By Melissa Leeper
As finals continue to draw closer, stress levels shoot through the roof. Students scrounge to find every minute of time to study everything they?ve learned or didn?t learn throughout the semester. It?s a little tougher for those in sports.
?This is a tough time for us because of finals,? BYU head coach Jeff Judkins said. ?We?ve been on the road for two weeks and now we?ve got one more road game.?
Instead of studying, the women?s basketball team travels to California to face UC Riverside tonight at 7. The Cougars still have a perfect record (5-0) as they go into their sixth game of the season.
?We just look one game at a time,? Judkins said. ?Right now we?re just looking at Riverside and looking at what we need to do to beat them and not really looking at the record.?
The team has five wins and this ties them with the best beginning of the season in BYU history. If they win tonight they will have the best beginning to a season for women?s basketball.
?It?s a great compliment with all the great teams BYU has had over the years, to have that great of a start,? Judkins said.
All the wins for the Cougars increase their confidence as they continue to play this season.
?When you win you really build a lot of confidence,? Judkins said. ?As a team you believe you can beat anyone if you just execute and do what you?re supposed to do.?
However, the team?s most recent game against Seton Hall proved to be more challenging than the Cougars anticipated. The Pirates challenged the Cougars offense for the majority of the game. They held BYU to scoring only 54 points, by far the lowest scoring game for the team this season. Even with the low scoring game against the Pirates, the team averages 70 points per game.
?We didn?t play that well offensively against , but we played they very well defensively,? Judkins said. ?I think that?s why we?ve won our games this season, because we?ve been able to defend ourselves well.?
The Cougars hope to improve their play for tonight?s game and secure another win for the team.
?I think we feel really confident right now,? Judkins said. ?We?re playing really good ball and playing well as a team.?
UC Riverside?s record is 3-2 and the Highlanders? Kemie Nkele makes history for their school by being named the Big West Conference?s Player of the Week for the second time this season. Nkele averages 15.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, nine blocked shots and 11 steals per game.
The BYU women?s basketball team has its own star, Ambrosia Anderson, who averages 21.6 points, 10.0 rebounds, three blocked shots and six steals per game.
?Riverside?s a good team and it will be really nice to be able to beat them. It?s a team we should beat,? Judkins said.