Remember When... Kevin Nixon Hit from Half Court to Beat UTEP?

BYU entered the 1992 WAC Championship as the No. 1 seed and defeated Air Force and Utah by double figures to advance to the title game against UTEP. As the two teams battled for the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, a dramatic game ended with one of the greatest buzzer beaters in BYU history.

The tables were turned on the Cougars early as they trailed the Miners 42-31 at the half. UTEP led by as many as 14 at 53-39 before BYU started its comeback. The Cougars slowly chipped away at the lead and they trailed by six at 64-58 with 5:36 remaining. BYU hit 2-of-4 from the line before a Nathan Call three cut the deficit to one (64-63).

UTEP answered with a three-point play but Gary Trost and Russell Larson hit two free throws apiece to tie the score. Marlon Maxey’s layup gave the lead back to the Miners but Mark Heslop’s three with 31 seconds remaining gave the Cougars their first lead since early in the first half at 70-69. With the clock winding down, UTEP missed twice but grabbed the offensive rebounds and Maxey scored with 2.4 seconds remaining to make it 71-70.

Three timeouts, two by BYU and one by UTEP, were called and Kevin Nixon was subbed into the game for the first time of the second half. Call inbounded to Nixon, who took two dribbles and drained the 54-footer for the win and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

CLICK HERE for coverage in Deseret News.

Remember When... Series

Every weekday from Oct. 15 to Nov. 11, BYUCougars.com will remember some of the great moments, players and events in BYU basketball history. A new installment to the series will be posted every weekday until the 2010-11 men’s basketball season opener against Fresno State on Nov. 12.