Nov. 27, 2010
LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - With the score tied at halftime, UNLV opened the second half on a 12-0 run and held Pacific to just 19 over the final 20 minutes to post a 56-44 victory in the consolation game of the Hyatt Place Lady Rebel Round-Up on Saturday night at the Cox Pavilion. UNLV, which has now held three of its five opponents this year under 50 points, improved to 4-1 on the season while the Tigers dropped to 2-4.
Pacific would score the first nine points of the game, and held a 9-4 edge on Andrea Swanson's layup with 14:20 to play in the first half. UNLV then started to go inside, and six straight free throws from three different players gave the Lady Rebels a 10-9 edge at the 10:14 mark. It was a very tight battle for the rest of the half, with 10 lead changes and six ties. Markiell Styles' layup with a minute to go would be the final basket of the half, making it a 25-25 contest.
Kendall Rodriguez scored the opening basket of the second half for Pacific. That would be the last lead of the game for the Tigers, as three-pointers from Jamie Smith and Kelli Thompson started a 12-0 run over a 4:16 span. A jumper from Smith capped the run, putting UNLV up 37-27 at the 14:09 mark. The Tigers answered back with a 7-0 run of their own, closing to within 37-34 on Danielle Peacon's layup with 9:51 on the clock.
A pair of Smith free throws and a layup by Tia Morrison put UNLV back up by seven, and the lead hovered between five to eight points for the next six minutes. Following a Swanson free throw that cut the UNLV lead to 46-39 with 3:50 left, the Lady Rebels scored 10 of the game's next 12 points, with eight of them coming at the free throw line, to seal the victory.
Smith led all scorers with 17 points and added 10 rebounds for her second double-double of the season. She made a career-high 10-of-10 at the line, which ties for the third best performance in UNLV history. Also in double-figures was Thompson with 15. UNLV was held to 30% (15-of-50) from the floor and 2-of-11 (18.2%) from three-point range, but made 35 trips to the free throw line, making 24 for 68.6%. The Lady Rebels were outrebounded for the first time this season, 44-42, but made up for that by forcing 24 turnovers while committing only 15.
Pacific did not have a player in double figures, as Jordan Rogers was the high scorer with nine points and 10 rebounds. Rodriguez added eight for the Tigers. Pacific shot 30.9% (17-of-55) from the floor, was 3-of-20 for 15% from three-point range, and made 7-of-14 at the charity stripe for 50%.
Saturday's game concluded a five-game homestand for the Lady Rebels. UNLV returns to action on Tuesday, Nov. 30, with a road contest in Lincoln, Neb., against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at 5 pm (PST).
