Thorn's Three Beats UNLV in Overtime

LAS -- 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 Daniel Cheesman helped lead the #5 Cougars over the #4 UNLV 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 1 p.m., MST 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 on BYU-TV.

Official Basketball Box Score
BYU vs UNLV
03/12/03 2:30 PM at Las Vegas, Nevada
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VISITORS: BYU 17-10,8-6
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
32 KOZLOWSKI, Kristen.. f  1-1    0-0    1-2    0  0  0   3   3  0  0  0  0   7
51 CHEESMAN, Danielle.. f  8-15   0-1    4-8    3  6  9   4  20  0  3  0  2  40
04 NELSON, Kestlee..... g  1-6    1-4    0-0    1  4  5   4   3  3  4  0  0  39
11 THORN, Erin......... g 10-22   2-8   12-13   1  3  4   3  34  6  4  0  2  44
15 OVERDIEK, Jen....... g  1-1    0-0    1-2    0  7  7   1   3  2  0  1  0  33
20 LARSON, Brittany....    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0  0+
25 TAYLOR, Kali........    1-2    1-2    0-0    0  1  1   1   3  0  3  0  0  19
33 ANDERSON, Ambrosia..    0-2    0-0    0-0    0  1  1   0   0  0  0  1  0   6
40 CHAMBERLAIN, A......    0-2    0-0    0-1    3  5  8   5   0  0  3  1  0  26
45 HANSEN, Lisa........    0-1    0-0    0-0    0  1  1   2   0  1  1  0  0  11
   TEAM................                         1  3  4             1
   Totals..............   22-52   4-15  18-26   9 31 40  23  66 12 19  3  4 225
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 11-21 52.4%   2nd Half:  8-24 33.3%   OT:  3-7  42.9%   Game: 42.3%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  1-5  20.0%   2nd Half:  1-7  14.3%   OT:  2-3  66.7%   Game: 26.7%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  3-8  37.5%   2nd Half: 11-14 78.6%   OT:  4-4  100 %   Game: 69.2%    4
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HOME TEAM: UNLV 17-10,8-6
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
30 MITCHELL, Talisha... f  1-2    0-0    1-2    0  2  2   3   3  3  4  0  0  23
54 McCRACKLIN, Sherry.. f  6-12   0-0   12-13   1 11 12   4  24  1  4  1  1  44
55 McCRACKLIN, Dishawn. c  3-5    0-0    0-1    3  3  6   3   6  1  2  1  1  43
11 GRAY, Julia......... g  2-6    0-1    0-2    3  3  6   4   4  8  2  0  5  42
23 JINKS, Constance.... g  4-17   0-5    2-5    0  2  2   3  10  0  3  1  0  28
00 MOORE, Sheena.......    4-6    0-0    0-1    0  2  2   1   8  0  1  0  0  17
31 ROBINSON, InFINI....    4-9    1-4    0-0    1  1  2   1   9  1  1  0  1  25
40 STRONG, Padra.......    0-1    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   2   0  0  0  0  0   3
   TEAM................                         2  1  3             1
   Totals..............   24-58   1-10  15-24  10 25 35  21  64 14 18  3  8 225
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 13-28 46.4%   2nd Half:  8-25 32.0%   OT:  3-5  60.0%   Game: 41.4%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  0-1   0.0%   2nd Half:  1-7  14.3%   OT:  0-2   0.0%   Game: 10.0%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  4-9  44.4%   2nd Half:  7-11 63.6%   OT:  4-4  100 %   Game: 62.5%    2
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Officials: Sue Kennedy, Randy Coil, Mike Price
Technical fouls: BYU-None. UNLV-McCRACKLIN, Sherry.
Attendance: 2114
Score by Periods                1st  2nd   OT   Total
BYU...........................   26   28   12  -   66
UNLV..........................   30   24   10  -   64
Quarterfinal Game #2
Statistics provided by Jim Shaffer & crew (702) 896-5677 statman@winning.com