March 5, 2011
Box Score | Photo Gallery 
LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - Photo Gallery
Down by 13 late, UNLV finished the game on a 19-2 run to claim a 51-47 Senior Day victory over Utah in Mountain West Conference women's basketball action on Saturday afternoon at Cox Pavilion. In the regular season finale for both teams, the Lady Rebels trailed 45-32 with 8:35 to play, but held Utah without a point for over a seven-minute stretch while scoring 17 unanswered on the way to the lead and the victory.
The win improved UNLV to 11-19 overall, and 4-12 in the conference to finish in eighth place. As the No. 8 seed in next week's 2011 Conoco Mountain West Conference Championships, the Lady Rebels will have a rubber match with the Utes, as they will face the fifth-seeded Utah squad (14-16, 7-9 MWC) in the first round on Tuesday, March 8 at 4:30 pm in the Thomas & Mack Center.
Utah held a 25-21 halftime edge, and would increase the lead to 10 on a jumper by Diana Rolniak at the 15:32 mark for a 34-24 lead. The advantage stayed in double-digits for most of the next eight minutes, and the Utes took their largest lead of 13, 45-32 on a layup from Janita Badon. That would be last basket for the Utes for the next 7:38 of the game. Freshman Ta'Nitra Byrd started a run for UNLV with five straight points, and then Erica Helms came up big on her Senior Day. After knocking in pair of free throws at the 6:04 mark that gave her 1,000 points in her career, the 19th Lady Rebel to reach that mark, she followed with a three-pointer two minutes later to bring UNLV within 45-42.
Following two free throw from Kelli Thompson, Helms converted a layup off a turnover for a 46-45 lead with 1:51 to play, and Thompson added another fast break layup 26 seconds later to give the Lady Rebels a 48-45 lead.`Badon broke the Utah drought with a layup to close within 48-47 with 57 seconds on the clock, but Thompson would hit one of two free throws on the other end to put UNLV back up by two, and the Utes missed its final three shots from the floor. Utah finished the final eight minutes missing eight of nine from the floor while being forced into seven turnovers during the stretch.
Utah opened the game with a 7-0 edge, before the Lady Rebels used a 6-0 run to close within 9-8 on a Sandrine Nzeukou layup. The Utes never trailed in the first half, leading by as much as eight, 23-15 on a jumper from Michelle Plouffe at the 3:30 mark. It was a 25-18 advantage for the visitors before Tia Morrison converted a three-point play for UNLV in the final minute of the half to cut the deficit to four.
Helms led UNLV with 15 points, while Byrd and Thompson both finished in double figures as well with 10 each. Jamie Smith added a game-high 12 rebounds, her sixth straight double-figure rebound performance. The Lady Rebels shot 36.6% (15-of-41) for the game, was 2-of-8 from three-point range for 25%, and made 19-of-33 at the line for 57.6%. UNLV won despite being outrebounded by a 40-32 margin. but made up for it by forcing 18 turnovers, leading to a 19-10 edge on points off turnovers. The Lady Rebels also outscored Utah's bench 16-0.
Iwalani Rodrigues paced the Utes with 16 points, with Badon adding 12 and Plouffe scored 11 before fouling out. Utah was held to 32.1% (18-of-56) from the field, made 4-of-20 from three-point range for 20%, and made all seven of its attempts at the line for 100%.
