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Las Vegas • Anson Winder couldn't even bail the Cougars out this time.

For the first time since Nov. 22, 1996 - a span of 577 games - BYU failed to make a 3-pointer in a college basketball game on Saturday night. Going 0 for 12 from beyond the arc, the Cougars still had enough firepower to handle Loyola Marymount 85-74 at Orleans Arena in a West Coast Conference quarterfinal game.

That game more than 17 years ago, an opener against Cal State Fullerton, precluded a 1-25 season under coach Roger Reid. Suffice it to say the Cougars are infinitely better now than they were then.

Tyler Haws went 0 for 5, Matt Carlino went 0 for 4 and Winder went 0 for 2 from 3-point range on Saturday. Kyle Collinsworth had the other long-range miss.

The Cougars shoot 37 percent from 3-point range as a team, but don't take a lot, having hoisted 259 fewer than their opponents.

Three times this season they've made just one - against Colorado Mesa (Collinsworth), at Pepperdine (Winder) and at Saint Mary's (Winder).

Coincidentally, Haws called Orleans Arena "a shooter's gym" just last Wednesday.

"Uh, yes, I do say the same thing," he said. "The next shot is in. That's the way you have to look at it. I still like it."

Confident Dons

No one has ever accused San Francisco coach Rex Walters of lacking confidence. After the Dons' 69-60 win over San Diego that set up Monday's 9:30 p.m. MDT semifinal against BYU, a team that has defeated USF twice this season, Walters said USF is the best team in the tournament.

"I told our guys, 'I think we are the best team here," Walters said from the podium. "I think we got as good a chance [at winning the title] as anyone. … I think we're better."

Another trophy for Haws' house

As BYU was defeating LMU, Haws' brother TJ Haws was leading Lone Peak to its fourth-straight Class 5A state championship. The BYU signee, who will go on a church mission before enrolling, scored 29 points on 8 of 14 3-point shooting.

"I am sure he is going to rub it in a little bit," Tyler Haws said. "But I am so happy for my brother. He is having an incredible career at Lone Peak, and to win four state championships is pretty special."

Briefly

A couple of the best former players in BYU history, football star Kyle Van Noy and basketball star Danny Ainge, were at the game. … Haws passed Michael Smith for the seventh-most points in a season at BYU and has scored 700 points this season. He has reached double figures in 45 straight games, the fourth-longest double-digit streak in school history.

Twitter: drewjay