Completed Event: Women's Basketball at Eastern Kentucky on March 19, 2026 , Loss , 58, to, 72
Final Score
Women's Basketball
58
at Eastern Kentucky
72
The University of Utah Athletics
Utah Women's Basketball Notes - MWC Championship Game
3/10/2006 12:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 10, 2006
Game #30
MWC Tournament Championship Game
University of Utah (23-6) vs. BYU (25-4)
4 p.m. Saturday, March 11, 2006 - Pepsi Center
Denver, Colo.
Radio: Hot Ticket 700 AM
TV: ESPN2 (Tape-delayed at 10:30 p.m.)
Audio/Video Stream - www.UtahUtes.com
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Utes, Cougars Tangle for MWC Tournament Title
The University of Utah women's basketball team will play in its third consecutive and fourth overall Mountain West Conference Tournament championship game Saturday afternoon.
The second-seeded Utes defeated UNLV 61-45 Friday afternoon to advance to the championship game. Utah got 14 points, eight assists and seven rebounds from Shona Thorburn in that victory. Kim Smith, Heidi Carlsen and Julie Larsen each added 11 apiece.
The Utes' opponent will be arch-rival BYU. The top-seeded Cougars advanced by virtue of a 63-53 win over TCU Friday. Dani Kubik tallied 24 points and 10 rebounds to lead BYU. Mallary Gillespie added 18, while Ambrosia Anderson had a double-double with 12 points and 10 boards.
Utah and BYU split their regular-season series. The Cougars took a 61-60, buzzer-beating win at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Jan. 7. The Utes exacted some revenge for that loss in Provo on Feb. 8. Utah defeated BYU at the Marriott Center 70-52.
The two teams have met once in the MWC title game. Utah won 61-47 in 2000.
Utah Fast Breaks
? Utah is making its fourth appearance in the Mountain West Conference Tournament title game in seven years.
? The Utes are making their third consecutive MWC title game appearance.
? The Utes are 2-2 against BYU in the MWC Tournament.
? Utah won the inaugural Mountain West Conference Tournament championship, defeating BYU 61-47.
? The Utes are 1-2 in MWC Tournament championship games. BYU is 1-3 in the MWC title game.
Tenacious D
Utah has traditionally been one of the top defensive teams in the country. The Utes have put together another strong defensive season. Through 29 games, Utah has allowed an average of just 54.7 points per game, which ranks No. 2 in the MWC. Utah was ranked No. 17 in scoring defense in this week's NCAA statistical report.
The Utes led the nation in scoring defense in three of the past six seasons (1999-2000, 2000-01, 2002-03). They have ranked in the top 10 in five of the last six years. Last season, Utah ranked second in the Mountain West Conference and 27th in the nation in scoring defense, allowing 55.7 points per game.
Kim-Possible
Senior forward Kim Smith ranks in the top 15 in 10 of 12 statistical categories released by the Mountain West Conference. She is the only MWC player to rank in 10 categories. Smith leads the league in scoring (20.0 ppg) and is second in rebounding (8.0 rpg).
Smith's 29-point effort against Air Force Wednesday marked the 16th time this season she has scored more than 20 points. For her career, Smith has reached 20 points or more 39 times. She tallied her seventh double-double of the season Wednesday as well, grabbing 13 rebounds.
A Little Help Here?
With nine assists against UNLV on Feb. 22, Shona Thorburn shattered Alli Bills' record for career assists at the University of Utah. After recording eight helpers against UNLV on Friday, she now has a total of 650 helpers, while Bills tallied 612 from 1994-98. Thorburn ranks No. 5 in assists per game in this week's NCAA statistical report.
Thorburn is now just one assist shy of tying the Mountain West Conference record for assists. Mandi Moore currently holds that record with 651 set from 2001 through 2005. Thorburn's potential to break the Utah and Mountain West Conference records are even more impressive, when considering that she played the shooting guard position as a freshman and sophomore.
-UU-
Players Mentioned
Utah: 66, Cincinnati: 73 | Big 12 Tournament | Utah Basketball Postgame Press Conference
Wednesday, March 11
Utah: 75, Baylor: 101 | Utah Basketball Postgame Press Conference
Sunday, March 08
Utah: 78, Colorado: 92 | Utah Basketball Postgame Press Conference
Wednesday, March 04
Utah: 81, Colorado: 67 | Women's Basketball Postgame Press Conference
Sunday, March 01