Day one of the the Women's Mountain West Conference Tournament ended without any major upsets.
Brigham Young University, Colorado State University and host University of Nevada-Las Vegas all joined the University of New Mexico to advance to Friday's semifinals.
BYU 82, Wyoming 69: BYU got a game high 28 points from guard Erin Thorn to eleiminate the Wyoming from the MWC Tournament Wednesday.
Thorn went 10-16 from the field and 8-13 from beyond the arc for the Cougars.
Wyoming (13-15, 5-9) had five players in double-figures, including Carrie Bacon and Darci Arsene, who finished the game with double-double's. Bacon recorded 18 points and ten boards.
BYU (20-8, 10-4) finished the night shooting 52 percent from the field and an impressive 12-of-25 from the three-point line.
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After falling behind early, the Cowgirls kept it close, but a 9-0 BYU run allowed the Cougars to grab a 33-22 advantage, their largest of the half. Wyoming hung tough, but trailed 40-33 at halftime.
Wyoming went on a 21-10 run to close within one point, 56-55 midway through the second half. However, BYU responded, going on a 23-14 run to finish the game and grab the victory.
BYU faces UNM in the semi-finals Friday at 1 p.m. MST.
CSU 79, Air Force 68: Angie Gorton scored 23 points to lead Colorado State to victory over the Air Force Academy in the quarterfinals of the MWC tournament Wednesday night.
The No. 18 Rams (24-5) opened a 21-10 lead with 11 minutes left in the first half and never looked back. Air Force (4-24) closed the gap to 21-12 at the 10:42 mark of the first half but never got any closer as the Rams took a 43-32 halftime lead.
Amoy Jackson had 13 points and eight rebounds to lead the way for the Falcons. Shawna Neff and Howell scored 13 points each for Air Force.
Colorado State opened the second half with a 17-8 run in the first 6:23 of the half to build its lead to 60-40.
The Rams face host UNLV Friday at 3:30 pm. MST.
UNLV 57, Utah 38: Forward Linda Frohlich scored a game-high 17 points and pulled down 14 rebounds as the host Rebels avenged a late-season loss to the University of Utah.
Aztecs coach dismissed: San Diego State women's basketball coach Barb Smith will not have her contract extended, the school announced Wednesday.
Smith was just 49-86 over five seasons with the Aztecs, including a 10-18 mark this season. The Aztecs were eliminated from the Mountain West Conference tournament with a 65-52 loss to New Mexico on Wednesday.
Smith's contract expires on May 1. SDSU athletic director Rick Bay said a search for a new coach would begin after a two-week waiting period mandated by the state of California.
Staff reports and wire
