Colorado Springs, CO. (Feb. 1, 2001) Four players in double figures gave BYU's women's basketball team a huge advantage and their first conference win on the road with a 74-59 victory over the Air Force Academy, Thursday.
The win improves the Cougars record to 3-3 in MWC action and 11-8 overall. The Falcons fell to 0-6 in conference competition and 3-16 on the year.
Despite playing most of the game without two of their starters, BYU dominated the entire game taking an 18-point 37-19 advantage at the break. Heather Cheesman came off the bench to lead the Cougars with 15 points and five rebounds. Other double-digit scorers included Stacy Jensen with 14 points, Jennifer Lietner with 13 and Lisa Osguthorpe contributing 12 points in the contest.
"This was a total team win for us," said head coach Trent Shippen. "We played very well, came ready, we stuck to our game plan and we had several players step up to the challenge."
BYU's biggest challenge was playing without their leading scorer, All-American Erin Thorn who injured her knee in the CSU game last month. Also out of the Cougars line up was center Caroline Beus who twisted her ankle in Thursday's game.
The Cougars held the Falcons to a low 19 percent shooting from the field in the first half of play and out rebounding them 34 to 22. BYU shot 55 percent from the field and 80 percent at the free-throw line.
For the Air Force it was Wendy Stillman coming off the bench to lead her team with 15 points and four rebounds. The Falcons finished the game shooting 36 percent from the field.
The Cougars stay on the road for more conference action, as they travel to Albuquerque to take on the New Mexico Lobos, Saturday night in a 7 p.m. tip off. That game can be heard live on the web by clicking on the KBYU-TV sports web site.
It was another disappointing loss for the Cougar women, falling to Utah by 10, 57-67 last Saturday. BYU's women's basketball team continues on the road with games against Air Force (3-15, 0-5) on Feb. 1 and at New Mexico (13-7,4-2) on Feb. 3.
Tip off: BYU @ Air Force is 7:00 p.m. Arena: Clune Arena
Tip off: BYU @ New Mexico is 7:00 p.m. Arena: University Arena "The Pit"
BYU-UNM Game On The Web
This Saturday night's game between the Cougars and Lobos can be heard on the web by clicking on KBYU-TV, chan. 11 at www.broadcasting.byu.edu/sports/
Chris Twitty will be calling the action from Albuquerque.
BYU Probable Starters - 2000-01 stats
l 31 Lisa Osguthorpe - 6-0 Jr, F (5.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg)
l 44 Caroline Beus - 6-1 Sr, C/F (7.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg)
l 23 Chanell Rose - 6-0 So, F (7.0 ppg, 3.6 rpg)
l 11 Erin Thorn - 5-10 So, G (16.4 ppg, 4.8 rpg)
l 22 Stacy Jensen - 5-6 Jr, G (8.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg)
BYU Players Off the Bench- 2000-01 stats
l 04 Kaly G. Shippen - 5-6 Sr, G (3.9 ppg)
l 14 Julie Whetten - 5-8 Fr, G (4.5 ppg, 1.4 rpg)
l 50 Heather Cheesman - 6-1 Fr, F (8.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg)
l 21 Jennifer Lietner - 6-0 Fr, F (3.3 ppg, 3.1 rpg)
Player Injury Update
# 15 Jorja Cox has suffered a knee injury and is out of the lineup indefinitely. #20 Brittany Larson was diagnosed with mono and is out of the lineup indefinitely.
Quickie BYU Stats - 2000-01 Season
l Shooting from the field - .414 (423-1021)
l Shooting from the free-throw line - .722 (223-309)
l Shooting from the three-point arc - .393 (121-308)
l Averaged 66.1 points per game
Season Highlights To Date
TEAM
l Most points scored - 90 @ Washington State on 11/30/00
l Most field goals made - 32 @ Washington State on 11/30/00
l Most free-throws made - 22 vs Northern Iowa on 12/07/00
l Most three-pointers made - 12 vs SMU on 12/30/00
l Most rebounds made - 49 vs SMU on 12/30/00
l Most assists made - 22 vs SMU on12/30/00
l Most steals made - 14 @ Idaho State on 12/28/00
INDIVIDUAL
l Most points - Erin Thorn (36) @ Arizona 11/18/00
l Most field goals made - Erin Thorn (12) @ Arizona 11/18/00
l Most three-pointers made - Erin Thorn (8) @ Arizona 11/18/00
l Most free-throws made - Heather Cheesman (9) @ Gonzaga 12/02/00
l Most rebounds made - Heather Cheesman and Erin Thorn (9) @ Gonzaga 12/02/00
l Most assists made - Julie Whetten (7) vs UCLA 11/25/00/ and Erin Thorn (7) @ Idaho State on 12/28/00
l Most steals made - Erin Thorn (6) vs Northern Iowa on 12/07/00 and Stacy Jensen (6) vs Idaho State on 12/28/00
l Most blocked shots - Caroline Beus (2) @ Washington State 11/30/00
Last Game Recap
In the first of a three-game conference road trip, BYU lost a 10-point game, 57-67 to Utah Saturday afternoon at the Huntsman Center. The Cougars were led by All-American Erin Thorn who tallied 12 points in the game followed by Chanell Rose with 11 points and three rebounds. Jennifer Lietner came off the bench for her season high 10 points and a team-high five rebounds. BYU also got some strong play from Julie Whetten who had seven points and four assists.
