Thorn's Three Beats UNLV in Overtime

Cougars to face Utah in semifinals on Friday.

Erin Thorn scored 34 points in the Cougars overtime win.
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March 12, 2003

LAS VEGAS - Erin Thorn's three-pointer in overtime gave BYU the 66-64 win against UNLV in the first round of the Women's MWC Tournament. The Cougars remain undefeated in MWC quarterfinal play (4-0) and advance to face Utah in the semifinals on Friday.

Head coach Jeff Judkins said it was an exciting game for both teams, "It was a great team effort. I'm happy for our team and players."

After stealing the ball with 20 seconds left in overtime, Thorn caught Kestlee Nelson's missed three-pointer and threw up a shot that rattled in with 2.8 seconds on the clock. The Lady Rebels didn't get a shot off before the time ran out, giving the Cougars the 66-64 win.

In regulation, Nelson hit a three with 31.8 seconds on the clock to give the Cougars a 54-52 lead. Before Nelson's made three-pointer, the Cougars had made just one of 12 from behind the three-point line. After UNLV made two late free throws to tie the game 54-54, Nelson stepped on the end line, giving the ball back to the Lady Rebels with 5.2 seconds remaining. The last second shot by Constance Jinks fell short and sent the game into overtime.

Thorn's 34 points in the game were good enough to surpass the 2,000 career points mark. She has scored in double figures 25 of the 27 games she's played in this year. Thorn also contributed with six assists and two steals.

All-Conference performer Daniel Cheesman helped lead the fifth-seeded Cougars over the fourth-seeded Lady Rebels by scoring 20 points and nine rebounds. Kristen Kozlowski, a sophomore forward, in her first start of her career scored three points.

Despite a scoreless first half from the MWC leading scorer Jinks, UNLV led at the half 30-26. The Cougars held Jinks to 10 points in the game. The Lady Rebels received an outstanding performance from Sherry McCracklin who scored a career-high 24 points.

The Cougars will take on the Utes on Friday at Noon PST in the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. BYU is 0-2 on the season against Utah, but the two teams have split the two previous MWC tournament meetings (1-1). The game will be televised in Provo on KBYU.