Jan. 24, 2009
Box Score
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - Utah's Kalee Whipple scored a game-high 22 points to help the Utes hand UNLV a 67-50 loss in Mountain West Conference women's basketball action on Saturday afternoon from the Huntsman Center.
UNLV (8-11, 1-5) was held to just 33.3 percent (18-of-54) from the floor, and turned the ball over 20 times, which lead to a 28-11 advantage for the Utes on points off turnovers. Utah (12-6, 5-0) meanwhile shot very well from the floor, making 26-of-55 for 47.3%, and connected on eight of its 23 attempts from behind the arc.
The Lady Rebels made five of their first 25 shots (20%) from the floor, while the Utes made 13-of-24 to open up a 34-11 lead with 3:36 to play in the first half. Utah would take a 38-16 lead into halftime. The lead grew to as high as 29 points, 47-18 on a Morgan Warburton three-pointer with 17:20 to play in the half.
UNLV started to rally midway through the second half. First, a 13-2 run, fueled by 10 points from Dominique Harris, cut the lead to 49-32 with 10:49 on the clock. The Utes stretched the lead to 25, 61-36 with 6:54 to play before UNLV ran off a 12-2 run thanks to four consecutive three-pointers, two from Brittany Halberg and one each from Harris and Jamie Smith. The final trey of the run, from Harris, made the score 63-48 with 2:39 left in the game. The Utes would score four of the last six points of the game to close out the win.
Harris finished with a team-high 14 points to lead the Lady Rebels, and Smith posted her sixth double-double of the year with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Halberg scored eight points, while Shamela Hampton was held to six. UNLV was playing without its starting point guard, Erica Helms, and forward Shannon Oberg, as they both stayed home in Las Vegas with the flu.
Whipple made five three-pointers and added eight rebounds to lead the Utes. Also in double figures was Katie King with 15 points, and Warburton with 12.
UNLV will return to action next Saturday, as it hosts Air Force on Jan. 31 at 1 pm in the Cox Pavilion.
