Box Score Jan. 23, 2016 Box Score
LAS VEGAS, Nev. - Twenty-three second half points from junior Stephanie Schmid were not enough as the Nevada women's basketball team dropped a 65-59 contest at UNLV Saturday afternoon.
All of Schmid's 23 points came in the second half and helped Nevada almost erase an 18-point deficit late in the fourth quarter. Schmid knocked down seven three-pointers, which ties her season-high and is the second-most three's in a single game. She also grabbed a new career-high of six rebounds. Senior Nyasha LeSure finished in double figures as well with 12 points, her 13th game in double figures this season.
The Wolf Pack (3-15, 2-5 MW) struggled with keeping possession in the opening 10 minutes, turning the ball over 10 times. UNLV's (11-7, 4-3 MW) Dakota Gonzalez was a thorn in the Pack's side, scoring 11 of the Lady Rebels' 15 first quarter points. In the second quarter, Nevada cut its turnovers down but could not get shots to fall. Combined for the first half, the Pack shot just 22.2 percent (6-of-27) on offense and could not connect on a three-pointer.
Nevada came out of halftime on a 7-2 run, after a Schmid three, steal and layup by LeSure and scoop shot by Halie Bergman. The Lady Rebels hit four of their next five shot attempts though to extend the lead to 40-26 under the five minute mark of third. The Pack's 14 points in the third were the most to that point in the game but could not overcome the 19 scored by UNLV as the opposition took a 49-31 lead into the final quarter.
Down by as many as 16 in the final quarter, Schmid began her assault and mounted a comeback for the Wolf Pack. With just over a minute to play, Schmid connected on her sixth three-pointer of the game. 15 seconds later, Schmid tied her career-high of seven and brought it to just a four-point game.
During the comeback bid, the Pack defense did not allow the Lady Rebels to score from the 3:43 mark until 28 seconds remained. With those 28 ticks on the clock, the Pack was forced to start fouling. UNLV's Brooke Johnson connected on both foul shots to put Nevada's chances out of reach as the clock expired on the comeback. The Wolf Pack outscored its opponent 28-16 in the final quarter.
Overall, Nevada shot 35.2 percent (19-of-54) for the game but connected on 57.1 percent (8-of-14) in the final quarter. UNLV shot 40.3 percent (27-of-67) for the game.
Nevada remains on the road with a trip down to San Diego, Calif. next Wednesday for a 6:30 p.m. contest against San Diego State.
