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Kenna Holt holding ball vs. San Francisco

Women's Basketball

Game Preview: UNLV

THE OUTLOOK
The Nevada women's basketball has a big test against in-state rival UNLV at 2 p.m. Saturday at Lawlor Events Center  as it takes its 12-4 (4-0 conference) against the Rebels, who are currently on a four-game win streak. The Wolf Pack has now won 11 of its last 12 contests and remains unbeaten in conference play. The Wolf Pack recorded its first 4-0 conference start since the 2009-10 WAC campaign after downing San Diego State, 58-46, Wednesday night after a nearly two-week hiatus due to COVID-19 concerns. Following UNLV, Nevada hits the road for three-consecutive contests, traveling to Air Force, Colorado State and Wyoming next week. During the last meeting, Da'Ja Hamilton's game-winning three propelled Nevada past UNLV, 73-70, on Feb. 1, 2021.
 
LAST TIME OUT (W, 58-46, vs. San Diego State)
Senior Da'Ja Hamilton led all Nevada scorers with 18 points while adding a rebound and an assist. Freshman Audrey Roden recorded 12 points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal
 Senior Amaya West had a notable performance with 11 points, five rebounds, two steals and one assist. Senior Kylie Jimenez paced the Pack with four assists and four steals while chipping in six points and six rebounds. Sophomore Alyssa Jimenez powered Nevada on the boards, grabbing seven and adding two blocks, two assists, two points and one steal
 
DA'JA, DA'JA, DA'JA
It's no surprise senior guard Da'Ja Hamilton is coming off four-consecutive dominant performances. Hamilton has recorded four-straight double digit scoring performances, including three 21 point games, to lead Nevada offensively. In Nevada's 67-52 win vs. Air Force, Hamilton surpassed 800 career points after netting a season-high 21 points to go along with two rebounds and two assists. She shot 7-for-15 from the field, including 4-for-7 from behind the arc, and went 5-for-5 at the line. Hamilton followed with another strong performance at San Jose State, tying her season-high in scoring with 21 points while adding five assists and one steal to pace Nevada to its largest conference win in program history. Hamilton pieced together another noteworthy performance against Utah State, compiling 21 points with seven rebounds and five assists. Hamilton led all Wolf Pack scorers against the Aztecs on Jan. 19, compiling 18 points, one rebound and one assist.
 
11 OF THE LAST 12
After defeating San Diego State on Jan. 3, Nevada has now won 10 of its last 11 contests.
 
NO. 1 IN THE COUNTRY, NO. 1 IN OUR HEARTS
Senior point guard Kylie Jimenez's 3.50 assist to turnover ratio ranks first in NCAA Division I women's basketball. In addition, Jimenez's success on the court and in the classroom earned her Wolf Pack Student Athlete of the Month for January.
 
RODEN'S BREAKOUT FRESHMAN CAMPAIGN
Freshman Audrey Roden has put together a breakout freshman year through 15 games this season. The West Linn, Ore., native is averaging 13 points per game in conference play, which ranks second on the team. Roden has shot 48.3 percent from the field and 46.7 percent from long range. Against the Aggies, Roden registered 12 points, four rebounds, three steals and two assists.
 
WRITING HISTORY
Nevada's dominating performance against San Jose State was the largest margin of victory in conference play in program history. The Pack also turned the ball over just three times, tying the program record for fewest in a game (tied with three turnovers vs. Wyoming on 3/7/2018). Nevada also shot 50 percent from the floor for its second-consecutive game shooting 50 percent or better. In addition, Friday's win pushed gave Nevada its first 2-0 start since the 2014-15 season.
 
Nevada's win over Utah State improved its record to 11-4 overall, and to 3-0 in Mountain West play, marking the Pack's first 3-0 conference start since joining the loop. The Pack will go for its first 4-0 start in conference play since the 2009-10 WAC campaign Thursday.
 
TAKIN' CARE OF THE BALL
Nevada turned the ball over just three times at San Jose State, tying the program record (last vs. Wyoming on 3/7/2018). Senior Kylie Jimenez played a large role, dishing out 10 assists while recording zero turnovers at the point guard spot against the Spartans.
 
TALKIN' TURNOVERS
Six different Nevada players recorded steals vs. Utah State: Audrey Roden (three), Nia Alexander (two), Kenna Holt (two), Amaya West (two), Kylie Jimenez (one) and Aly Jimenez (one).
 
ALL-AROUND DEFENSE
Nevada's scoring defense leads the Mountain West so far through four games. The Pack has held conference opponents to just 58.6 points per game, which ranks 71st nationally. In addition, Nevada ranks second in the conference in steals per game. It's no secret that Nevada's defensive intensity has played a large role in its success this season. The Pack held UC Merced and Bushnell to just 41 and 42 points in its back-to-back wins at home. Nevada's 80-42 win over Bushnell marked the third-largest margin of victory in program history (tied with Nevada's 38-point win over LaVerne on Jan. 13, 1982). The largest margin of victory in program history is its 50-point win against Lassen on Nov. 21, 1981.
 
FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK X3
Audrey Roden was named Mountain West Freshman of the Week on Nov. 22, Dec. 6 and again on Dec. 20. Roden recorded a career-high 22 points and three rebounds in the Pack's win over Pacific on Dec. 4. Roden led the Pack with five rebounds and also added two assists and one steal against the Wolverines. Roden scored 14 of her 17 points in the first half, including knocking down three three-pointers. Roden followed up her performance against Pacific with another big night vs. UC Merced, leading Nevada with 17 points, two rebounds and two assists. Against Eastern Washington, Roden netted a team-high 18 points to go along with a career-high two blocks, two rebounds and one assist. Roden shot 4-for-6 from three, while knocking down two crucial threes in the fourth quarter. 
 
Roden is the first Nevada player to receive a weekly honors since Nia Alexander earned Mountain West Player of the Week on Dec. 30, 2019.
 
CLUTCH VICTORIES
The 2021 Nugget Classic presented by the University of Nevada was filled with four strong teams and six intriguing matchups. Nevada bounced back after its loss to Drake to claim two crucial wins over Idaho and San Francisco. The wins didn't come easy, but Nevada never backed down to the challenge. Down by one with six seconds left, senior Nia Alexander's hard cut to the basket during a baseline inbound resulted in two free throws. Alexander showed she wasn't afraid of big moments after sinking them both to propel Nevada to a 61-60 victory over the Idaho Vandals. The Pack tallied another win over San Francisco after Da'Ja Hamilton's clutch three at the final buzzer took the game into overtime. Nevada, which controlled the overtime period, cruised to a 73-67 win. Moral of the story: don't count the Pack out, even when down in a game's final minutes. Nevada showed it can inch itself back into a game and find a way to win.
 
ALEXANDER, HAMILTON ON TRACK FOR 1000
Nia Alexander and Da'Ja Hamilton are on track to hit 1,000 career points this season. Alexander currently sits at 943 and Hamilton sits at 868.
 
WINNING FREE THROW PERCENTAGE
Nevada ranks ninth in the country in free throw percentage (78.9 percent) and first in the Mountain West through 16-regular season games. Nia Alexander's crucial free throws against Idaho secured a Wolf Pack win at the Nugget Classic. Nevada was down by one in the game's final six seconds. Alexander's hard cut under the basket on an inbound led to an Idaho foul and sent her to the line. Alexander was unphased at the line, hitting both free throws. Head coach Amanda Levens praised the team's dedication to free throws during the off-season, which is paying off for the team so far this season.
 
A DYNAMIC DUO
Reunited for the first time since high school, the Jimenez sisters are making the most of their time together. Both had standout weekend's against Drake, Idaho and San Francisco. Kylie led Nevada offensively vs. Drake, tallying 18 points, three rebounds, two assists and one steal. In game two vs. Idaho, Kylie also tabbed 12 points, five rebounds and four steals. Alyssa had a breakout weekend as well, recording eight points, four rebounds, one block and one steal against Idaho before registering a career-high 14 points to go along with three rebounds and a steal in Nevada's 73-67 win over San Francisco. Kylie followed with another strong performance against Cal Poly, netting 11 points while adding four rebounds, one steal and one assist. The duo has started eight games together this season.
 
JIMENEZ NAMED MW NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
Graduate transfer Kylie Jimenez was named Preseason Mountain West New- comer of the Year on Oct. 13. Jimenez, a Colorado native and grad transfer from Portland State, is the sister of Wolf Pack guard Alyssa Jimenez. Kylie Jimenez played a huge role for the Vikings the past four seasons as she tied the school record with 122 starts, which is every game she played in. Throughout her career, the 5-foot-6 guard earned many accolades including Big Sky Freshman of the Year, All-Big Sky Third Team twice, an All-Big Sky honorable mention, a Big Sky Player of the Week honor, and was named to the 2019 All-Big Sky Tournament team. She helped her team to a 25-win season during her sophomore campaign, a Big Sky Tournament Championship and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
 
 
 
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Players Mentioned

Nia Alexander

#25 Nia Alexander

G
5' 9"
Senior
Da

#2 Da'Ja Hamilton

G
5' 8"
Junior
Alyssa Jimenez

#12 Alyssa Jimenez

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5' 11"
Sophomore
Amaya West

#13 Amaya West

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5' 10"
Junior
Kenna Holt

#11 Kenna Holt

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5' 8"
Freshman
Audrey Roden

#4 Audrey Roden

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5' 9"
Freshman
Kylie Jimenez

#3 Kylie Jimenez

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5' 6"
Senior

Players Mentioned

Nia Alexander

#25 Nia Alexander

5' 9"
Senior
G
Da

#2 Da'Ja Hamilton

5' 8"
Junior
G
Alyssa Jimenez

#12 Alyssa Jimenez

5' 11"
Sophomore
G
Amaya West

#13 Amaya West

5' 10"
Junior
G
Kenna Holt

#11 Kenna Holt

5' 8"
Freshman
G
Audrey Roden

#4 Audrey Roden

5' 9"
Freshman
G
Kylie Jimenez

#3 Kylie Jimenez

5' 6"
Senior
G