March 7, 2009

Box Score

LAS VEGAS - In a very hard fought defensive battle in which almost every shot was contested, San Diego State would outlast the host UNLV Lady Rebels for a 61-55 victory on Saturday afternoon in Mountain West Conference women's basketball action from the Cox Pavilion.

UNLV dropped to 12-17 overall with the loss, and finished seventh in the conference with a 5-11 mark. SDSU meanwhile earned a share of the regular season title as it improved to 22-6, 13-3 in league play. The Lady Rebels will open play in next week's 2009 MWC Tournament on Tuesday, when as the seventh seed they will take on sixth-seeded BYU at 7 pm in the Thomas & Mack Center.

The game was a tight affair for the entire 40 minutes, and the largest lead either team possessed was seven points. The Aztecs would jump out to an early 11-4 lead, as Quenese Davis scored eight of her game-high 20 points in the opening six minutes of the game. The Lady Rebels tied the contest at 12-12 off a jumper from Raquel Jupiter, but SDSU stretched the lead back to four points, 17-13 with 8:35 to play in the half. The Lady Rebels then shut the Aztecs down on defense, holding them to just two free throws over the next 7:38 of the game. UNLV posted a 13-2 run during the stretch, with points coming from four different Lady Rebels. A jumper from Jamie Smith put UNLV up 26-19 with 1:12 to play, but Jene Morris hit two straight treys, the second at the halftime buzzer, to bring the Aztecs back within a point, 26-25.

With the Lady Rebels holding a four-point lead early in the second, SDSU scored five straight, and Paris Johnson's layup gave the Aztecs a 32-31 lead with 17:34 to play. For the next nine minutes, the game would be back and forth, with three lead changes and three ties while the largest lead was just three points. A 6-0 run, capped by a layup from Smith, put UNLV up 48-44 with 8:51 on the clock. The Lady Rebels would be held scoreless for almost a five-minute span however, which allowed SDSU to grab the lead back after scoring eight unanswered points. LaSandra Dixon's layup at 6:20 gave the visitors the lead for good, 49-48, and Jennifer Layton-Bailes' layup a minute later made the score 52-48.

UNLV kept the score close, and cut the edge to one, 54-53 as India Chaney made one of two at the line. Morris answered on the other end with a three-pointer for a four-point lead. Shamela Hampton made two free throws to bring UNLV back within two, 57-55 with 52 seconds left. The Aztecs would knock in four free throws in the final 30 seconds, while UNLV missed three three-point attempts in the final minute.

Hampton and Chaney both scored 13 points to lead UNLV. Smith recorded her 11th double-double of the year with 10 points and 10 rebounds, and Erica Helms also had 10 on the afternoon. UNLV was held to 27.1% (19-of-70) from the floor, and for the first time this year did not make a single three-point attempt, missing all 12 from downtown. The Lady Rebels were also outrebounded by four, 51-47, but did hold a 2-15 edge on second chance points. After turning the ball over 27 times in the first meeting this year, UNLV finished with 14, while forcing the Aztecs into 22.

Morris joined Quenese Davis in double-figures with 14, and Paris Johnson posted eight points and 15 rebounds. SDSU shot 37.3% (22-of-59) from the field, 4-of-15 (26.7%) from long range, and made 13-of-18 (72.2%) at the line.