LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - UNLV put up perhaps its best 40 minutes of the young season in an exciting Saturday afternoon contest with Gonzaga, but it would be the Bulldogs would come away with a 70-59 in women's college basketball action from the Cox Pavilion. UNLV (0-3) led by two midway through the second quarter, until the Bulldogs (4-0) went on a 12-3 run to close the half and take a lead they would never relinquish.
The Lady Rebels didn't go away though, cutting a seven-point halftime deficit to just four, 48-44 with 1:31 left in the third quarter. Gonzaga countered with a trey on the other end to go back up seven, which was the closest UNLV would come the rest of the way.
THE TURNING POINT: The Lady Rebels reeled off a 5-0 run off a basket by Rodjanae Wade and a three-pointer from Katie Powell for a 24-22 advantage at the six-minute mark of the second quarter. UNLV nearly had a fast break opportunity that could have increased the lead, but the Bulldogs not only managed to save the possession but quickly scored to tie the game on a long jumper. That keyed the 12-3 run over that put Gonzaga ahead 34-27 at the break.
LADY REBEL OF THE GAME: Powell nearly missed her first double-double of the season after leading UNLV in scoring for the third straight game with 16 points and nine rebounds.
STAT OF THE GAME: While the Bulldogs did have a better shooting percentage for the afternoon (43.3% to 34.0%), the key difference was on Gonzaga's ability to make UNLV pay for its turnovers. The Lady Rebels only turned the ball over six more times then Gonzaga, but was outscored 21-5 on points off turnovers for the game.
LADY REBEL NOTES:
* Senior guard Nikki Wheatley scored five points in the game to become the 25th Lady Rebel to score 1,000 points at UNLV. She reached the milestone on a free throw with 2:27 left in the fourth quarter.
* UNLV showed marked improvement at the free throw line after struggling a game ago. The Lady Rebels connected on 18-of-21 attempts for 85.7%.
* Both teams shot 5-of-20 from three-point range.
* In her second career start, junior Rodjanae Wade grabbed a career-best 11 rebounds while adding eight points.
* Powell was the only Lady Rebel in double-figures. The next highest scorer was Latecia Smith with nine off the bench.
NEXT TIME OUT: UNLV is off until after Thanksgiving when it will host the Lady Rebel Round-Up, a four-team event in the Cox Pavilion Nov. 24-25. The Lady Rebels open the event with a first round game against UC Santa Barbara at 12 pm, while Dartmouth and Middle Tennessee follow at 2:30 pm. The consolation and championship games are set for Nov. 25 at 12 and 2:30 pm. The game against UCSB will have a live video stream available on Stadium, which can be accessed through WatchStadium.com, Stadium mobile apps and over-the-top connected devices (such as Apple TV, Roku, Sling TV, Amazon Fire and XBox) as well as UNLVRebels.com. The radio call featuring Adam Candee and Wyatt Tomchek will be on StretchInternet, which can be accessed at UNLVRebels.com as well.
