Nov. 21, 2008
Box Score
LAS VEGAS - UNLV opened the second half on an 18-2 spurt, and used a strong defensive effort to hold Nevada, Reno to just 29.7% shooting for the game to post a 66-53 victory in women's collegiate basketball action from the Cox Pavilion on Friday night. The win moved the Lady Rebels to 3-0 on the season, their first 3-0 start since 2002-03, and they are now 12-0 all-time on their home court against UNR.
The Wolf Pack (1-3) scored the first basket of the second half to close within one, 24-23. UNLV then reeled off 10 unanswered points over the next 2:17 of the game, with Shamela Hampton scoring the final four points for a 34-23 lead with 17:14 to play in the game. Dellena Criner knocked in a pair of free throws for UNR to cut the edge to single digits, but two free throws from Hampton and back-to-back treys from Shannon Oberg and Erica Helms gave UNLV a 42-25 lead with 13:56 on the clock.
The lead grew to as high as 19 points twice for UNLV, the second at 5:36 to play off a pair of Helms free throws for a 57-38 lead. UNR made one final rally attempt, as it scored 13 of the next 16 points, and closed within 60-51 off a Brandi Jones layup with 1:23 left in the game. Hampton answered back with a layup on the other end, and Brittany Halberg sank four free throws in the final 51 seconds for the 13-point win. The victory avenged UNLV's 84-63 loss in Reno last season on Dec. 28, which had broken a seven-game win streak by the Lady Rebels in the series.
The first half was a tight affair, with two ties and eight lead changes. UNR held a one-to-three point lead for the majority of the first 10 minutes. A jumper and a free throw from Helms gave UNLV a 15-13 edge with 7:44 to play, and Raquel Jupiter's jumper extended the lead to four at 6:14, 17-13. The Wolf Pack answered back with six straight, and took their last lead of the game on Brandi Jones' jumper with 2:19 to play, 19-17. Two layups from Helms and a Jamie Smith three-pointer put the Lady Rebels back up 24-19, and they took the 24-21 lead into halftime.
Hampton and Helms led all scores with 16 points each, while Hampton added 10 rebounds for her second double-double of the year. Smith posted 12 points and eight rebounds off the bench. UNLV shot 41.8% (23-of-55) for the game, and made 5-of-13 from downtown for 38.5%. The Lady Rebels also forced 26 turnovers.
Criner and Jones paced UNR with 15 points each, while Cherlanda Franklin posted four points and 13 rebounds. The Wolf Pack shot 29.7% (19-of-64) for the game, and were 3-of-17 from behind the arc for 17.6%. They did hold a 46-38 edge on the boards.
UNLV returns to action next weekend when it hosts The Lady Rebel Round-Up, Nov. 28-29 in the Cox Pavilion. On Friday, Nov. 28, Georgia plays Cal State Fullerton at 1 pm, while UNLV takes on Eastern Washington at 3:30 pm. The next day will see the consolation game tipoff at 11:30 am, followed by the championship game at 2 pm.
