Dec. 6, 2004

Box Score

ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Michigan's Kelly Helvey scored her only field goal of the game on a layup with seven seconds left to lift the host Wolverines to a 45-43 win over UNLV from Crisler Arena on Monday night. The Lady Rebels, who trailed by 10 points in the second half, fell to 3-4 overall while UM evened its record to 3-3.

UNLV, which trailed 28-18 at the half after shooting a season-low 24.1 percent, were down 35-28 when RanDee Henry and Sheena Moore combined for eight straight points to give the Lady Rebels their only lead of the game. Michigan responded with seven unanswered, and led 42-36 on Janelle Cooper's jumper with 5:11 left in the game. A three-point play from Moore and a layup from Shana Coleman brought UNLV back within one, 42-41, with two minutes to go. After both teams went a possession without a basket, Tabitha Pool drew a foul on Henry, her fifth of the game that sent her to the bench. Pool converted one of two for a 43-41 edge with 38 seconds left, but Moore came back down and hit a short jumper in the paint to knot the score at 43-43 with 23 seconds to go. Michigan then called a timeout, and Krista Clement drove into the lane and drew two UNLV defenders, leaving Helvey alone in the paint for the game-winner..

The first half saw a dreadful shooting performance from the Lady Rebels, hitting just four-of-25 from the floor before hitting three shots in the final three minutes. They fell behind by as much as 12, and were kept in the game by their dominance on the boards, holding a 22-12 edge while not allowing the Wolverines to get an offensive rebound.

Moore, the MWC's leading scorer, was held to just nine points on 4-of-17 shooting. As a team, UNLV shot 32.1% (18-of-56), and were 0-of-15 from three-point range. Averaging over 20 free throw attempts a game this season, the Lady Rebels attempted just seven (perfect 7-of-7). Henry led UNLV with her third double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Nikki Hitchens and Shana Coleman both added eight points. UNLV did outrebound the Wolverines 37-29.

Michigan was paced by Pool with 15 points and nine rebounds, while Ta'Shia Walker added nine. After shooting 41% in the first half, the Wolverines were held to just 33.3% and 17 total points in the second half. They were also 0-4 from three-point range, meaning both teams combined to shoot 0-19 from behind the arc.

The Lady Rebels take the next 12 days off for exams before returning to action the weekend of Dec. 18-19, when they host the eight-team Duel in the Desert Tournament in Las Vegas in the Cox Pavilion. UNLV opens up action in the tournament when they play Northern Arizona in the third game of the day on Dec. 18 at 5 pm.