Box Score The University of Nevada women's basketball team used rebounding domination to edge out Pepperdine 66-61 in front of 665 fans at Lawlor Events Center Sunday afternoon. The win gives Nevada a perfect 2-0 start for the 2010-11 season, while Pepperdine evens out to 1-1.
The victory helped the Wolf Pack avenge a 70-64 loss to the Waves in Malibu last season. Nevada evened the all-time series to 5-5 against Pepperdine, going 4-1 when the series is played in Reno.
"Pepperdine is a really great team," head coach Jane Albright said. "That team is as athletic as any we'll see all year. We shot the ball really well and I was really proud of how we rebounded. Their team defense was really great. We certainly know we have some work to do with those turnovers. The pressure just really bothered us all night long."
Pepperdine scored first, and quick, taking a fastbreak score off the tip to go up 2-0 in the first five seconds of the game. The lead wouldn't last long and Nevada soon answered with a 15-0 run, going up 15-3 after a three-pointer by senior Tahnee Robinson at the 10:25 mark.
Nevada led by eight at the half, but the second half would soon become a bitter battle between the two teams. The Pack didn't relinquish the lead throughout the second half, but the Waves pulled it to within two after Alex Jarrell hit on a free throw shot at the 16:33 mark, putting the score at 32-20. It then became a game of runs as Nevada would build up a lead, and Pepperdine would continue to cut it close again.
Nevada's hard work on the glass and on-the-mark shooting is what gave it the advantage. The Pack racked up 53 rebounds and shot 47.5 percent from the field for the game. The biggest issue Nevada had in allowing the Waves to continue getting back in the game was turnovers. Pepperdine forced 37 turnovers and scored 30 points off those takeaways. Pepperdine struggled with the Nevada's shot defense however, going just 22-73 from the field for the game, shooting just 20.5 percent in the first half.
For the second straight game a player in the Silver and Blue had a career night, this time it was junior Kayla Williams. Williams tallied a double-double, tying her career high for points with 16 and setting a new career mark for rebounds with 20. It was the first time a Nevada player collected 15 or more rebounds in a game since Shavon Moore had 18 against Louisiana Tech back on March 12, 2009.
"I was a pretty frustrated with my finishing in the first half actually," Williams said. "I feel like in the second half I got out of my funk. I just had to stay focused, and work on just getting in the right place. I just kept getting more aggressive throughout the second half."
After setting a career best in scoring with 33 Friday night, Tahnee Robinson again led all scorers Sunday with 25, scoring 14 in the first half. Robinson also chipped in a double-double, tying another career best, this time it was rebounds with 10. It was the first time a pair of Nevada players shad double-doubles in the same game since Kayla Williams and Shavon Moore paired up in the same game against LA Tech in 2009.
"From the start I felt them really guarding me tough, and it just seemed I couldn't get the ball," Robinson said. "I then got used to the pressure and I was able to use some great efforts and screens by my teammates to get some open shots. I really wanted to focus on getting more rebounds. It feels really good to be able to help out from the post. Overall, we won, that's all that matters."
Nevada now will hit the road for the first time of the young season, traveling to Sacramento State on Wednesday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. and then to UNLV on Sunday, Nov. 21 at 2 p.m. Last year, the Pack scored 100 points for the first time in 23 years to down the Hornets in Reno 101-72. Nevada has lost two-straight against in-state rival UNLV , after a 74-63 loss to the Rebels at home last year.
