LAS VEGAS -- The fourth-seeded BYU women's basketball team used a strong second half to beat tournament host UNLV 62-54 in the first round of the Mountain West Conference Tournament Wednesday.

The Cougars trailed 30-24 at halftime, but outscored the Rebels 38-24 in the second half to get an eight-point victory. UNLV used a 7-0 run to start the game, but a layup at the 16:44 mark by senior Caroline Beus started a 16-3 BYU run. The Rebels rallied for a 9-0 run of their own to go 19-16. They then closed out the half on a 20-8 run to go up 30-24. The Cougars had three players in double figures with Erin Thorn leading the way, scoring 13 points, including three three pointers. Jennifer Leitner had 12 points and six rebounds while Chanell Rose had 10 points. Beus tied a season- and career-high 11 with rebounds. Junior Stacy Jensen had nine points, including a key three pointer down the stretch to ice the game.

"This was a great character win for us," BYU coach Trent Shippen said. "We played with great energy in the second half and had a tremendous rebounding game."

This is only the fourth time this season BYU has won when trailing at the half. The Cougars outrebounded UNLV for the first time in three meetings with a 40-31 advantage, including a 14-7 margin on the offensive boards. BYU shot 38.3 percent from the field while the Rebels shot 36.5 percent for the game. The Cougars shot 31 free throws compared to 14 for UNLV.

With the win, BYU improves to 17-11 (8-6) on the season, while UNLV finishes the season at 18-9 (8-6). The Cougars will play Utah, who beat Air Force 53-50, on Friday at 2:30 p.m. (PST).

BYU's women's basketball team finished the regular MWC season tied for third place with New Mexico and UNLV. In Saturday night's coin toss tie breaker, the Lobos were the beneficiaries getting the third place slot. BYU dropped to the number four seed and UNLV finished fifth because they were swept by second place CSU. In Wednesday's quarterfinal game, it will be BYU (16-11, 8-6) vs UNLV (18-8, 8-6) in a 6 p.m. (PST) tip off.

Tip off: BYU vs UNLV, 6 p.m. PST Arena: Thomas & Mack Center

EAS MWC Women's Championship Schedule

All times are PST and all games will be played at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas)

Wed., Mar. 7

Quarterfinal # 1 -- #3 UNM vs #6 SDSU (12 noon)

Quarterfinal #2 -- #2 CSU vs #7 Wyoming ( 2:30 p.m.)

Quarterfinal #3 -- #4 BYU vs #5 UNLV (6 p.m.)

Quarterfinal #4 -- #1 Utah vs #8 AFA (8:30 p.m.)

Friday, Mar. 9

Semifinal # 1 -- winner of 3-6 vs winner of 2-7 (12 noon)

Semifinal #2 -- winner of 4-5 vs winner of 1-8 (2:30 p.m.)

Sat., Mar. 10

Championship game - 9:30 p.m.

Cougars vs Lady Rebels on Web Broadcast & Television

Wednesday night's MWC tournament game between BYU and UNLV can be heard live on the official MWC website (mountainwestconf.com) by clicking on the tournament tracker. The game will also air tape delay on KSL-TV, channel 5 at 10:35 p. m. Sportswest broadcast talent will feature Dave McCann with analysis by Kathy Aiken. The conference will also feature a live webcast with play-by-play statistics.

BYU's Probable Starters

Pos. # Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

F 31 Lisa Osguthorpe 6-0 Jr 5.9 4.3

F 23 Chanell Rose 6-0 So 6.1 3.4

C 44 Caroline Beus 6-1 Sr 8.8 5.5

G 11 Erin Thorn 5-10 So 16.0 4.4

G 22 Stacy Jensen 5-6 Jr 9.6 2.8

UNLV Probable Starters

Pos. # Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

F 13 Linda Frohlich 6-2 Jr 19.6 9.4

F 31 Brooke Ingalls 6-1 Sr 4.7 4.8

F 55 Dishawn McCracklin 6-2 So 1.3 2.6

G 03 Kinesha Davis 5-7 Jr 8.7 5.0

G 05 Dayna Gambill 5-6 Sr 7.2 2.0

Cougar Players Off the Bench

Pos. # Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

F 50 Heather Cheesman 6-1 Fr 8.0 3.8

F 21 Jennifer Leitner 6-0 So 5.5 4.9

G 14 Julie Whetten 5-8 Fr 5.5 1.7

G 04 Kaly G. Shippen 5-6 Sr 3.5 0.5

F 20 Brittany Larson 6-0 So 1.7 1.1

F 15 Jorja Cox 5-11 Sr 1.6 1.4

Quickie BYU Stats

l Shooting from the field - .430 (663-1543)

