Thursday, March 6, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
There it was, ripe for the picking.
But instead of plucking a major upset from archrival Utah in its Western Athletic Conference women's basketball tournament quarterfinal Wednesday night, Brigham Young fell off the ladder.
Surprisingly ahead much of the game and tied with the Utes at 54 with 1:49 to play, the Cougars wilted in the heat of the final seconds, 58-54, at the Thomas & Mack Center.
Utah had already beaten BYU twice in the regular season by 11 and 12 points and entered the tournament as the Mountain Division's top seed. BYU was the division's fifth seed.
"We were proud we were able to play with them," Cougars head coach Soni Adams said. "The kids were motivated. They really wanted to win this game."
BYU led at halftime, 37-33, as Utah struggled. While the Cougars were shooting 50 percent (13 of 26), the Utes were hitting just 38 percent (9 of 24).
In the second half, however, Utah changed its defense and changed the momentum.
"Giving up 37 points in the first half is a problem," Utah head coach Elaine Elliott said. "We can't score with people.
"We were in a zone the second half and they quit taking it to us. It forced them to look at something different. We wanted them to find a different way to score 37 points on us."
Within six minutes of the second half, Utah had erased BYU's advantage at 42-41. From there, the teams traded baskets, changing the lead seven times.
But at 4:08, senior forward Julie Krommenhoek swished a 3-point bomb, giving the Utes a 54-52 lead. A couple of Cougar free throws later, the score was knotted at 54.
Utah could have put the game away sooner, but made just 4 of 8 free throws in the final 1:19, giving BYU several chances to steal a victory.
One prime opportunity came with 12 seconds remaining and the Cougars trailing, 55-54. BYU's Kimberly Morris Baum stole the ball on her own baseline but passed the ball to Utah's Alli Bills, who was fouled. Bills made the first of her two free throws.
Then, with mere ticks remaining, Baum drove to the hoop for a point-blank jumper. Her shot bounced off the rim as she ran into Krommenhoek, causing a whistle with 3.4 seconds left. The call was charging. Krommenhoek hit both foul shots to plant BYU.
"We won on guts, but it wasn't the first time," Elliott said. "I'll put my money on this team because they'll never give in."
* SAN DIEGO STATE 57, NEW MEXICO 50: The Aztecs began the game with a 14-3 rally and led the entire way in knocking off the Lobos, but not before letting a commanding lead slip away. With 5:45 left to play, SDSU owned a 26-point advantage. The Aztecs then watched New Mexico go on a 21-4 run before running out of time. "We never quit," said New Mexico mentor Don Flanagan, whose team scored just 12 first-half points. "I was proud of the fact we played hard until the end and nobody gave up." SDSU head coach Beth Burns was nothing short of relieved the final horn sounded when it did. "You're never thrilled with a lack of concentration," she said. The Aztecs (21-6) were guided by Jodi Nowlin-Tres with 26 points, 10 rebounds and four steals. The Lobos (18-10) got a team-high 12 points from Tamika Stukes, who also committed eight turnovers.
* HAWAII 57, RICE 54: Down 54-52 with 36 seconds left to play, Raylene Howard nailed a 3-pointer to give the Wahine the lead. The Owls had many chances to win in the closing seconds, but a pair of missed free throws by Marla Brumfield and an unsuccessful 3-point attempt from Jenny Cafferty at the buzzer sealed their fate in a contest that featured 17 lead changes and eight ties. "We just didn't make the plays," Rice head coach Cristy McKinney said. "Hawaii's more experienced than we are and they played more experienced." The Wahine (21-7) shot 52 percent in the second half and were led by Kendis Leeburg with 21 points on 9-of-17 shooting. Howard had 13 points and 15 rebounds. Three players hit double figures for the Owls (16-11), led by Brumfield's 13.
* SMU 69, COLORADO STATE 64: The Mustangs led by as many as 15 points in the second half but allowed the Rams to pull within two with 19 seconds remaining. SMU, however, averted disaster by hitting 4 of 6 free throws the rest of the way, while holding CSU scoreless. A jumper from Kim Brandl with 3:22 left in the first half gave SMU (19-10) a permanent lead and contributed to her team-high 22 points. Teammate Karlin Kennedy recorded 21 points and eight rebounds, while Claudia Brassard grabbed 10 boards. CSU (21-7) was paced by Katie Cronin with 23 points and five assists. Shannon Randles had 18 rebounds.
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