Box Score

LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) -

Sunday's matchup of 5-0 teams in UNLV and Drake was as expected a very hard fought, intense battle, and it would be the Lady Rebels who would suffer their first loss of the year after Drake posted a 76-68 win in the championship game of the Lady Rebel Round-Up on Sunday afternoon from the Cox Pavilion.

In a game that saw UNLV hold the edge in the majority of the stats, the key came down to the Bulldogs long-range shooting. Drake would finish the game connecting on a season-high 13 (of- 28) from three-point range, giving them a +24 point advantage over UNLV, who finished 5-of-14. That included an 8-16 performance in the second half, as Drake answered almost every potential Lady Rebel run with a three-pointer.

"I thought our team played really hard today," said UNLV head coach Kathy Olivier. "Drake's a very good basketball team, they can hit those outside shots like no other. I thought we were near them at the end but couldn't catch up enough."

Four players finished in double-figures for UNLV, paced by Aley Rohde's 16-point and career-high 18 rebound performance, which gives her a second double-double for the season. Nikki Wheatley posted 13 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three steals while Dakota Gonzalez added 13. Amie Callaway also nearly missed a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds.

"Aley's been great all year," said Olivier. "Aley and Amie were money tonight, they worked hard, did everything they could to keep this game close. We're only going to get better tonight, we lost to a veteran team tonight that scores 90 points a game, so I was happy with our overall effort. These types of games are going to make us better."

UNLV did have its struggles from the floor, shooting 31.2% (24-of-77), and reached the free throw line just nine times in the first half, while finishing 15-of-23 for the game for 65.2%. The Lady Rebels did hold a 54-40 edge on the boards, leading to a 25-12 advantage on second chance points. UNLV also outscored the Bulldogs 34-22 in the paint.

Brooke Johnson opened the game with a three-pointer for UNLV, and the Lady Rebels led 9-6 off a pair of Dakota Gonzalez free throws. Another jumper from Dakota Gonzalez with 3:02 to play in the first quarter put UNLV ahead 11-9. After the teams traded baskets, Lizzy Wendell, the tournament MPV, scored the final five points of the quarter to put Drake ahead 16-13.

Dylan Gonzalez nailed a trey to being the second quarter and tie the game at 16-16. Maddy Dean answered with a three-pointer of her own to put Drake back ahead, and the Bulldogs wouldn't trail again. The lead grew to as high as nine, 31-20 with 3:31 to play in the half. Rohde then scored four straight to bring UNLV within 30-25, before Dean again hit a trey. That started a 7-1 run to end the half for the Bulldogs, giving them a 37-26 halftime margin.

For the third straight quarter the first basket was a three-pointer, this time from Wendell to give Drake its largest lead of the game at 40-26. UNLV then reeled off nine of the next 11 points to close within seven, before another Drake trey pushed the edge to 45-35. A 6-0 run to bring UNLV within 45-41 was stopped by a Cortni Rush three-pointer for Drake. Another Bulldog trey made it a 10-point contest, and UNLV would come no closer then six points the rest of the way.

Down 61-49 in the fourth, UNLV scored five straight to make it a 61-54 contest with 6:54 to play. The Lady Rebels were then held scoreless for the next 3:22 of the game, during which the lead was extended back to 10 points. The last chance the Lady Rebels had was following a three-pointer from Dakota Gonzalez to make it a 66-60 score with 2:55 to play, but Dean hit two straight three-pointers to seal the game for Drake.

Drake shot 45% (27-of-60) for the game and was 9-of-14 at the line. Dean finished with a game-high 23 points while Wendell added 21 points, both players hit four three-pointers each.

UNLV will now be on the road for the first time this season, as it will face USC on Sunday, Dec. 6 at 2 pm in Los Angeles.