UNLV WOMEN’S BASKETBALL FALLS TO SAN FRANCISCO RALLY, 62-61
Lady Rebels suffer fourth straight loss despite 16-point first half lead
San Francisco’s Claudia Price grabbed an offensive rebound off a missed free throw and hit a jumper with 20 seconds left, while UNLV missed two game-winning shots in the final 10 seconds in a stunning 62-61 loss to the Dons’ on Friday night in women’s college basketball action from War Memorial Gym. The Lady Rebels had led by 16 points in the first half and by 11 in the final nine minutes, but would leave with their fourth straight loss, falling to 2-6 on the year. USF meanwhile improved to 3-4 with the victory.
UNLV led 52-41 with 8:18 to play on a free throw from Amanda Anderson. USF then reeled off 10 straight points, cutting the score to 52-51 with 5:19 to play. The Lady Rebels’ edge went back to two, 55-53 on a Danielle Miller free throw, but a three-point play from Zhane Dikes gave the Dons a 56-55 lead, their first since the opening minutes of the contest. Miller then scored four straight points for UNLV, a layup and then a pair of free throws with 2:15 on the clock for a 59-56 advantage.
USF missed two shots on the other end, but after UNLV came up with the rebound, the Dons came up with a steal and quickly converted a layup. After forcing another turnover, USF knocked down a jumper for a 60-59 edge with 45 seconds to play. UNLV’s Aley Rohde converted a layup with 32 seconds left to put the Lady Rebels ahead 61-60, and then Taj Winston from USF was fouled with 21 seconds on the clock. Down by two, she missed both free throws, but Price came up with the ball and quickly scored for a 62-61 USF lead. On UNLV’s last possession, Miller missed a long jumper and Rohde came up with the offensive rebound but her follow attempt was off as the horn sounded, ending the contest.
San Francisco opened the game with a 5-2 edge on a three-pointer from Rachel Howard at the 17:48 mark. UNLV then shut down the Dons’ offense, allowing only five total points over the next 13 minutes. The Lady Rebels scored 20 during that stretch, including eight unanswered to start the run and take a 10-5 lead on a pair of Rohde free throws. USF stayed close for a couple of minutes, closing to within 12-10 on a free throw with just under 10 minutes left in the half. The Lady Rebels countered with 10 straight points, with an Amanda Anderson jumper making the score 22-10 with 5:29 to play. UNLV eventually stretched the lead to 16, 30-14, on a three-pointer from Alana Cesarz, and took a 33-23 edge into halftime.
USF made several small runs to open the second half, closing to within five, 36-31, before UNLV scored seven straight for a 43-31 edge at the 13:53 mark. Another run by the Dons brought them within seven, 45-38 at the 11:44 mark. A 6-0 spurt from UNLV, capped by a pair of Briana Charles free throws, put UNLV ahead 51-38 at the 10:19 mark, and the edge was in double-digits for the next two minutes until the Dons made their late rally.
Cesarz finished the night with a season-high 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting, while Miller added 11 points, and Rohde posted her first double-double as a Lady Rebel with 10 points and 10 rebounds. UNLV shot 34.5% for the game (19-of-55), was 3-of-16 from three-point range for 18.8%, and 20-of-24 at the line for 83.3%. UNLV held a slight edge on the boards, 40-39, but turned the ball over a season-high 21 times. The Lady Rebels did record a season-high in blocks with nine.
Dikes paced the Dons with 17 points. Price added 14, and Howard posted 13 points. USF shot 34.4% (21-of-61) for the game, was 4-of-10 from three-point range for 40%, and made 16-of-19 at the line for 84.2%. The Dons finished with 13 steals, and a 23-6 edge on points off turnovers.
The Lady Rebels next game will also be on the road, a Saturday, Dec. 14 contest at 2 pm against Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles.