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LAS VEGAS, Nev. — BYU made one big mistake.

The Cougars upset Lobos forward Dionne Marsh, unwittingly inspiring one of her top performances of the season.

Marsh scored 20 points, leading the University of New Mexico women's basketball team to a 63-49 win over BYU and the Mountain West Conference tournament title.

With the championship, UNM also earns the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. It will be the Lobos' sixth consecutive appearance in the NCAAs.

“We wanted to win this championship, and we weren't going to let anyone stop us,” Marsh said. “We fought hard and played really well together as a team to make sure we didn't let anyone beat us in this tournament.”

UNM has won the tournament four of the past five years and returned to dominant form again this year after losing in the first round last season.

The Lobos (24-8) led BYU by as many as 13 points early in the second half, but BYU (23-9) battled back and claimed a 42-41 advantage off a Dani Wright layup with 6:37 left in the game.

UNM reclaimed 43-42 lead when junior Brandi Kimble knocked down two free throws at the 6:23 mark.

Then came Marsh' march through the Cougars.

Marsh was charged with her fourth foul at the 6:01 mark.

Lobos coach Don Flanagan said the call inspired Marsh.

“She got really angry, and I knew she was going to take over the game,” Flanagan said. “I hate to get her angry, but when she's that upset she plays her best.”

Marsh took over, scoring 13 of UNM's next 20 points.

BYU couldn't counter Marsh's inside moves. Wright, the co-conference player of the year, fouled out with 5:19 left in the game trying to slow Marsh down.

Cougars guard Jennie Keele was charged with a technical foul arguing with officials over Wright's fifth foul.

Marsh said the officiating and bruising battle in the paint sparked her run.

“I'm a much smaller player and there's no way I was making the kind of contact they said I was with those girls,” Marsh said. “The only way I could fight back was to score on the other end and make them see the contact.”

Junior guard Brandi Kimble said the whole team realized they had won the game when Marsh began making moves inside.

“She was awesome,” Kimble said. “It was just like she swallowed fire. She wasn't going to let anyone get in her way.”

Teammate Timi E-Nunu peered at the game from behind an ice pack. She had been clocked in the nose earlier by one of Kimble's knees as they both flew after a rebound and was woozy but could still marvel at Marsh's effort.

“As soon as I saw Dionne score her second layup, I was like, `Yes! That's it. We're winning this,'” E-Nunu said. “Dionne has no idea that when she gets mad, she can jump over anyone and do anything.”

Senior guard Katie Montgomery took advantage of the attention Marsh drew late and scored two straight layups to help UNM break away from the Cougars.

“We were just going to keep going at them and attack every chance we got,” Montgomery said. “Dionne really blew the game wide open for us.”

During Marsh's scoring explosion in the final five minutes, the Lobos also played smothering defense.

Montgomery stole the ball once and ran it back for a layup and freshman guard Amy Beggin stole the ball on another possession.

“You could see it in their eyes that they were frustrating and panicking,” Beggin said. “I knew from the last game they didn't like to dribble that much, so I tried to keep as much pressure on them as possible. We all kept hands in their faces when they put up shots and didn't let up.”

Marsh led all scorers with her 20 points and was named the tournament's most valuable player.

Senior guard Julie Briody finished with 14 points, while Montgomery had 13 points and six assists. Kimble finished just short of a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds.

UNM shot 44 percent from the field, including 55 percent in the second half. The Lobos shot 31 percent from 3-point range. UNM gave itself a big advantage by shooting 82.4 percent from the free-throw line, with Marsh knocking down 8-of-9 attempts.

“This team played extremely well together, and it was really surprising how quickly the players distanced themselves from BYU at the end,” Flanagan said. “They just had the will to win. That's what got them this championship – the will to win.”

BYU guard Mallary Gillespie finished with 17 points, while guard Shawnee Slade chipped in 14 points. Cougars center Lauren Riley ended the game with 10 points and 14 rebounds.

The Cougars shot 36 percent from the field, although they were much hotter in the second half firing 56 percent. BYU shot 53.8 percent from the free-throw line and 20 percent from 3-point range.

Briody, Gillespie, Riley and Wyoming forward Hanna Zavecz joined Marsh on the all-tournament team.

The dazzling finale was a far cry from the way the game started.

Both teams struggled to shoot early. After eight minutes of play, UNM was shooting 21 percent from the field and BYU was shooting 14 percent.

The Lobos picked up the pace and mounted an 18-8 run to grab a 27-17 halftime lead.

Kimble lead the UNM in the first half with seven points, while Briody had seven and Montgomery added six.

Riley led BYU with seven points, while Wright sat 11 first-half minutes with two fouls.

“I think we were pretty cold early in the game and let them back in it a little bit in the second half because we stopped attacking the basket, but we never gave up each other,” Montgomery said. “We knew we would fight back and find a way to win.”

The Lobos are off the NCAA Tournament bubble with the championship.

The team will learn its matchup and first-round site Monday. The women's selection show will be broadcast at 6 p.m. on ESPN.

“It's so much nicer this year knowing we're already in the tournament,” Briody said. “I don't care who we play or where we play. I'm just happy we're in.”