l Shooting from the free-throw line - .727 (339-466)

l Shooting from the three-point arc - .400 (189-473)

l Averaged 68.7 points per game

Season Highlights To Date

TEAM

l Most points scored - 90 @ Washington State on 11/30/00; 89 vs UNLV on 02/08/01

l Most field goals made - 32 @ Washington State on 11/30/00; 30 @ Wyoming on 2/17/01

l Most free-throws made - 26 vs Colorado State 01/20/01

l Most three-pointers made - 12 vs UNM on 02/03/01

l Most rebounds made - 49 vs SMU on 12/30/00

l Most assists made - 24 vs UNLV on 02/08/01

l Most steals made - 14 @ Idaho State on 12/28/00

l Most blocks made - 7 vs Air Force on 03/03/01

INDIVIDUAL

l Most points - Erin Thorn (36) @ Arizona 11/18/00; Erin Thorn (31) @ UNM on 02/03/01

l Most field goals made - Erin Thorn (12) @ Arizona 11/18/00; Erin Thorn (10) @ UNM on 02/03/01

l Most three-pointers made - Erin Thorn (8) @ Arizona 11/18/00

l Most free-throws made - Heather Cheesman (9) @ Gonzaga 12/02/00; Erin Thorn (8) vs UNLV on 02/08/01

l Most rebounds made - Caroline Beus (11) @ UNM on 02/03/01; Lisa Osguthorpe (10) vs SDSU on 02/10/01

l Most assists made - Stacy Jensen (11) vs UNM on 03/01/01

l Most steals made - Stacy Jensen (6) @ Idaho State on 12/28/00

l Most blocked shots - Lisa Osguthorpe (4) @ CSU on 02/15/01

Last Game Recap

The Cougars finished the regular conference season with a 8-6 record after defeating the Air Force Academy 66-42 Saturday night. Because it was the final home game of the year, the team honored its three graduating seniors, #4 Kaly Shippen, #15 Jorja Cox and #44 Caroline Beus. In the game, Erin Thorn led the way with 16 points and three rebounds. Stacy Jensen followed with 12 points and five assists. Julie Whetten led the team in the assist category with eight and Beus toped the least in rebounds, grabbing six in the contest.

Scouting UNLV

The Lady Rebels, who are hosting this year's MWC championships are seeded fifth after an 8-6 conference record. During the regular season meeting between BYU and UNLV each team won on its home court. At the Thomas & Mack Center the score was 61-50 and at the Marriott Center the final was 89-83. Linda Frohlich leads the Rebels in scoring with an average of 19.6 points and 9.4 rebounds. Two teammates join her in double digit scoring. Constance Jinks is getting 14.0 points a game and Petra Glaser picks up 11.2 points a game. UNLV is scoring 68.8 points and shooting 45 percent from the field and 70 percent at the free-throw line.

Series Record: 9-5 for the Cougars

BYU Players Receive Conference Honors

Erin Thorn was named to the 2000-01 All-Mountain West Conference First Team

Stacy Jensen was named to the 2000-01 All-Mountain West Conference Second Team

Julie Whetten was named Newcomer of the Year

Mountain West Conference Standings (as of 03/03/01)

SCHOOL ALL GAMES MWC GAMES

Utah 25-2 14-0

Colorado State 21-6 10-4

UNLV 18-8 8-6

New Mexico 17-11 8-6

BYU 16-11 8-6

San Diego State 13-14 5-9

Wyoming 11-16 3-11

Air Force 3-24 0-14

Cougars in MWC Stats (as of 03/03/01)

TEAM (after 14 conference games)

1st in Scoring Offense - (976 pts, 69.7)

1st in 3-PT Field Goals Made - (98, 7.00)

1st in 3-PT Field Goal % - (.395, 98-248)

1st in Assists - (16.29, 228)

2nd in Field Goal % - (.443, 353-796)

2nd in Assist/Turnover Ratio - (228A, 16,3 avg; 206T, 14.7 avg, ratio 1.11)

3rd in Rebounding Defense - (33.2, 465)

3rd in Blocked Shots - (45, 3.21 avg)

INDIVIDUAL

Erin Thorn - 1st in 3-PT Field Goals Made (40, 2.86 avg)

Erin Thorn - 3rd in Scoring (205 pts, 14.6 avg)

Erin Thorn - 3rd in 3-PT Field Goal % (.426, 40-94)

Erin Thorn - 3 rd in Assist/Turnover Ratio (52A, 3.7 avg; 26T, 1.9 avg; 2.00 ratio)

Erin Thorn - 5th in Assists (52, 3.71 avg)

