Dec. 5, 2002

Final Stats

(San Francisco) - When the University of San Francisco women's basketball team falls asleep tonight, they will likely see the image Jennifer Leitner of Brigham Young. The 6-1 senior forward was everywhere for the Cougars, scoring a game-high 28 points to go along with 11 rebounds, powering BYU to a 68-65 non-conference victory against the Lady Dons Thursday in War Memorial Gym.

USF did not go quietly. Playing their third contest against a top-25 opponent in six games so far in the 2002-2003 campaign, the Lady Dons (2-4) were paced by a career-high 23-point effort by senior forward Lisa Whiteside. In addition, Whiteside keyed a tremendous USF defensive effort that held senior All-American guard Erin Thorn to 12 points on the evening. Thorn hit probably her biggest bucket of the game as time expired in the first half with the Cougars (5-0) trailing 39-35, hitting a 3-pointer from deep on the left wing to close the gap to one, 39-38.

BYU, who entered the contest ranked as high as No. 19 in one poll, looked to be in command early, bursting out to a 11-2 lead with less than three minutes played in the first half. The Lady Dons roared back with a 9-0 run to tie the game at 11 at the 15:09 mark on a 3-pointer by junior forward Carey Sauer. Sauer finished with 19 points. A lay-up by junior center Mary Jane Krueger gave San Francsico their first lead of the contest19-18 with 9:11 remaining. USF built a 39-35 lead with 18 seconds remaining on a bucket by freshman guard Joy Hollingsworth, but Thorn answered at the buzzer.

After the teams took the floor following intermission the game remained tight and neither team led by more than five points. USF took their biggest lead of the second half at 46-42 with 14:57 remaining on a pair of free throws by junior forward Carey Sauer. The Cougars would whittle the lead down, finally taking the lead for good at the 7:28 mark on a 3-pointer by sophomore guard Julie Sullivan to take a 59-57 lead.

San Francisco tied the game at 59-59 on a driving lay-up by sophomore guard Toni Russell, but the Cougars responded to every threat. Leitner made the difference down the stretch, according to head coach Jeff Judkins.

"If we hadn't had Letiner it would've been very tough tonight. Leitner played well tonight. She seems to always play well down the stretch and wants the ball in those situations." Judkins believes USF will be a dangerous opponent this season. "San Francisco is a very good team and they are very well coached. Carey Sauer is a very good player for them. They will beat a lot of people this season," Judkins stated.

USF head coach Mary Hile-Nepfel echoed those sentiments.

"I though Leitner stepped up. She was big for them tonight. She's versatile and can beat you in a lot of ways. That was the difference tonight," Hile-Nepfel stated.

BYU held a 30-24 rebound advantage, which helped offset 23 turnovers. The Cougars shot at a .519 rate for the game (27-52), while San Francisco connected at a .471 (24-51) clip. USF converted on just .200 (3-15) from beyond the arc.