RENO, Nev. Led by three players in double figures and a stingy defense, the Nevada women’s basketball team topped Utah State 61-49 on Thursday at Lawlor Events Center.
The victory ran the Wolf Pack’s win streak to four straight heading into Saturday’s regular-season finale at New Mexico State.
Nevada improved to 16-12 overall and 10-5 in the Western Athletic Conference. Utah State fell to 5-12 and 7-8 in the WAC.
The crowd of 808 gave Nevada total of 9,700 for its attendance in the 14-game home schedule, an average of 693 per game. Last season, Nevada drew 7,200 fans over 14 games, an average of 514 per game.
Jessica Preslar scored 12 points to lead Nevada and the senior also pulled down 10 rebounds for her second double-double of the season. Fellow senior Traci Graham scored 11 points, as did sophomore Dellena Criner.
Utah State’s Taylor Richards led all scorers with 15 points.
Graham led a Wolf Pack defensive effort that recorded 18 steals and forced 25 Utah State turnovers. Graham had seven steals, which is a career high. The Wolf Pack scored 26 points off of Utah State turnovers.
Graham, Preslar and Eveline Janisyte were honored before the game on Senior Night for the Wolf Pack, as were former players Jocelyn Mancebo and Becki Little, whose careers were cut short because of injury.
GAME NOTES
Nevada now has 10 wins in the WAC, which is the most by any Wolf Pack team since the school joined the conference in 2000.
Graham moved into fifth-place on Nevada’s all-time scoring list. She now has 1,105 points and she passed Ieesha Donadelle (1994-98), who scored 1,094 in her career.
Sophomore Brandi Fitzgerald had three steals and is now tied for ninth all-time with 118 in her career. Criner also had three steals and is one back at 117.
Criner has 76 steals on the season, just three shy of the Nevada single-season mark of 79 set by Angie Heer in 1999-2000. Graham is at 71 for the season.
Preslar is now alone in second place all-time in games played at Nevada with 116. She trails Graham by one.
The win was the 40th of Nevada coach Kim Gervasoni’s career.