Scouting Air Force
The U.S. Air Force Academy is currently in last place in the MWC standings with a 0-3 record after last week's road losses to CSU and Wyoming. The Falcons are currently on a five-game losing streak dating back to Jan. 13. Morgan Bennett is the Air Force's leading scorer with an average of 10.6 points a game. Teammate Rozalyn Russ is averaging 9.7 ppg and is the team's leading rebounder, grabbing 6.5 boards a game. Air Force is shooting 36 percent from the field and 67 percent at the free-throw line. Opponents are picking up almost 15 more points a game then their hosts.
Air Force Probable Starters
# 13 Shauna Neff - F 5-10, Fr (6.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg)
# 25 Rozalyn Russ - F 5-8, Jr (9.7 ppg,6.5 rpg)
# 35 Samantha Clifton - F 5-11, Jr (4.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg)
# 11 Morgan Bennett - G 5-9, So (10.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg)
# 23 ShaNekia Peebles - G 5-3, Jr (4.4 ppg, 1.6 rpg)
Series Record: 4-0 favoring the Cougars.
Last Meeting: In last year's home and away series, BYU won both games, an 86-69 win in Provo and a 93-64 victory in Colorado Springs.
1986 with a 83-68 BYU victory.
Scouting New Mexico
The Lobos are currently in second place in the MWC standings with a 4-2 record, 13-7 overall. Jordan Adams tops the leader board in scoring for New Mexico with an average of 15.9 points and 6.2 rebounds a game. Two other teammates are also in double digit scoring with Miranda Sanchez contributing 12.9 ppg and Molly McKinnon picking up 10.9 points a game. Nikki Heckroth is the team's assist leader dishing out 5.6 a game. The Lobos are shooting 44 percent from the field in conference games and are scoring 70.2 points a game. MWC opponents are being held to 59.2 points a game.
New Mexico Probable Starters
# 21 Miranda Sanchez - F 6-1, Sr (6.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg)
# 30 Chelsea Grear - F 5-10, So (9.7 ppg,6.5 rpg)
# 40 Jordan Adams - C 6-3, So (4.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg)
# 12 Molly McKinnon - G 5-8, Jr (10.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg)
# 44 Nikki Heckroth - G 5-8, Sr (4.4 ppg, 1.6 rpg)
Series Record: The series between the two teams favors the Cougars who have an 31-11 edge although BYU is 9-10 at "The Pit", having lost the last five straight games.
Last Meeting: During the inaugural year of the MWC, each team won on its home court. At the Marriott Center, the score was 60-45 and at The Pit it was 59-65 in favor of the Lobos.
MWC Standings as of 1/29/01
SCHOOL ALL GAMES MWC GAMES
Utah 17-2 6-0
New Mexico 13-7 4-2
Colorado State 14-4 3-2
UNLV 13-4 3-2
BYU 10-8 2-3
San Diego State 10-8 2-3
Wyoming 9-9 1-4
Air Force 3-15 0-5
Coach Shippen vs MWC Opponents
vs Air Force: 4-0
vs UNM: 3-5
vs Utah: 4-4
vs. Wyoming: 3-1
vs CSU: 1-4
vs SDSU: 5-0
vs UNLV: 4-0
Cougars in MWC Stats (as of 1/29/01)
TEAM (after 5 conference games)
4th in FT % - (56-78, .718)
2nd in 3-PT Field Goal % - (30-83, .361)
2nd in 3-PT Field Goal % Defense - (15-52, .288)
3rd in Offensive Rebounds - (58, 11.60)
3rd in 3-PT Field Goals Made - (30, 6.00)
INDIVIDUAL
Erin Thorn - 5th in Scoring (67 pts, 13.4 avg)
Erin Thorn - 3rd in Assists (20, 4.00 avg)
Erin Thorn - 3rd in 3-PT Field Goals Made (13, 2.17 avg)
Caroline Beus - 10th in Free-Throw % (11-14, .786)
Caroline Beus - 3rd in Offensive Rebounds (10, 2.50 avg)
Caroline Beus - 9th in Blocked Shots (3, .60)
Chanell Rose - 5th in Offensive Rebounds (11, 2.20)
Stacy Jensen - 6th in Steals (10, 2.00 avg)
Shippen Quotes
On BYU team: We have yet to win a conference game on the road. I thought we played Utah very tough on their home court and gave ourselves a chance to win, but just couldn't do it. We're still in a position for the conference title, we just need to win on the road. As a team we need to be able to get our lay ups, and have an inside game, we can't just rely on our outside play.
