Nov. 9, 2009
Box Score
LAS VEGAS - Five players scored seven or more points as UNLV claimed a 42-34 victory over San Francisco State in women's college basketball exhibition action on Monday night from Cox Pavilion.
UNLV was paced by seven points from Jamie Smith, who also added a game-high 10 rebounds while Erica Helms posted a team-high nine points. The Lady Rebels had some shooting troubles, making just 16% (4-of-25) of their attempts from three-point range, and shot 16-of-51 overall for the game, UNLV did have a 39-36 edge on the boards which included a 19-14 advantage on offensive rebounds. That resulted in 14 second chance points for the home team, while the Gators scored six off second chance opportunities.
The Lady Rebels began the game with an 8-3 edge, as SFSU was held to just one basket in the first six minutes, a desperation three-pointer at the shot clock buzzer that banked in from 25 feet. However, a 6-0 run from the Gators gave them an 9-8 edge, and a layup with 12:26 left in the first half made the score 11-10 in SFSU's favor.
That was the last point for the Gators for the next 12 minutes, as UNLV forced 11 missed shots and 12 turnovers. The Lady Rebels scored seven points during that stretch, though SFSU broke their streak with a basket in the final minute of the first half, making the UNLV lead 17-13 going into the break.
Four straight points from SFSU tied the game 50 seconds into the second half, but UNLV quickly responded, scoring 15 of the game's next 20 points. Markiell Styles came off the bench with back-to-back layups, while Smith and India Chaney both hit three-pointers during the run, which resulted in a 32-22 lead with 11:58 to play. The lead hovered between seven to 11 points for the rest of the game until the final seconds when it was briefly cut to six before ending in the 42-34 victory.
Other scoring leaders for UNLV included Sandrine Nzeukou with eight points and seven rebounds, Chaney with eight points, and Styles with seven.
Donisha Tate led the Gators with 11 points and eight rebounds. Jessica Hout-Freeman was next on the squad with five points. SFSU was held to 31.9% (15-of-47) shooting for the night, and was forced into 23 turnovers.
The regular season will tipoff for the Lady Rebels on Friday, Nov. 13, at Southern Utah in Cedar City, Utah, with a 6 pm (PST) start.