Caroline Beus - 3rd in Field Goal % (.541,59-109)

Caroline Beus - 5th in Offensive Rebounds (39, 2.79)

Caroline Beus - 9th in Rebounding (39 off, 38 def, 77, 5.5 avg)

Jennifer Leitner - 4th in Blocked Shots (11, .92)

Jennifer Leitner - 8th in Offensive Rebounds (30, 2.50 avg)

Jennifer Leitner - 9th in Rebounding (30 off, 36 def,66, 5.5 avg)

Stacy Jensen - 2nd in Assist/Turnover Ratio (61A, 4.4 avg; 26T 1.9 avg; ratio 2.44)

Stacy Jensen - 3rd in Assists (61, 4.36)

Stacy Jensen - 6th in 3-PT Field Goal % (.404, 21-52)

Stacy Jensen - 7th in 3-PT Field Goals Made (21, 1.50 avg)

Lisa Osguthorpe - 8th in Steals (22, 1.57)

Lisa Osguthorpe - 9th in Blocked Shots (8, .57)

Coach Shippen vs MWC Opponents

vs UNM: 4-5

vs Air Force: 5-0

vs Utah: 4-6

vs CSU: 1-4

vs. Wyoming: 3-1

vs UNLV: 5-1

vs SDSU: 5-0

Cougars vs MWC Opponents 2000-01 Season - Quick Wrap

l BYU vs Air Force:

Arena Score FG% FT% 3-PT % Pts Reb A Stl Bl

Clune Arena 74-59 .553 .800 .400 15 Cheesman 8 Leitner 4 Jensen 2 Osguthorpe 1 Whetten

Marriott Center 66-42 .436 .727 .476 16 Thorn 6 Beus 8 Whetten 2 Rose 3 Whetten

Game Highlights: In Colorado Springs, the visiting Cougar team picked up its sixth straight victory over the Air Force Falcons although the game was tied at 37-37 at the break; BYU outrebounded the Air Force 34 to 22 in the contest.

In Provo, the host team won the second meeting between the two schools on a night that honored BYU's three graduating seniors. The Cougars enjoyed a four point 30-26 advantage at the end of the first half.

l BYU vs CSU: 1-1 each team winning on its home court

Arena Score FG% FT% 3-PT% Pts Reb A Stl Bl

Marriott Center 66-55 .396 .765 .182 16 Rose 6 Rose 2 Thorn 3 Thorn 1 Whetten

Moby Arena 72-77 .397 .875 .200 16 Jensen 9 Beus 5 Jensen 5 Thorn 4 Osguthorpe

Game Highlights: In Provo, Cougars had 14-point( 40-26) half-time lead, eventually winning by 11; CSU got one more rebound 30 to 29; Chanell Rose picked up season and career high 16 points.

In Ft. Collins, Rams enjoyed a 4-point (38-34) half-time advantage, winning by 5 in the end; CSU shot .444 from behind the arc, compared with .200 for BYU.

l BYU vs SDSU: 1-1 each team winning on its home court

Arena Score FG% FT% 3-PT % Pts Reb A Stl Bl

Cox Arena 61-63 .439 .455 .353 11Thorn/Chees. 6 Beus 6 Jensen 2 Whetten None

Marriott Center 76-53 .518 .579 .389 15 Cheesman 10 Osguthorpe 4 Thorn 3 Osguthorpe Osguthorpe

Game Highlights: In San Diego, the visiting Cougars had narrow one-point 31-30 lead at the break, had a chance to tie the game on a Cheesman lay up that went in and out of the basket, losing the game by two at the buzzer.

In Provo, the homestanding BYU team enjoyed a 14-point lead at the end of the first half, picking up the 23-point victory;

the Cougars had seven three-pointers in the game, their second highest in conference play.

l BYU vs UNM: 1-1 with each team winning on each other's home courts.

Arena Score FG% FT% 3-PT % Pts Reb A Stl Bl

The Pit 79-72 .443 .650 .522 31 Thorn 11 Beus 4 Thorn 2 Thorn 2 Leitner

Marriott Center 78-70 .466 .533 .471 19 Thorn 7 Cheesman 11 Jensen 2 Rose 2 Whetten

Game Highlights: In Albuquerque, it was the visiting Cougars picking up the seven-point win with Caroline Beus picking up her first season double-double as a Cougar with 11 points and 11 rebounds; the BYU win was the first at "the Pit" since the 1993-94 season; in that game the Cougars also put in 12 three-pointers, a season high for the team against an MWC opponent.

