COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (UNLVRebels.com) - Â UNLV became the 61st team in NCAA women's basketball history to reach 800 all-time victories Saturday afternoon, as the Lady Rebels jumped out to an 8-0 start and led by as much as 15 on the way to a 67-60 Mountain West road win at Air Force in Clune Arena. It was the third straight win for UNLV, a season-high, and second straight league road win to move them to 2-1 in MW play, 6-8 overall.,Â
THE TURNING POINT:Â UNLV was on fire right from the start, knocking down eight of its first nine shots. The Lady Rebels led 8-0 barely two minutes into the game, and went ahead 16-3 on Justice Ethridge's jumper at the 3:48 mark of the first quarter. The lead would stay at nine or higher for UNLV almost the rest of the game, except for three times in the final quarter when Air Force managed to close within seven but no closer than that.
LADY REBEL OF THE GAME:Â Senior guard LaTecia Smith almost couldn't miss Saturday, as she reached the 20+ point mark for the fourth time this season with 20 off 10-of-13 shooting. She also added three rebounds, three assists and three steals in the victory.
STAT OF THE GAME:Â UNLV shot 68.8% (11-of-18) in the first quarter, and 48.1% (26-of-54) for the game, while the Falcons were held to just 20-of-69 (29%) from the field.
LADY REBEL NOTES
* - Rodjanae Wade was limited by foul trouble, but still picked up her seventh double-double of the year, which leads the MW, thanks to 14 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
* - Also turning in a strong game was freshman Melanie Isbell with eight points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals.
* - UNLV held a 46-40 edge on the boards, and a 36-24 advantage on points in the paint.
* - UNLV has now won 15 straight in the all-time series against Air Force, now the longest win streak in program history against the Falcons.
NEXT TIME OUT:Â UNLV returns home for a pair of contests in the Cox Pavilion, starting with Wednesday's School Day game against Boise State at 12 pm.Â
