LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) —
Nneka Obiazor and
Justice Ethridge scored season highs to propel UNLV (13-4 overall, 5-1 Mountain West) to a 86-68 victory over Utah State (5-11, 0-6) Saturday at the Thomas & Mack Center.
Obiazor made nine of 11 field-goal attempts for 21 points in 16 minutes off the bench to lead the Lady Rebels. Ethridge connected on a career-best five 3-pointers for 18 points.
"Our post players did a really good job kicking the ball out when Utah State started to double down inside," UNLV senior guard
Justice Ethridge said.
Both UNLV's 50.4 percent field goal shooting and 22 assists were its second best marks of the year as it overwhelmed Utah State and raced to a 25-13 lead after 10 minutes.
The Lady Rebels swarmed the Aggies on defense, forcing multiple backcourt and shot-clock violations, and distributed the ball effectively on offense.
Desi-Rae Young added 16 points, eight rebounds and three assists.
Eight second-period turnovers slowed UNLV's offense and allowed Utah State to close in to a 37-31 halftime advantage. The inspired Aggies cut the margin to as little as 45-40, but Ethridge ignited the offense with two assists and a 3-pointer as part of a run that increased UNLV's lead to 15.
"There's an unselfishness on this team," Ethridge said, "and we always want to see each other do well.
"We'll always make the extra pass for an easy bucket."
Obiazor took over in the fourth period, scoring 13 points during a 17-6 run UNLV used to put away Utah State once and for all.
It was the Lady Rebels' ninth consecutive win against Utah State.
Utah State's Shyla Latone scored a game-leading 26 points.
UNLV next plays at San Jose State on Wednesday, Jan. 19.
HOME COOKIN': Obiazor's 21-point performance was her eighth straight double-figure scoring game. Obiazor has scored in every home game this season and all but one of her career, her very first game as a freshman at Youngstown State when she scored 8 points in her collegiate debut.
BOARD GAMES: Utah State's 14 offensive rebounds matched an UNLV opponent season high. The second-chance opportunities accounted for 14 additional points.
FREE IN A ROW: On the heels of a 14-for-14 free-throw performance in UNLV's previous game against Boise State,
Essence Booker sank a pair of freebies and now has a streak of 23 consecutive makes over four games at the charity stripe.
LUCKY NUMBER 13: UNLV's 13-4 start is the program's best in 18 seasons. The 2003-04 Lady Rebels (26-8, 10-4 MW) reached 15-3 before suffering a fourth loss.
NEXT HOME GAME: UNLV is on the road against San Jose State and Nevada before returning to the Cox Pavilion Thursday, Jan. 27, to play Mountain West leader New Mexico. The Lady Rebels suffered a 71-68 defeat to the Lobos on Jan. 3 in Albuquerque after UNM made a 3-pointer with 5.4 seconds to play.
