UNLV and Utah to Play in the Marriott Center This Week

Two MWC foes come to the Marriott Center this week as two-time defending MWC Regular Season Champions BYU, continues its run in the 2008 league race. With a three-game winning streak, the Cougars (7-6, 1-0) look to go undefeated at home in conference play. They host UNLV (6-9, 2-0) on Wed., 1/16/08, followed by a Sat., Jan. 19 game against instate rival Utah (12-3, 1-0). Both league games tip off at 7 p.m.

Game #14- 01/16/08: BYU vs. UNLV Time: 7:00 p.m. MT Arena: Marriott Center

Game #15- 01/19/08: BYU vs. Utah Time: 7:00 p.m. MT Arena: Marriott Center

Following the Cougars --

Television: Wednesday night's game will air live on BYUTV. Jarom Jordan and former Cougar standout Kristin Kozlowski will call the action. Saturday's game vs. Utah will air live on the Mtn. Bill Doleman will do play-by-play with analysis from Andrea Lloyd.

Radio: Both of the home games this week will air live on KQMB, 96.7 FM Radio.

Internet: The game can also be heard live on the internet at

http://www.byuradio.org/streaming Jay Monsen will call the action for both games.

Live stats: All of the games can be accessed with the live stats link by logging on

to: www.byucougars.com/basketball_w/

Cougar All-Acccess: Those who have signed up for Cougar All-Access can also view the games on their computers.

BYU Probable Starters

No. Name Pos. Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

22 Mindy Nielson G 5-10 Fr 7.2 2.9

30 Mallary G. Carling G 5-10 Sr 13.3 4.2

32 Shawnee Slade F 5-11 Jr 7.2 5.8

45 Keilani Moeaki F 6-2 Fr 6.0 3.8

52 Lauren R. Varley C 6-3 Sr 8.5 8.7

Reserve Players

No. Name Pos. Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

54 Cassie King F 6-3 Jr 5.5 3.1

23 Coriann Wood F 6-1 Fr 4.5 2.4

14 Sarah Red G/F 5-11 Jr (rs) 2.4 0.0

3 Jazmine Foreman G 5-5 Fr 2.2 1.0

5 Ashley Cheesman F 6-0 Sr 1.7 1.6

13 Jaime Judkins G 5-6 So 1.1 0.8

55 Megan Marks F 6-2 Fr 0.6 1.2

0 Lauren Nichols F 6-0 Fr (rs) 0.4 0.1

Team Stats -- 2007-08

-- Shooting from the field: (.397, 280-705)

-- Shooting from the free-throw line: (.631, 123-195)

-- Shooting from three-point line: (.301, 69-229)

-- Average points per game: 57.8

-- Average rebounds per game: 39.6

SPECIAL PROMOTION FOR UTAH GAME - BREAK ATTENDANCE RECORD

During last year's BYU vs. Utah women's basketball game in the Marriott Center, the team had its highest attendance ever with 4,018 fans. Log onto to byucougars.com, print the voucher and redeem it at the Marriott Center ticket office for up to ten (10) FREE tickets to the game! Come support the team and get your chance to win prizes, compete in contests, listen to live music, and see the Extreme Dunk Team performance that everyone has been talking about since the Michigan State game in Salt Lake.

byu quick hits

The team

-- Two starters are among the six letterwinners returning for the 2007-08 season.The team also returns two redshirts in addition to six very talented newcomers

-- The seniors are MWC Second Team honoree guard Mallary Gillespie-Carling and MWC Honorable Mention Lauren Riley-Varley. Both were also named to the 2007 MWC All-Tournament Team.

-- Among the letterwinners are junior forward/guard combo Shawnee Slade, senior forward Ashley Cheesman and junior center Cassie King. The trio return with the most playing experience and an understanding of coach Judkins' game plan. Guard Jaime Judkins who also comes in with significant playing time experience.

-- Two redshirts who were on the team last year, freshman forward Lauren Nichols and sophomore guard Sarah Red, a transfer from the University of Utah, will also provide solid experience on the team as newcomers.

