Team Travels to San Diego, Salt Lake City This Week

Defending MWC Regular Season Champions BYU takes its five-game winning streak on the road traveling to California to play at SDSU (9-7, 2-3) on Thurs., Jan. 25 at 7 p.m. PT. The team then heads to Salt Lake City for a battle with instate rival Utah (13-6, 6-0) on Sat. Jan. 27 in a 1 p.m. tip from the Huntsman Center.

Complete Broadcast Plans

On TV - The Cougars and Utes game on Sat., Jan. 27 will air live on the mtn.tv

On the internet - Both road games this week will have live audio streaming on BYU Radio. Veteran broadcaster Jay Monsen will call the action. To listen log on to: http://www.byuradio.org/streaming

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 15Jennie Keele 5-10 Sr 6.9 3.6

G 30 Mallary Gillespie 5-10 Jr 12.3 3.3

G/F 35 Melinda Johnsen 5-10 Sr 5.6 2.9

C 45 Dani Kubik Wright 6-3 Sr 12.4 6.3

F 52 Lauren Riley 6-3 Jr 6.6 6.1

Reserve Players

Pos. # Name Ht Yr PPG RPG

G/F 32 Shawnee Slade 5-11 So 8.8 5.1

C 54 Cassie King 6-3 So 4.3 3.0

F 05 Ashley Cheesman 6-0 Jr 1.8 1.8

F 22 Brittany Faddis 6-0 So 1.1 1.3

G 13 Jaime Judkins 5-6 Fr 0.4 0.8

G 31 Rachel Aina 5-9 So 0.3 0.1

Team Stats --

-- Shooting from the field: (.434, 427-985)

-- Shooting from the free-throw line: (.599, 167-279)

-- Shooting from three-point line: (.325, 104-320)

-- Average points per game: 62.5

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

TEAM

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

-- With the 64-59 win vs. UNLV on 01/20/07, the team improved to 11-0 when leading at the half. The halftime score was 25-21.

-- BYU is 10-1 when outrebounding opponents. (Outrebounded Oregon 37-29 but loss the game by nine points).

-- The 11 turnovers BYU had vs. UNLV on 01/20/07 were the lowest of the year. They had 13 vs. CSU on 01/18/07.

-- The Cougars have had three players scoring in double figures in six games, most recently (vs. CSU, vs. WY, @ AF, @ Oregon, vs. UCR, @ Baylor). BYU has won all but two (Baylor, Oregon) of those games.

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

-- 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.

-- 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).

-- 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.

PLAYER

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

-- Melinda Johnsen - team's assist leader: (275), as of 01/22/07

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

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 seventh, 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:117-56

2006-07: 14-4, 5-0

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 24 (Wednesday)

New Mexico @ TCU - 6:30 p.m. (mtn.)

January 25 (Thursday)

BYU @ San Diego State - 7 p.m.

UNLV @ Air Force- 7 p.m.

Wyoming @ CSU - 7 p.m.

January 27 (Saturday)

BYU @ Utah - 1 p.m. (mtn.)

UNLV @ New Mexico - 7 p.m.

TCU @ WY - 2 p.m.

January 28 (Sunday)

San Diego State @ TCU, 2 p.m.

Cougar MWC Season Honors to date for 2006-07

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

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

ABOUT THIS WEEK'S MWC OPPONENTS

SAN DIEGO STATE - San Diego, CA (01/25/07)

In this week's MWC standings SDSU is tied for fourth place with New Mexico, and UNLV with identical 2-3 conference records. The Aztecs have an 9-7 overall record. They've captured league wins over Air Force (60-51) and Colorado State (75-66). For SDSU, Jennifer Layton, a 6-1 junior forward tops the list in scoring with an 10.6 average and a 6.2 rebound average. She's tied with senior center Desiree Johnson in that category. In other stats, Quenese Davis leads in assists with a total of 93 while Shanna Demus ranks first in steals with 39 on the year. This is the second time that head coach Beth Burns has been the team's head coach. She coached the Aztecs from 1989 to 1997 returning in 2005.

