March 6, 2010
Box Score
LARAMIE, Wyo. - UNLV rallied from a 13-point deficit to grab a late lead, but the host Wyoming Cowgirls scored 10 of the game's final 14 points to post a 78-73 victory over the Lady Rebels in the Mountain West Conference women's basketball regular season finale for both teams on Saturday afternoon from Arena Auditorium.
UNLV was denied in its bid for a season sweep, but there will be a rubber match as the two squads will face off against each other again in the first round of next week's 2010 Mountain West Conference Tournament. The Lady Rebels' conference record of 6-10 (13-17 overall) places them seventh in the league for the second straight year, and as the seventh seed in the tournament they will take on sixth-seed Wyoming (18-10, 9-7 in the MWC) on Tuesday, March 9 at 7 pm in the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
A 7-0 spurt midway through the second half gave Wyoming its largest lead of the game, 61-48 on a Chaundra Sewell layup at the 11:50 mark. Kelli Thompson wouldn't let the Lady Rebels give up, with her three-pointer ignited a 19-2 run for UNLV. Her second trey at 8:53 capped a run of 10 unanswered points. After Wyoming converted a layup, Thompson scored five straight points, while back-to-back steals and layups from Jamie Smith and Allison Holiday put the Lady Rebs up 67-63 with 4:47 to play.
A Kristen Scheffler three-pointer put the Cowgirls back ahead 68-67 with 2:42 left. Sandrine Nzeukou answered back with a layup on the other side for a one-point UNLV edge. HIlary Carlson knocked in a pair of free throws to send the advantage back to the hosts, and UNLV would go two straight possessions without points, while a jumper and two at the line gave Wyoming a five-point edge. Thompson made another trey to bring UNLV within 74-72 with 35 seconds to go, and then a quick foul was called on the Lady Rebs, again sending Wyoming to the line for two more free throws that sealed the win. Wyoming finished the game making eight-of-10 at the line in the last 2:21.
UNLV began the game hitting six of its first seven shots, including three-of-three from Erica Helms. Her layup gave UNLV a 13-10 lead four minutes into the contest. Wyoming then started to hit everything from long range, as the Cowgirls would connect on eight of its first 10 three-pointers. The lead was 17-14 in favor of UNLV when the Cowgirls hit four treys on the way to a 14-3 run, putting them up 28-20 with 7:15 left in the half. UNLV would close within four, before the Cowgirls took a 44-37 halftime lead.
Helms tied her career-high with 23 points (which tied her 23 points in UNLV's win at Wyoming on Jan. 17, 2009) to lead UNLV. Thompson was right behind with 22 points and was a perfect 4-of-4 on three-pointers. She also added seven rebounds and four steals. Nzeukou poured in 13 points, while Smith recorded six points and 16 rebounds. UNLV shot 45.3% (29-of-64) for the game, was 5-of-14 for 35.7% from three-point range, and made 10-of-16 at the line for 62.5%. UNLV held a 45-32 edge on the boards, and outscored Wyoming in the paint 34-16.
Jade Kennedy paced Wyoming with 23 points, thanks to shooting 6-of-9 from behind the arc. Aubrey Vandiver was next with 22 points and 10 rebounds, while three more players had eight points each. The Cowgirls shot 42.9% (27-of-63) for the game, was 13-of-26 from three-point land for 50%, and made 11-of-14 at the charity stripe for 78.6%.
