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BYU WOMEN: Cougars gut out victory over rival Utes |
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JaredLloyd | Saturday, March 10, 2007, 12:56 am
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Darnell Dickson
Daily Herald
LAS VEGAS — Melinda Johnsen had tape on both knees to cover up floor burns. Dani Wright, who sprained her ankle on Wednesday, had acquired a hastily applied bandage to stop the bleeding from a gash under her chin. Mallary Gillespie would need ice on her hip, along with the regular ice packs on her knees, after the game.
But you know what? It takes more than mere cuts, bumps and bruises to rattle this BYU team.
The Cougars rallied for a 55-49 victory over Utah on Friday in the semifinals of the Mountain West Conference tournament, earning their second straight trip to the finals. BYU will face New Mexico, a 65-53 winner over Wyoming in the day’s other semifinal.
No. 1 seed BYU (23-8) led by as many as 13 points in the first half, only to watch the Utes (18-13) battle back and take a 41-36 lead with just over 10 minutes to play.
That’s when the Cougars’ experience kicked in and BYU head coach Jeff Judkins got creative.
“I drew up a little play that we haven’t run the whole year because I knew Elaine (Utah coach Elaine Elliott) is so prepared that if I just ran a play she would know it,” Judkins said. “She (Wright) made me look smart as a coach because she scored it.”
Wright, the MWC co-MVP, scored six straight points in the paint before Utah called a timeout and BYU had the lead back at 42-41.
“You just tell yourself you’re the best post player in there and you just need to do what you do best,” Wright said. “I came in there with that fire and intensity. I just wanted to help my team.”
BYU’s experience seemed to be a key factor down the stretch. Johnsen made two key baskets — a jumper and 3-pointer, both shots using just about all of the rim — and Jennie Keele hit a long jumper and four free throws in the final two minutes. Keele was 0-for-7 from the field before hitting that jump shot.
“We always joke around that I’m a practice player — I never miss in practice,” Keele said. “I haven’t shot well for months but I need to have the confidence to keep taking them.”
Everything was working for BYU in the first half and a 16-4 run put the Cougars up 28-15 with 4:59 remaining. BYU settled for a 30-22 halftime lead on a basket by Ashley Cheesman just before the buzzer.
After BYU scored the first basket of the second half, Utah went a 12-2 blitz to get back in the game with freshman Kalee Whipple scoring eight straight points. Wright picked up her fourth foul with 12:31 showing on the clock and BYU was unable to pick up the slack, making just two of its first 15 shots in the second half.
“First thing was we needed to ‘D’ up,” Gillespie said. “Next thing was we had to slow down on offense, take care of the ball, go back to fundamentals, wait for screens, get people open. We’ve been in tough situations before.”
When Wright got going, the Cougars connected on six of their final nine shots.
Wright paced BYU with 14 points and six rebounds. Gillespie had 13 points and nine boards and Johnsen added 12 points and three steals.
BYU’s defensive effort was keyed by sophomore Shawnee Slade, who harassed Morgan Warburton (nine points) into a 2-for-8 performance from the field. Whipple and Warburton scored 41 points in Utah’s 68-67 victory over TCU on Wednesday but combined for just 21 against the Cougars.
BYU and New Mexico split the regular season series with both teams winning on the other’s home court.
“Probably the two of us are the best with an inside and outside presence,” Judkins said. “New Mexico is a great team. We put them at the foul line 42 times when they beat us in Provo. We cannot do that; we have to limit them at the foul line.”
The women’s championship game can be seen at 2 p.m. MT on VERSUS. |
