By Jay Zwahlen
With a record 4,018 fans in the Marriott Center Wednesday, (Feb. 28, 2007) the BYU women?s basketball team clinched at least a share of the Mountain West Conference championship by beating Utah 59-55.
?This was the best atmosphere that we?ve had since I?ve been here,? BYU coach Jeff Judkins said. ?The fans, senior night and a big game against your arch rival. You can?t dream of anything better than this.?
Hundreds of fans lined the streets outside the Marriott Center before the game to support the women and get seating preference for the men?s game against Utah on Saturday. The men?s basketball coaching staff distributed pizza for the fans at noon.
The Cougars moved to 12-3 in MWC play and the Utes dropped to 10-5.
Emotions were high early in the game as BYU shot out to a quick 10-0 lead in the first three minutes. Senior guard Melinda Johnsen, in her last home game, sparked the Cougars early on with their first four points.
Utah calmed down and ended up tying the game 16-16 midway through the first half.
?It was a good start but I knew that Utah would come back,? Judkins said. ?They have too many girls out there that are tough players that really wanted it.?
The two teams battled for the rest of the half, but BYU led 30-28 going into the locker room.
Utah guard Kalee Whipple led all Ute scorers with 12 at the half. BYU relied on its balanced scoring with five players all scoring more than four points.
In the second half, neither team could gain separation. No team led by more than five points during the entire half.
Utah focused its defensive efforts on BYU center Dani Wright and guard Mallary Gillespie. Wright was double-teamed every time she touched the ball and Gillespie was hounded by Utah guard Heidi Carlsen. Gillespie had a swollen lip to show for it.
?They did the same thing to me up at Utah and I?ve been able to work on it ever since,? Gillespie said. ?The key was waiting for the screens that my bigs were setting for me.?
With 17 seconds left in the game, BYU was leading 57-55 when Cougars forward Shawnee Slade made a 12 foot jumper to seal the victory. This was the first time BYU has beat Utah in the Marriott Center since 2002.
Gillespie led all Cougars scorer with 15 points. Wright finished the game with 11 points and 12 rebounds, her fifth double-double of the season.
Utah guards Morgan Warburton and Kalee Whipple finished with 12 points a piece.
?A lot of people played very well tonight that didn?t show up in the stat sheet,? Judkins said. ?It showed in their heart and it showed in their toughness.?
BYU will now begin preparations to gain sole possession of the MWC crown. The Cougars play at Texas Christian on Saturday, March 3, 2007.
