Jan. 6, 2007

Box Score

LAS VEGAS - UNLV held San Diego State to just one field goal over the first 10 minutes of the second half, and outscored the Aztecs 25-5 over that stretch on the way to a 71-54 victory on Saturday night in Mountain West Conference women's basketball action from the Cox Pavilion. The win evened UNLV's record at 7-7, and 1-1 in league play, while SDSU dropped to 7-6, 0-2 in the MWC.

The Lady Rebels trailed by one point at halftime after missing several close shots, while the Aztecs shot 52% from the floor to lead 35-34. It was a completely different story in the second half, with UNLV making five of its first seven shots form the field and finishing the second half 11-of-20 from the floor for 55%. SDSU meanwhile couldn't solve the Lady Rebel defense, and made just five field goals over the final 20 minutes (5-of-32, 15.6%).

UNLV's Brittany Halberg led all scores with 18 points, including 14 in the second half, while Sequoia Holmes was next with 15 points and seven rebounds. Shamela Hampton posted a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Faye Muller grabbed 10 rebounds. As a team, UNLV shot 45.3% for the game, 36.4% from three-point range, and held a 47-35 edge on the boards.

The first half was close the entire 20 minutes, and featured seven lead changes and five ties. After SDSU built a five-point lead twice midway through the half, UNLV slowly cut away at the lead. The Lady Rebels grabbed a one-point advantage three times, the last on a layup by Latosha Pace with 14 seconds left. Quenese Davis then hit a running jumper at the buzzer to make the score 35-34.

Halberg and Holmes combined for 18 points over the first 10 minutes of the second half, while the Aztecs missed their first 10 shots from the floor. With UNLV up 61-42 with 9:30 to play, SDSU closed to within 11 thanks to an 8-0 spurt. Hampton stopped the run with a jumper for a 63-50 UNLV edge, and the Aztecs were held to just two points over the final four minutes of the game.

Davis led SDSU with 14 points, the only Aztec in double figures. Shanna Demus and Kate Eveland both added eight points. SDSU finished the game shooting 32.8% (20-of-61) from the floor, and were 4-of-19 (21.1%) from three-point range.

UNLV returns to action on Thursday, Jan. 11, against Wyoming in a nationally televised game on CSTV at 7 pm in the Cox Pavilion.