-- Six new incoming freshmen will take to the court in 2007-08. They are:

Stephanie Buhler: 6-0, F, Oregon City, OR/Oregon City HS

Jazmine Foreman: 5-5, G, Vancouver, WA/Hudson's Bay HS

Megan Marks: 6-2, F, South Jordan, UT/Bingham HS

Keilani Moeaki: 6-2, F, Warrenville, IL/Wheaton Warrenville South HS Mindy Nielson: 5-10, G, Centennial, CO/ Regis Jesuit HS

Coriann Wood: 6-1, F, Basin City, WA/Connell HS

2007-08 Season Highlights and Notables

TEAM

-- The captains on the 2007-08 season are seniors Mallary Gillespie-Carling and Lauren Riley-Varley

-- When playing on the road this season, BYU has a 3-4 record to date.

-- The 55 rebounds by the Cougars vs Fresno State on 11/17/07 are a season high and rank tied for third place in the program's history.

-- The win over Fresno State improved BYU's all-time record in home

openers to 24-11 and under coach Judkins is now 6-1 in home openers.

-- BYU has had three players score in double figures in three contests to date.

-- The 78 points and the 55 rebounds recorded in the win over Fresno State are the most in both categories to date.

-- In the win over Utah Valley, the team scored 72 points which is second best to date and the 20-point margin of victory is the most this season.

-- The 20 assists in the win over Utah Valley on 12/08/07 were the most to date.

-- In the Dec. 8th win over the Wolverines, the 17 steals were a new season best.

-- BYU scored 35 points in the first half vs. Utah Valley, the second most scored in a first half and the fourth most in any half to date.

-- The Cougars held CSU to 39 total points in the first league game of the year on 1/12/08, the lowest total points scored by an opponent to date. The Rams only scored 16 points in the first half of action, the lowest by an opponent to date.

-- Starting lineups: Record

Foreman, Carling, Slade, Cheesman, Varley: 2-2

Foreman, Carling, Slade, King, Varley: 1-1

Judkins, Carling, Slade, Wood, Varley: 0-1

Foreman, Carling, Slade, Moeaki, Varley: 1-2

Nielson, Carling, Slade, Moeaki, Varley: 3-0

PLAYER

-- Center Lauren Riley-Varley: picked up back-to-back double doubles in the first two games of this season with 14 points and 11 rebounds against UCSB and 16 points and 13 boards at Arkansas State. The 16 points at Ark. St., were season highs to date. 10 points in the game at Utah St., on 12/29/07 for her fourth double figure game this season and 23rd career double digit contest.

-- Guard Mallary Gillespie-Carling: has scored in double figures in 56 games during her career, nine so far this season. She currently ranks 15th in BYU's 1,000-point club with 1,179 to date.

-- Guard Mindy Nielson: tallied a season and career-high 15 points at Weber State on 12/12/07/07. Picked up season and career highs in blocks (5), steals, (5), rebounds (6) vs. Utah Valley on 12/08/07.She has scored in double digits in four contests to date.

-- Guard Shawnee Slade: led the team in scoring with 15 points vs. Utah Valley on 12/08/07 marking her 13th career double digit game contest.Grabbed a season and career high 11 rebounds vs. New Mexico State on 12/05/07. The 11 boards were team and game highs as well.Picked up 10 points vs. UCLA on 12/15/07 for her fourth double digit game and 15th overall.

-- Center Cassie King: scored 13 points vs. UCLA on 12/15/07 for new career highs in points. Has had two double digit scoring games this season so far. Grabbed a season-high six rebounds vs. Utah Valley St., on 12/08/07.

-- Forward Keilani Moeaki: tallied a career- and game-high 19 points in the game vs. Hartford on 11/20/07. Had two blocks at Weber St. on 12/12/97 for new season and career highs. Has scored in double figures in three games to date.

-- Forward Coriann Wood: picked up season and career highs in points with 13 in the league game at CSU on 01/12/08. In that same game, she tallied season and career highs in three-pointers with three. She grabbed season and career highs in rebounds in the game at UConn on 11/29/07 with five boards. Wood started her first collegiate game at Sacred Heart on 12/01/07.

-- Guard Jazmine Foreman: dished out season and career highs in assists with eight vs. Utah Valley on 12/08/07.

-- Guard Jaime Judkins: dished out three assists in the game at Weber St. on 12/12/07 for new season and career highs.

