Lady Rebels fall in OT heartbreaker to BYU

Thursday, March 13, 2003 | 10:09 a.m.

Tournament schedule, scores

Today's men's games

No. 2 BYU vs. No. 7 New Mexico, noon. KFBT-TV, Ch. 6

No. 3 Wyoming vs. No. 6 Colorado State, 2:30 p.m. KFBT-TV, Ch. 6

No. 1 Utah vs. No. 8 Air Force, 6 p.m. KFBT-TV, Ch. 6

No. 4 UNLV vs. No. 5 San Diego State, 9 p.m. ESPN, Ch. 30

Wednesday's women's scores

No. 1 Utah 83, No. 8 Air Force 46

No. 5 BYU 66, No. 4 UNLV 64 (OT)

No. 2 New Mexico 54, No. 7 San Diego State 49

No. 3 Colorado State 59, No. 6 Wyoming 56

They laughed for different reasons after the Brigham Young women's basketball team had beaten UNLV, 66-64, in overtime Wednesday afternoon in the first round of the Mountain West Conference tournament.

Cougars senior guard Erin Thorn grabbed teammate Danielle Cheesman's deflected rebound and drilled a 3-point shot from the top of the key with 2.8 seconds remaining to decide it before 2,114 at the Thomas & Mack Center.

"It was a lucky bounce to me," Thorn said, "and it was a lucky bounce in the basket."

Thorn, who finished with 34 points, then turned her head and giggled about her luck.

Rebels coach Regina Miller, noting the quiet of a funeral parlor in an interview room, was asked if she hoped 17 victories would be enough to earn a spot in the Women's NIT.

"Geez, I wish it were enough to get into the NCAAs," said Miller, pausing for effect and then forcing a laugh. "That's a joke, to try to lighten the mood. I think we'll get a strong nod from the NIT and we will host, hopefully, a first- and second-round game."

Miller then looked left at forward Sherry McCracklin, a sophomore from Hazel Crest, Ill., who turned in her best performance as a Rebel with 24 points and 12 rebounds in 44 minutes.

"This warrior," Miller said, "is hungry and angry."

Fifth-seeded BYU (18-10) was the lone Mountain West team to defeat a higher seed Wednesday.

Fourth-seeded UNLV (17-11) received a jolt before the opening tap, when McCracklin's right knee smacked into the right thigh of guard Constance Jinks during a warm-up drill.

Jinks, who averaged a league-best 20.7 points during the season, went 0-for-4 from the field in playing 10 first-half minutes.

During one timeout, she limped noticeably to the team's huddle. During halftime warmups, she tried to work out the knot by hopping around and stretching her right leg. She massaged it during stints on the bench.

"We tried to wrap it and keep heat on it," Jinks said. "My shot wasn't falling, so I tried to do other things. I went out there and tried to help my team as much as I could. It wasn't enough."

Jinks ended with 10 points, sinking only four of 17 shots. The 5-foot-7 senior made a magnificent defensive play by blocking a close-in attempt by 6-5 center Lisa Hansen from behind with about 30 seconds left.

UNLV snatched the ball, had a 64-63 advantage, called a timeout with 24 seconds remaining and then Jinks drove the left baseline 10 seconds later. Instead of shooting, though, she tossed the ball into traffic to her right, turning it over.

BYU junior guard Kestlee Nelson wound up taking a jumper from the right side, but the ball caromed off the front of the rim. Cheesman tipped it out front with her right hand, right to Thorn.

During the season, the Cougars led the conference by hitting 39 percent of their 3-point attempts. Wednesday, only three of 14 had fallen through the nets until Thorn's dramatic shot.

"I lost a lot of years of my life right there," said BYU coach Jeff Judkins, a former Boston Celtic who was drafted ahead of Larry Bird in 1978. "(The Rebels) gave us a lot of pressure, not just for 20 minutes but for 40, and into overtime."

BYU's Ratings Percentage Index of 57 means it likely needs to defeat Utah in a semifinal on Friday and then win the title game Saturday to get a berth in the NCAA tournament.

Only about a tick remained on the Rams' shot clock when Pickup was whistled for reaching in on Jenkins, and officials checked a courtside monitor to ensure that both of Jenkins' feet were behind the 3-point line when she was fouled.

Forward Carrie Bacon tallied 26 points for Wyoming, the third time in a row that she has scored at least 20. Rams forward Katie Borton sank a 3-point shot with less than two minutes left that tied it, 56-56.

Aztecs forward Ashonda Williams scored 18 points and played all 40 minutes, as did teammates Heather Wolf and Jamey Cox.

It was the third consecutive Mountain West tournament in which New Mexico defeated SDSU (9-18), and the Lobos recorded their worst shooting percentage (.360) in a victory this season.

Utes freshman forward Kim Smith led everyone with 19 points, hitting double figures in scoring for a conference single-season-record 28th consecutive game. Teammate Mandie Little, a junior center, registered her first double-double with 16 points and 11 boards.

Air Force guard Gwen Grove scored a team-high 13 points on 6-for-9 shooting. A Falcon did not visit the free-throw line until 2:32 remained in the game.