexico

Top Newcomer

Justyna Podziemska, Jr., F, Wyoming

IN THE MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE THIS WEEK -

January 3 (Wednesday)

UNLV @ TCU

January 4 (Thursday)

CSU @ AF - 7 p.m.

SDSU @ Utah - 7 p.m.

UNM @ Wyoming - 7 p.m. (mtn.)

January 6 (Saturday)

BYU @ AF - 4 p.m.

CSU @ TCU - 2 p.m.

SDSU @ UNLV - 7 p.m.

January 7 (Sunday)

Utah @ New Mexico - 3 p.m. (CSTV)

Cougar MWC Season Honors for 2006-07

Player of the Week - Mallary Gillespie (Dec. 18, 2006)

Player of the Week - Shawnee Slade (Nov. 12, 2006)

Cougars in the MWC Stats (as of 01/02/07)

Team Stats All Games ` MWC Games

Scoring Offense . . . . 6th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . n/a

Scoring Defense . . . . 2nd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . n/a

Scoring Margin . . . . .4rd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . n/a

Free Throw % . . . . . .7th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . n/a

Field Goal % . . . . . .2nd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . n/a

Field Goal % Defense . .1st . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . n/a

3-PT Field Goal % . . . 4th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . n/a

3-PT Field Goal % Defense 4th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . n/a

Rebounding Offense . . .3rd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . n/a

Rebounding Defense . . .3rd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . n/a

Rebounding Margin . . . 2nd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . n/a

Blocked Shots . . . . . 4th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . n/a

Assists . . . . . . . . 2nd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . n/a

Steals . . . . . . . . .5th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . n/a

Turnover Margin . . . . 9th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . n/a

Assist/Turnover Ratio . 6th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . n/a

Offensive Rebounds . . .6th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . n/a

Defensive Rebounds . . .3rd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . n/a

3-PT Field Goals Made . 2nd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . n/a

Individual Stats All Games MWC Games

Scoring . . . . . . .11th D. Wright (12.8) . . . . . .n/a

. . . . . . .15th M. Gillespie (12.2). . . . . n/a

Rebounding . . . . . 7th D. Wright (6.5) . . . . . . . n/a

Field Goal % . . . . 1st D. Wright (.648) . . . . . . n/a

Assists . . . . . . .4th M. Johnsen (3.85) . . . . . . n/a

. . . . . . 13th M. Gillespie (2.77) . . . . . n/a

Free Throw % . . . .15th D. Wright (.659) . . . . . . . n/a

Steals . . . . . . .7th M. Johnsen (1.77) . . . . . . n/a

. . . . . . 11th S. Slade (1.46) . . . . . . . n/a

3-PT Field Goal % . 11th M. Gillespie (.354) . . . . . n/a

3-PT Field Goals Made 4tht M. Gillespie (2.15) . . . . n/a

Blocked Shots . . . 14tht L. Riley (0.69) . . . . . . n/a

. . .14tht D. Wright (0.69) . . . . . . .n/a

Assist/Turnover Ratio .1st M.Johnsen (1.72) . . . . . . n/a

Offensive Rebounds . 4th D. Wright (2.92) . . . . . . . n/a

. . . . . . .15th L. Riley (2.08) . . . . . . . n/a

Defensive Rebounds . 11tht S. Slade (4.00) . . . . . . n/a

ABOUT THIS WEEK'S MWC OPPONENT

AIR FORCE ACADEMY - Colorado Springs (01/06/07)

The Air Force Academy open up MWC at home with two games this week. They host CSU on Thurs., Jan. 4 and then BYU on Sat. Jan. 6. To date, the Falcons have compiled a 4-7 and are 2-2 at home. Air Force returns four starters and 13 letterwinners from last year's team. Head Coach Ardie McInelly is in her sixth season at the helm of the women's hoops program. Leading the way in scoring for the Falcons are two players who both score in double figures. Junior forward Alecia Steele is averaging 12.5 points and a team high 9.2 rebounds per game. Another junior, guard Pamela Findlay contributes to the scoring offense with 12.0 points and grabs 5.8 boards a game.