SAN DIEGO STATE Probable Starters

Pos. # Name Ht Yr PPG RPG

F 22 Shanna Demus 5-8 Jr 8.9 4.3

F 24 Jennifer Layton 6-1 Jr 10.6 6.2

C 32 Desiree Johnson 6-2 Sr 7.3 6.2

G 01 Tamika Lipford 5-3 So 1.9 1.4

G 03 Quenese Davis 5-9 Fr 9.6 4.9

Stat Comparisons BYU SD (conf. game stats)

Field Goals: .442 .382

Free Throws: .506 .679

Three-Pointers: .330 .339

Points Per Game: 62.0 56.8

Rebounds Per Game: 35.6 33.4

Series Record

These two conference foes have played against each other since 1977 and have compiled a 22-9 record that favors the Cougars. When playing in San Diego BYU has an 9-7 advantage.

Last Meeting

During last year's MWC season, the Cougars posted both wins, a 64-39 win in Provo and a 67-49 win in San Diego. BYU last lost in San Diego back in the 2000-01 season, dropping a two-point 63-61 game.

Head coach Jeff Judkins has not lost to San Diego during his five seasons at the helm of the BYU program.

UTAH - Salt Lake City, UT (01/27/07)

The University of Utah is at the top of this week's MWC standings with a perfect 6-0 record. Overall, they are 13-6. The lone game for the Utes this week is against the Cougars on Saturday afternoon. Sophomore Morgan Warburton is the lone Utah player scoring in double figures with an average of 15.1 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. Another sophomore on the squad Joh-Teena Filipe tops the list in the rebound category grabbing a team high 6.7 boards a game. She also leads the team in blocks with a total of 21 on the year. Warburton also leads the way in assists with 63.

UTAH Probable Starters

Pos. # Name Ht Yr PPG RPG

F 32 Joh-Teena Filipe 6-1 So 9.9 6.7

F 45 Jessica Perry 6-3 Sr 6.4 4.9

G 03 Brette Ulsaker 5-9 Fr 10.3 8.3

G 05 Heidi Carlsen 5-9 Sr 11.3 2.0

G 15 Morgan Warburton 5-10 So 3.1 2.8

Stat Comparisons BYU UT

Field Goals: .442 .407

Free Throws: .506 .737

Three-Pointers: .330 .319

Points Per Game: 62.0 61.5

Rebounds Per Game: 35.6 39.1

Series Record

Instate rivals BYU and Utah have tallied a 31-55 record favoring the Utes. When playing in Salt Lake City, the Cougars have an 8-36 record. Their most recent win at the Huntsman center was last season, a one-point 61-60 BYU win with a last second shot by then sophomore Mallary Gillespie.

Last Meeting

During last season's MWC race, the two conference foes played three times with each team winning on the opponents home court. The two also met in the finals of the 2006 MWC Championships in Denver at the Pepsi Center. In that contest, the Cougars lost by a score of 60-84.

This Week's Travel Schedule

Team flight: Delta flight # 3917 departs from SLC on Wed., Jan. 24 at 4:47 p.m., arriving in San Diego at 5:40 p.m.

Delta flight: #4025 departs from San Diego on Fri., Jan. 26 at 9:29 a.m., returning to SLC at 12:25 p.m.

Team hotel: Courtyard by Marriott, 8651 Spectrum Center Blvd., 858-573-0700, 858-573-9818, fax.

Media Information

Team Practice Times

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.

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 email. 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

In next week's final game of the first half of league play, the Cougars have one league game, vs. TCU on Feb. 1 at 7 p.m. in the Marriott Center. That game is scheduled to air live on the mtn. network.

BYU opens the second leg of the MWC race hosting foes Air Force on Feb. 8 at 7 p.m., also on the mtn. network, and then host New Mexico on Feb. 10 in a 2 p.m. tip.