Jan. 20, 2018 Box Score
LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - @UNLVLadyRebels | UNLV Box Score
The Lady Rebels continue their two-game homestand by hosting Fresno State on Wednesday,
Jan. 24 at 6 pm in the Cox Pavilion. After Colorado State took its first lead of the game in the final minutes, junior center Katie Powell scored back-to-back baskets to put UNLV back ahead for good as the Lady Rebels claimed their first win over the Rams in five years, 56-52 on Saturday afternoon in Mountain West women's basketball action from the Cox Pavilion. With their fifth straight win, the Lady Rebels (10-7) remain tied for first in the conference at 5-1, while the Rams dropped to 12-7, 4-4 in league play.
UNLV hit three of its first four shots from three-point range to open up an 11-2 advantage to start the game. The Lady Rebels then scored the final five points of the opening quarter, including three free throws from Nikki Wheatley after she was fouled on a three-pointer in the final seconds, to hold a 20-7 advantage. CSU climbed back into the game in the second quarter thanks to catching fire from three-point range. The Rams would knock down 5-of-9 from behind the arc in the second quarter, and that compared to the Lady Rebels' cold shooting (2-of-18) allowed CSU to tie the game going into the halftime break. It was tied again going into the third quarter, at 41-41. The Rams opened the fourth quarter with a pair of free throws and led by two points three times, but UNLV came back to tie the game all three times.
THE TURNING POINT: With the score knotted at 47-47, CSU's Sofie Tryggedsson drained her fourth trey of the game to give the Rams their largest lead of the game, 50-47 with 3:21 to play in the fourth. Powell then converted a layup at the other end to bring UNLV within 50-49. Tryggedsson was forced into two straight turnovers, and following the second, Powell drained a quick turnaround jumper from the free throw line for a 51-50 UNLV advantage with 1:49 to play. The Lady Rebels would make five-of-six at the line in the final 66 seconds to close out the victory.
LADY REBEL OF THE GAME: Powell scored eight of her game-high 18 points in the fourth quarter, while adding four rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block.
STAT OF THE GAME: UNLV held a 43-28 advantage on the boards.
QUOTABLE:
"I thought our defense did a great job clamping down at the end. We had some major foul trouble at the end but we stayed with it, we made great decisions, and came out with the victory. CSU is a very well coached team, they don't beat themselves, but the Lady Rebels showed a lot of smarts today in how we played. And we made our free throws down the stretch, that was big for the victory as well."
- UNLV head coach Kathy Olivier
LADY REBEL NOTES:
* UNLV claimed its first win over Colorado State in nine tries. The last win in the series was exactly five years prior, a 53-42 victory on Jan. 20, 2013 in the Cox Pavilion as well.
* UNLV is 5-1 to start MW play for the first time since the 2013-14 squad began its conference schedule with five wins in its first six games.
* Joining Powell in double-figures was Nikki Wheatley with 13 points and nine rebounds, and Paris Strawther with 12.
* UNLV made 17-of-20 at the free throw line, while CSU was 5-of-5.
* The Lady Rebels won despite being outscored 13-0 on bench points.
NEXT FOR THE LADY REBELS: UNLV plays a second straight home game on Wednesday, Jan. 24 when it hosts Fresno State in a 6 pm contest in the Cox Pavilion. It will be both NYS Night and UNLV Appreciation Day at the contest, with four free tickets available for all UNLV Faculty/Staff. More information is available at UNLVTickets.com.
Single game ticket prices for the Lady Rebels this season are $8 for adults, $5 if bought online at UNLVTickets.com, while kids 12 and under are free at all UNLV Lady Rebel home contests.