About This Week's League Opponents

UNLV - Provo, Utah at 7 p.m. (01/16/08)

UNLV comes to Provo 2-0 in conference games and 6-9 overall. Senior forward Sequoia Holmes is one of two players scoring in double figures with an average of 19.3 points and a team high 7.5 rebounds. Shamela Hampton, a junior center, is averaging 11.9 points and 7.1 boards a game. Holmes also tops the list in total assists with 47 and total steals with 40. The two league wins for the Rebels were against CSU (57-55) and AF (58-48). Head Coach Regina Miller is in her 10th season with the women's program.

UNLV Probable Starters

Pos. # Name Ht Yr PPG RPG

F 21 Fanny Tirtiaux 6-0 Fr 3.2 2.2

F 33 Shannon Oberg 6-0 Jr 2.2 3.4

F 24 Shamela Hampton 6-3 Jr 11.9 7.1

G 05 Brittany Halberg 5-7 Jr 6.5 2.2

G 12 Sequoia Holmes 6-1 Sr 19.3 7.5

Stat Comparisons BYU UNLV

Field Goals: .397 .397

Free Throws: .631 .668

Three-Pointers: .301 .279

Points Per Game: 57.8 61.5

Rebounds Per Game: 39.6 37.9

Series History

Record: 20-10 favoring BYU.

Last Meeting: The two teams met twice last year with each team winning on its home court. At the Marriott Center on 1/20/07 the score was 64-59 and at Cox Pavilion on 2/21/07 it was 76-71 in overtime. In the Marriott Center, the Rebels have a 2-11 record.

UTAH - Provo, Utah at 7 p.m. (01/19/08)

The Utes have compiled a 12-3, 1-0 record to date and host San Diego State on Wed., Jan. 16 before making the trip to Provo for Saturday night's game. In scoring, Utah has three players in double digits led by senior guard Leilani Mitchell's 17.1 points and 3.8 rebounds a game. Junior Morgan Warburton follows with 16.9 points and 5.9 boards. Kalee Whipple tallies 14.1 points and a team high 6.6 rebounds per contest. Mitchell tops the list in assists with 100 to date. Elaine Elliott is in her 25th season with the Utes.

Utah Probable Starters

Pos. # Name Ht Yr PPG RPG

F 02 Kalee Whipple 6-0 So 3.2 2.2

F 31 Katie King 6-1 Jr 2.2 3.4

F 45 Jessica Perry 6-3 Sr 11.9 7.1

G 11 Leilani Mitchell 5-5 Sr 6.5 2.2

G 15 Morgan Warburton 5-11 Jr 19.3 7.5

Stat Comparisons BYU UTAH

Field Goals: .397 .481

Free Throws: .631 .717

Three-Pointers: .301 .388

Points Per Game: 57.8 70.8

Rebounds Per Game: 39.6 39.5

Series History

Record: 33-56 favoring Utah.

Last Meeting: During last season's MWC race, the Cougars and Utes won the game played on their home court. In Salt Lake City, the Utah win was 64-54 on 1/27/07 and in Provo, the BYU win was 55-49 on 2/28/07. The two instate rivals met a third time in the semifinals of the league tournament in Las Vegas on 3/9/07. In that game, the Cougars prevailed with the 55-49 victory. Utah's record when playing in the Marriott Center is 19-16.

Media Availability

Team Practice Times - at home

-The BYU team practices at the Marriott Center MWF from 11:30 a.m., to 1:30 p.m. On Tuesday's, practice is scheduled from 1 to 3 p.m., and on Thursday's from 11:30 to 2 p.m.

- Coach Judkins and players are available for interviews prior to or after practice. All interviews are scheduled in advance. Norma Collett is the Basketball Communications Director for the team and can be contacted by phone or email.

Contact at: 801-422-4908, office, 801-372-0989, cell, and email norma_collett@byu.edu

Looking Ahead

After the two home league games, the Cougars spend next week on the road, taking on conference foe San Diego State on Wed., Jan.23 and New Mexico on Sat., Jan. 26.

BYU returns home the following week for two more home league games hosting Air Force (Jan. 30) and Wyoming (Feb. 2).