Feb. 17, 2005

Box Score

LAS VEGAS - A 20-5 run over the final eight minutes to gave UNLV its ninth straight home win, 71-58 over Colorado State in Mountain West Conference women's basketball action from the Cox Pavilion on Thursday night. The run occurred after Colorado State took its only lead of the game, 53-51, with 7:43 on the clock, but the Lady Rebels answered back by scoring the next 16 points of the game. UNLV, who dominated the boards with a 48-26 advantage, including a 20-5 on offensive rebounds, improved to 13-10 overall and 4-5 in league play, while Colorado State fell to 13-9, and 4-5 in the MWC.

The Lady Rebels jumped out to a quick start in the first half, as back-to-back three-pointers from Brittney Thomas ignited an 18-6 spurt. RanDee Henry's layup capped the run for a 28-13 lead with 4:43 to play in the first half. The Rams suddenly found their stroke from outside however, hitting three treys over the next two minutes. A traditional three-point play from Marilyn Moulton helped CSU end the half on a 14-6 run, and they trailed by seven, 34-27, going into halftime.

Colorado State opened the second half on a 9-2 run, with Sara Hunter's trey tying the score at 36-36 with 17:19 on the clock. Henry answered back with a three-pointer for UNLV, and the Lady Rebels slowly increased their lead to nine, 47-38 with 12:35 to play. Following Thomas's third trey of the night for a 51-44 edge, CSU scored nine unanswered, and took its only lead of the game on a three-pointer from Kylee O'Dwyer. UNLV answered back on the other side with a three-point play from Sheena Moore, and the Lady Rebels held the Rams scoreless for the next 6:33 of the game, scoring 16 unanswered to seal the game. Lindsay Thomas broke the drought with a three-pointer with 1:10 left to make the score 67-56, but Brittney Thomas made four straight free throws in the final minute for the 13-point victory.

For the second straight game UNLV held a huge rebounding advantage, and have outrebounded its last two opponents by a total of 50. Henry led all scorers with 18 points and seven rebounds, while Thomas scored a career-high 15. Moore finished with 11 points, eight rebounds, and five assists, and Nikki Hitchens chipped in eight and grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds. UNLV shot 39.7% for the game, and were 6-of-19 (31.6%) from behind the arc. They also held a 24-7 edge on second chance points.

Vanessa Espinoza led CSU with 14 points and five assists. Lindsay Thomas posted 11 points and Hunter finished with eight. The Rams shot 43.4% for the game, and were 7-of-20 from downtown for 35%.

UNLV concludes its three-game conference homestand on Saturday afternoon against Wyoming at 3 pm in the Cox Pavilion.