In Provo, the Lobos got a little revenge, picking up an eight point victory. BYU was plagued with turnovers and missed free-throws and were outshot 51 to 38 in the second half.

l BYU vs UNLV: 1-1 each team winning on home court

Arena Score FG% FT% 3-PT % Pts Reb A Stl Bl

Thomas & Mack 50-61 .352 .000 .333 11 Thorn 7 Thorn 8 Thorn 3 Jensen 1 Thorn

Marriott Center 89-83 .500 .923 .294 25 Thorn 7 Beus 8 Osguthorpe 2 Thorn 1 Leitner

Game Highlights: In Las Vegas, Cougars shot poorly in the first half, falling behind by 14 points at the break, eventually losing by 11; UNLV outrebounded BYU by seven 28 to 35.

In Provo, the visiting Rebels enjoyed a 5-point 47-42 lead in the first half of play with the homestanding Cougars holding on to a six-point win. UNLV once again outrebounded BYU by seven, 29-36.

l BYU vs Utah: 0-2 both games won by Utah

Arena Score FG% FT% 3-PT % Pts Reb A Stl Bl

Huntsman Ctr 57-72 .400 .636 .500 12 Thorn 5 Leitner 4 Whetten 4Osguthorpe 1 Beus

Marriott Center 55-67 .351 .692 .462 16 Jensen 9 Leitner 5 Thorn 3 Rose 1 Beus

Game Highlights: In Salt Lake City, the visiting Cougars were just one-point behind, 28-29 at halftime, eventually losing the game by 15 points, although they were only behind by 10 with under three minutes to play; Utah outrebounded BYU by 11, 35-24.

In Provo, the visiting Utes took a five-point 30-25 lead at the break, holding on for the 12 point victory; the Cougars rebounding game improved as they tallied five more boards in the teams' second outing.

l BYU vs Wyoming: 2-0 both games won by the Cougars

Arena Score FG% FT% 3-PT % Pts Reb A Stl Bl

Marriott Center 78-57 .467 .750 .400 20 Thorn 6 Beus 6 Jensen 2 Whetten 2 Beus

Multipurpose 83-59 .500 .765 .476 19 Thorn 8 Leitner 6 Jensen 2 Rose 1 Osguthorpe

Game Highlights: In Provo, hosts picked up the home win, a 21-point victory after a 20-point 49-29 halftime score; the Cougars tallied 10 three-pointers in the contest.

In Laramie, the visiting Cougar team won the game by a 24-point advantage, once again putting in 10 from behind the arc; BYU also enjoyed a 39 to 31 advantage in the rebound category.

BYU and the 1999-2000 MWC Tourney - A Look Back

The Cougars came into the 1999-2000 inaugural McLeod MWC Women's Basketball as the number two seed with a 10-4 record. BYU advanced to the title game after a decisive 78-37 victory over SDSU and a 77-69 win over CSU (the only team BYU had not beaten in conference play that season). In the championship game, Utah ended BYU's six-game winning streak, the longest of the season, with a 47-61 victory over the Cougars to capture the conference title. Lori Cuff and Erin Thorn earned All-Tournament team honors.

Shippen Quotes

On BYU team: It is nice to have a win going into the tournament. Hopefully, it gives us some momentum and confidence. I knew that this season's conference schedule was going to be a tough battle all the way through and that's exactly what happened with three of us being tied for third place.

On UNLV: They are a tough first round opponent who play extremely tough on their home court. We have had good matchups with them this season and our first game will not be an easy one. We just need to focus on taking it one game at a time and playing our best basketball.

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 16-11 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 69-46 (.600) Totals 71-26 (.739)

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 BYU team departs for Las Vegas on Monday, Mar. 5 on Delta flight #1895 at 5:50 p.m., arriving in Las Vegas at 6:10 p.m. During the MWC tournament the Cougars will be staying at the Embassy Suites Hotel, 4315 Swenson Street, 702-795-2800, 702-795-1520 fax.

BYU Practice Schedule during MWC Tournament

The first scheduled practice for the fourth seeded BYU team is set for Tuesday, Mar. 6 form 3 to 3:55 p.m. at the Thomas & Mack Center. Wednesday's shoot around will be from 10 to 10:25 a.m.The Cougars women's basketball SID, Norma Collett is traveling with the team and can be contacted at the team's hotel at 702-795-2800 or can also be reached by mobile phone, 801-372-0989 to arrange any coach/player interviews.

Up Next for the Cougars

If BYU beats UNLV in their quarterfinal game Wednesday, the Cougars would most likely play the Utes on Friday afternoon in a 2:30 p.m. PST tip off. That game between BYU and Utah would air locally in the state of Utah on a tape delay basis at 9 p.m. on the WB 30.