On Air Force: We need to be ready to play them. They are more of a perimeter team with good outside shooting. We'll need to do a good job defending their three-point shooters. Morgan Bennett their point-guard is very good player for them.
On New Mexico: This is another team that's very tough to play on their home court. We'll have to play one of our best games of the year. Last season we had a nice lead and just let it get away from us at the end. Jordan Adams is very tough to defend. They're also a very good rebounding team and we'll have to defend their inside game as well.
Head Coach Trent Shippen
Trent Shippen enters his fourth season at the helm of BYU's women's basketball program. The 22 wins last year are a first for the Cougar program since the 1992-93 season when BYU finished with a 24-5, 13-1 record and made its last NCAA Championships appearance.
This is Shippen's first Division I coaching assignment. Shippen came to BYU after a three year stint as head coach at Ricks College in Rexburg, Idaho. While at Ricks, he led his 1995 team to a fifth place finish in the NJCAA Tournament, and was voted Region 18 Coach of the Year. He was also the recipient of the Alberta Lee Cox Sportsmanship Award at the 1995 NJCAA Tournament. He played college hoops at Ricks College and at Colorado State University. At Ricks he earned All-Region 18 Coach of the Year. He was also the recipient of the Alberta Lee Cox Sportsmanship Award at the 1995 NJCAA Tournament. He played college hoops at Ricks College and at Colorado State University. At Ricks he earned All-Region 18 honors as a sophomore and was a member of the 1983-84 Viking team that placed sixth at the NJCAA Tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas.
During his career at CSU he helped the Rams place third in the NIT Tournament in 1988, where Shippen set the Madison Square Garden single-game record with six three-pointers. The following year he helped CSU win the league title, advance to the second round of the NCAA tournament, was selected Academic All-WAC, and averaged 7.6 points and 2.9 assists.
Shippen File
BYU
2000-01 10-8 RICKS COLLEGE
1999-00 22-8 1994-95 33-3
1998-99 16-13 1995-96 19-11
1997-98 15-14 1996-97 19-12
Totals 63-43 (.594) Totals 71-26 (.731)
Did You Know....Cougar Family Connections
Kaly Gillette Shippen (#04) is coach Shippen's sister-in-law. She married his younger brother Ty Shippen who walked on to this year's men's basketball team.
Chanell Rose (#23) is BYU's men's assistant basketball coach Dave Rose's daughter. She transferred from playing one year at neighboring Utah Valley State College.
As of Dec. 16, Utah transfer Trent Whiting became eligible to play on the men's team. His wife Amber who is a transfer from Weber State is part of the women's team. She'll be redshirting this season.
Cougars Travel Itinerary
The team departs on Wed. Jan. 31 for Colorado Springs on United Flight # 2810, arrives in Denver at 2:30 p.m. Then the continue onto the springs on United Flight #2931, getting into Colorado Springs at 4:05 p.m. BYU is staying at the Wyndham Colorado Springs, 5580 Tech Center Drive, 719-260-1800, 719-260-1492 fax. For the New Mexico portion of the road trio, the Cougars head to Albuquerque on Fri., Feb 2. via Denver, arriving in Albuquerque on United Flight #425, getting in at 12:35 p.m. BYU will stay at the Courtyard by Marriott, 1920 Yale Blvd, SE, 505-843-6600, 505-843-6740 fax. They will return to Salt Lake City on Sunday, Feb. 4 arriving on United Flight #1653 at 12:50 p.m.
Practice Schedule on the Road
On Wed. Jan. 31 - practice at the Air Force Academy (5:30-7:30 p.m.)
On Thurs., Feb. 1 - shoot around at Air Force Academy (11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.)
On Fri., Feb. 2 - practice at University Arena "The Pit" (6:30 - 8:30 p.m.)
On Sat. Feb. 3 - shoot around at University Arena (noon - 1 p.m.)
BYU Home Practice Schedule
At home the BYU team practices daily from 1p.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily. Coach Shippen and player interviews can be done prior to or after practice and must be scheduled in advance through the women's basketball contact, Norma Collett. She can be contacted at 801-378-4908 or via e-mail at: norma_collett@byu.edu No interviews will be done 24-hours prior to games.
Ahead for the Cougars
The Cougars return to the Marriott Center on Feb. 8, hosting UNLV in a 7 p.m. tip off. Then on Sat., Feb. 10, SDSU comes to Provo in an MWC game set for 7 p.m.
