Box Score
LAS VEGAS, Nev. The University of Nevada women’s basketball team fell on the road at UNLV Friday night, 66-53. With the loss Nevada fell to 1-3 while UNLV improved to 3-0 on the year.
Nevada went up 11-8 with 11:35 left in the first half on a reverse layup by Marissa Hammond. UNLV took a one-point lead, 14-13, on layup by Erica Helms with 9:19 remaining in the half.
UNLV went up by four with 6:15 left before Johnna Ward’s three pointer tied the game at 17-17 with 4:10 left in the half. Brandi Jones’ long two with 2:13 left put Nevada up 19-17 but the Rebels tied the game on the next possession. The Rebels ended the half on a 5-2 run and took a 24-21 lead at the half as Dellena Criner’s three pointer at the buzzer didn’t fall.
The first half featured eight lead changes and two ties and neither team led by more than five points. Jones led all players at the half with 10 points while Helms led UNLV with nine.
The Pack shot just 27 percent (9-of-33) from the floor in the first half while the Rebels shot 41 percent (11-of-27).
UNLV opened the second half with an 18-5 run and took a 42-26 lead with 13:08 remaining in the game. During that span, the Pack went nearly eight minutes between field goals as Ward scored with 19:53 gone in the second half and the Pack didn’t record another field goal until Criner’s three pointer with 12:36 left in the game.
UNLV went up by 19, 55-36, with 6:23 left on a three pointer by Harris. The Pack cut the Rebels lead to 13, 59-46, on a layup by Cherlanda Franklin. Criner’s three pointer brought Nevada to within 11, 60-49, with just over two minutes to play in the game and the Pack cut the game to nine, 60-51 but UNLV hung on for the 66-53 win.
Jones and Criner each scored 15 points for Nevada while Franklin grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds. Shamela Hampton and Helms scored a game-high 16 points for UNLV while Hampton also added a team-high 10 rebounds.
The Pack ended the game shooting 30 percent (19-of-64) from the floor and 75 percent (12-of-16) from the free throw line. The Rebels finished the game shooting 42 percent from the floor (23-of-55).
Nevada will host St. Mary’s on Sunday at 2 p.m.
