Y. women's basketball team looks to exceed 15-win mark

Trent Shippen has a dream - one he plans to turn into reality. The second-year coach of the BYU women's basketball team is hopeful the Cougars can top last season's 15-14 record and WAC Tournament semifinal appearance.

"I have visions of us getting beyond that," Shippen said. "I just don't know how soon that'll be."With 10 players returning from a squad that upset nationally ranked Utah twice, Shippen certainly has momentum on his side. The Cougars won five of their final six games in 1997-98 to post their first winning season in four years.

Shippen said the strong finish has BYU approaching the current campaign with a positive outlook. And he's hoping it translates into a successful start.

Though the Cougars face a foreign team in an exhibition game Wednesday in the Marriott Center, they won't officially open the preseason until Nov. 13 at Idaho. Following home dates with Pac-10 powerhouse Washington and state rival Southern Utah, BYU spends more than a month away from its home court with seven games on the road.

"It'll help prepare us for the WAC," Shippen said. "We're excited. We really want to do well in our preparation."

Center Amanda Burgess (7.8 points per game, 4.5 rebounds per game) and point guard Amanda Covington (5.8 ppg, 3.2 assists per game) headline BYU's senior class. The pair were among seven Cougars who saw action in all 29 games last season. Rebounding leader Lori Henry Cuff, a junior, was another one. She averaged 6.7 points and 5.6 rebounds.

Newcomers to watch include 1998 Deseret News Ms. Basketball, Lisa Osguthorpe of Mountain View High School, and former Cache County star Mari Burningham Carpenter, who comes to BYU via UCLA and Ricks College. She is currently playing a pivotal role on the Cougars' fourth-ranked volleyball squad.