UNLV Women’s Basketball earned its 20th win of the season, defeating the Fresno State Bulldogs 63-49 at the Save Mart Center on Feb. 10.
UNLV remains at the top of the Mountain West Conference with a 10-1 record.
Kiara Jackson led the Lady Rebels in points, scoring 15 points, and finished with a double-double picking up 10 rebounds. Jackson also led in assists, with two and three turnovers.
Desi-Rae Young led in rebounds, with 12 defensive rebounds and two offensive rebounds.
Taija Sta. Maria led the Bulldogs with 11 points, shooting 50% from the field. Sydney Dethman had five rebounds, with two defensive and three offensive, and Keely Brown contributed, dishing out three assists against the Lady Rebels.
The battle began early into the first quarter, as Jackson tied the game at two and got the Rebels on the board 10 seconds following Sta. Maria, who scored the first two points of the game.
Ashley Scoggin dished out the ball to Alyssa Durazo-Frescas on a cut toward the net, to score a layup in her first play off the bench, putting the Rebels up 4-2.
The first quarter was close, as they went back and forth with layups. The Lady Rebels eventually took over after a layup from Alyssa Brown, which put them up 8-6.
UNLV found its groove after the layup from Brown, as Scoggin made a 3-pointer and freshman Amarachi Kimpson scored a 3-point play, drawing a foul on a layup.
The Lady Rebels closed out the first quarter with a 16-9 lead.
Both teams started off the first two minutes of the second quarter without scoring until Jackson drew a foul that resulted in her knocking down two free throws.
Brown and Jackson continued to have a productive second quarter putting up points for the Lady Rebels and Tamia Stricklin kept the Bulldogs in the game with a 3-pointer and a layup.
The second quarter ended with a 27-20 score, with Brown, Young, Jackson and Kimpson putting the Lady Rebels up by seven.
Young started the third quarter with a layup assisted by Nneka Obiazor, extending the Lady Rebel lead 29-20.
After a layup from Dethman for the Bulldogs, Obiazor splashed a 3-pointer to add to the Lady Rebel lead, making the score 32-22.
The Lady Rebels stayed hot from beyond the arc, with Durazo-Frescas scoring a 3-pointer to add to her 46.0% average from beyond the arc this season.
The third period ended with the Lady Rebels extending its lead into the double-digits up 48-36.
The Bulldogs struggled within the first few minutes of the fourth quarter. Scoggin and Jackson led the Rebels on a 7-0 scoring run to put UNLV up by 19.
Malaya LeSeur brought the Bulldogs back in the game, scoring five unanswered points, including a 3-point play after drawing a foul on a layup that went in.
That play did not stall the momentum of the Lady Rebels, as they bounced back with a mid-range jumper from Obiazor and assistance from Young.
Sta. Maria and Tamia Stricklin started closing the gap for the Bulldogs with a 3-point shot, making the score 59-47.
The Rebels played efficient defense in the backend of the fourth quarter, holding Fresno State to a three-minute scoring drought to make the score 61-47.
Kimpson wrapped up the game with a layup to put the Lady Rebels on top 63-49.
Up Next
The Lady Rebels take on the Colorado State Rams at Cox Pavilion on Feb. 14. Tip-off is at 6:30 p.m.
