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LAS VEGAS — As she was deciding where to play after her high school career, former Cyprus High girls basketball standout Lori Parkinson couldn't get the attention of BYU, and signed with Southern Utah.
Despite not playing organized basketball before her freshman year, Parkingson went on to play two years for the Thunderbirds and led the team with 7.3 rebounds per game and 23 total blocks before following coach RJ Payne to Santa Clara for her final two years.
In the West Coast Conference semifinal, Parkinson had the Cougars' full attention.
Parkinson had a team-high 24 points and seven rebounds in the Broncos' 87-67 loss to the top-seeded Cougars that eliminated them from the tournament Monday afternoon.
The result wasn't what she wanted, but there were no tears shed by Parkinson, Payne or leading rebounder Marie Bertholdt in the postgame press area.
"It was kind of cool," Parkinson said of facing the Cougars. "You always hear about BYU being dominant, and it gave me a little extra to go out and play hard.
"They passed up on me, so it gave me more fight to play harder."
Parkinson was a menace in the post early in the first quarter for Santa Clara (23-8). The junior from West Valley City scored eight of her team's first 12 points for a Broncos squad that had just eight eligible players but outpaced the Cougars 35-16 in the paint.
After Bertholdt, who finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds, opened the game with a layup just 20 seconds into the game, Parkinson scored on back-to-back possessions and gave Santa Clara a rare lead, 6-5, just over two minutes into the game before falling behind 16-12 after one quarter and never leading again.
"All week they've been telling me to rip and attack; they (BYU) can't stop you. They're going to foul you, or you'll make it," Parkinson said before laughing at her ability to make 'really bad tough shots.' "I like to take too many 50 percent shots, so I just had to keep being aggressive, and that was my mindset all week: to catch and go."
A former Class 4A defensive player of the year in 2011, Parkinson chose SUU before following Payne to Santa Clara, California, sitting out the 2014-15 season with a redshirt.
Parkinson has been vital to Payne's transition at SCU, though. The Broncos earned the No. 4 seed for the conference tournament, and are likely headed for a postseason berth via the WNIT.
"I'm extremely proud of our team and the way that we played the game," Payne said. "We're down in numbers. But everyone that played came to win. I think our lack of depth hurt us, but I'm really proud of our effort, our intensity and the way that we played."
The Broncos faced a tough non-conference schedule en route to the No. 8 RPI in the country, and picked up a 61-58 win at powerhouse Stanford on Nov. 23. SCU also has a pair of wins over Gonzaga and a win at WCC No. 2-seed Saint Mary's early in conference play.
"This conference is so tough," Payne said. "It feels like every team has beaten every team at some point in the season.
"We didn't do as well in league, but we're hoping for a postseason bid."