AIR FORCE ACADEMY Probable Starters

Pos. # Name Ht Yr PPG RPG

F 32 Alecia Steele 6-0 Jr 12.5 9.2

G 30 Pamela Findlay 5-11 Jr 12.0 5.8

C 44 Jacki Novak 6-2 Sr 6.5 4.4

G 04 Letricia Castillo 5-8 Sr 7.9 2.6

G 34 Brooke Cultra 5-11 So 5.3 3.7

Stat Comparisons BYU AF

Field Goals: .430 .388

Free Throws: .634 .706

Three-Pointers: .323 .328

Points Per Game: 62.7 60.2

Rebounds Per Game: 39.8 38.4

Series Record

BYU has a commanding 16-0 advantage in the series.

Last Meeting

During last year's MWC regular season, BYU won both contests, with very similar scores. In Provo on Jan. 5 the score was 64-43 and in Colorado Springs on Feb. 4, the final was 67-44.

Cougar Travel Plans - Colorado Springs. CO

Flights: Fri., Jan. 5 - Delta #4048, departs SLC at 5:03 p.m., arrives in Colorado Springs at 6.31 p.m.

Sun., Jan. 7 - Delta #3921, departs Colorado Springs at 8:31 a.m., arrives in SLC at 10:15 a.m.

Hotel: Hilton Garden Inn, 1810 Briargate Parkway, 719-598-6866, 719-598-8846, fax.

Media Information

Team Practice Times

q The team practices are held at the Marriott Center MWF from 11:30 a.m., to 1:30 p.m. On Tuesday's, practice is scheduled for 1 to 3 p.m., and on Thursday's it is 12:30 to 3 p.m.

q Coach Judkins and players are available for interviews prior to or after their practices. All interviews are scheduled in advance. Norma Collett is the Media Director for the team and can be contacted by phone or emaill. She travels to all of the away games. Office phone is 801-422-4908, cell phone is 801-372-0989 and email is norma_collett@byu.edu

Up Next

The defending 2006 MWC Regular Season Champ.Cougars continue MWC action with another road game, this time at New Mexico on Wed., Jan. 10 in a 7 p.m. tip off from Albuquerque. The Lobos were picked to finish first in this year's regular season battle followed by BYU. The team returns to host Wyoming at home on Jan. 13 in a 2 p.m. tip off.

BYU Women's Basketball 2006-07 Numerical Roster

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

RS Lauren Nichols F 6-0 Fr HS Irvine, CA/Hesperia HS

5 Ashley Cheesman* F 6-0 Jr 2V Orem, UT/Mountain View HS/SDSU

13 Jaime Judkins' G 5-6 Fr HS Salt Lake City, UT/SkylineH

15Jennie Keele G/F 5-10 Sr 3V Syracuse, UT/Clearfield HS

22 Brittany Faddis F 6-0 So RS Houston, TX/ Kingwood HS

30 Mallary Gillespie G 5-10 Jr 2V Orem, UT/Mountain View HS

31 Rachel Aina G 5-9 So 1V Forest Grove, OR/Forest Grove HS

32 Shawnee Slade G/F 5-11 So 1V Taylorsville, UT/Taylorsville HS

33 Haley Hall G 5-4 Fr HS Syracuse, UT/Clearfield HS

35 Melinda Johnsen G/F 5-10 Sr 3V Murray, UT/Murray HS

45 Dani Kubik Wright C 6-3 Sr 3V Lawrenceville,GA/Collins Hill HS/Auburn

52 Lauren Riley C 6-3 Jr 2V San Clemente,CA/San Clemente HS

54 Cassie King C 6-3 So 1V Provo, UT/Provo HS

Amy Alletto' G 5-9 Fr HS Parker, CO/Ponderosa HS

Erica Eyestone' G 5-6 Fr HS Orem, UT/Mountain View HS

RS Sarah Red' G/F 5-11 So 1V Provo, UT/Timpview HS/Utah

Jaime Ribera' G 5-7 Fr HS Danville, CA/San Ramon Valley HS

Kaitlyn Rice' F 6-0 Fr HS Albuquerque, NM/La Cueva HS

RS Aubrey Stay' G 5-5 Jr 2V Orem,UT/Orem HS/Salt Lake Com.Col.

RS Kalister Wynn' F/C 6-0 Fr HS Decatur, AL/Gorton HS

Head Coach: Jeff Judkins

Assistant Coaches: Alli Bills, Jonas Chatterton, Stacy Jensen

Director of Basketball Operations: Erin Thorn

Athletic Trainer: Carolyn Billings

* Transferred from SDSU, sat out last season

' 2006-2007 walk-on