Feb. 1, 2011
Box Score
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (UNLVRebels.com) - Utah used a 20-2 run over the end of the first half and beginning of the second to claim a 71-52 victory over UNLV in Mountain West Conference women's basketball action on Tuesday night at the Huntsman Center. The loss dropped UNLV to 9-13, 2-6 in league play, while Utah evened its record at 11-1, 4-4 in the MWC.
The game was tight for the first 12 minutes, with UNLV holding the advantage early thanks to the play of Markiell Styles. The junior center scored the Lady Rebels first four points, and a short jumper from her gave UNLV an 11-8 edge almost five minutes into the game. Utah scored four straight for a one-point lead, and the advantage would change hands three more times. UNLV took its final edge of the opening half on a Styles basket to make the score 17-16 with 7:31 to play.
The Lady Rebs would make just one basket the rest of the half, as the Utes took control with a 16-2 run. Michelle Plouffe scored six straight points, and Diana Rolniak added a three-point play at the shot clock buzzer to put the Utes up 25-17. Erica Helms broke the scoring drought with a layup to bring UNLV within 25-19, but the Lady Rebs would miss their final four shots of the half. Iwalani Rodrigues meanwhile would score the final six points of the half to give Utah a 32-19 halftime edge. The Utes shot 46.2% (12-of-26) for the opening half, and held UNLV to just 27.6% (8-of-29).
Utah then opened the second half with four straight points to open up a 36-19 lead, before Jamie Smith broke the drought with two free throws. UNLV got its first field goal of the second half at 15:17 on a jumper from Ta'Nitra Byrd. The closest the Lady Rebs could cut into the deficit was 14, 52-38 on a layup by Kelli Thompson with 8:12 to go in the game. Utah answered back with five straight and led by at least 16 points the rest of the way.
UNLV was paced by Kelli Thompson's 18 points, though she was only 4-of-17 from the floor, and 9-of-9 at the free throw line. Styles was the next highest scorer with nine, while Jamie Smith added eight. UNLV finished the night shooting 25.8% (16-of-62), the lowest percentage since being held to 24% at Nebraska on Nov. 30. UNLV made 2-of-14 from three-point range for 14.3%, and 18-of-21 at the free throw line for 85.7%. The Lady Rebs were outrebounded by its largest margin all year, 45-35.
Plouffe finished the game with a career-high 30 for the Utes. She was joined in double-figures by Rodrigues with 13 and Janita Badon with 10. Utah shot 46.4% (26-of-56) for the night, was 4-of-16 for 25% from behind the arc, and 15-of-18 at the charity stripe for 83.3%. The Utes held a 36-26 edge on points in the paint, and 10-0 on fast break points.
UNLV begins the second half of league play on Saturday, when it faces BYU at 2:30 pm in The Cox Pavilion. That game will be shown nationally on The Mtn., and is also UNLV's 2011 Pink Zone game.
