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LAS VEGAS, Nev. (UNLVRebels.com) – The UNLV women’s basketball team opened Mountain West play with a 78-53 victory over Fresno State on Sunday afternoon at Cox Pavilion. The Scarlet & Gray continue the streak and have not lost in a conference opener under head coach Lindy La Rocque.
McKinna Brackens led the Lady Rebels (9-4, 1-0) with 15 points by shooting 6-for-8 from the field and 3-for-4 from the free throw line. Brackens also dished five assists, brought down eight rebounds and had two blocks. Alyssa Brown, Amarachi Kimpson and Meadow Roland each tallied 12 points apiece. Brown dished a team-high six assists, tying her career high. She also led the squad in blocks with three and was tied for the team-lead in rebounds with Brackens at eight. Kiara Jackson put up 10 points and secured her 1,000-career point in a Lady Rebels uniform.
Fresno State (9-5, 0-1) was led by Mariah Elohim’s 15 points and Mia Jacobs’ 12 points. Kylee Fox led the Bulldogs in rebounds with five and she scored 11 points, respectively.
SHOOTING PERCENTAGE: UNLV had its best shooting game from the field thus far in the season having shot 52.6% (30 of 57) from the field for the game and 36.4% (8 of 22) on three-pointers. The Lady Rebels shot 53.3% (16 of 30) from the field in the first half and 51.9% (14 of 27) in the second, while they converted 50.0% (6 of 12) from the three-point line in the first half and 20.0% (2 of 10) in the second half.
Fresno State shot 37.0% (20 of 54) from the field for the game and 35.0% (7 of 20) on three-pointers. The Bulldogs shot 28.0% (7 of 25) from the field in the first half and 44.8% (13 of 29) in the second, while they made 25.0% (2 of 8) from the three in the first half and 41.7% (5 of 12) in the second.
“I’m proud of the way we started Mountain West play. Conference play has a different intensity and purpose to every possession. I thought our team was locked in from the start and we came out firing and didn’t let up on the gas. I’m just really proud of our effort, we had a balanced team effort with sharing the ball and our rebounding was an emphasis. We did a good job on the glass, holding them off the offensive boards and then getting us some extra possessions. It was a big game for Kiara Jackson reaching 1000 points, just the epitome of a great college student athlete, a four-year player, there’s no one more deserving than her. I’m happy for her to reach that milestone in our program,” said head coach Lindy La Rocque.
OTHER NOTES:
– UNLV out-rebounded Fresno State 42-22.
– The Lady Rebels had a season-high seven blocked shots.
– Brackens’ five assists tied her career-high.
– All 12 Lady Rebels played minutes against the Bulldogs.
– UNLV remains undefeated against Fresno State in the La Rocque era.
– The Scarlet & Gray remain undefeated in conference openers since the 2019-20 season (Dec. 3, 2019 vs. Fresno State, 66072)
– The Lady Rebels scored 40 of their 78 points in the paint.
– UNLV’s bench out-scored Fresno State’s bench 22-10.
– The Lady Rebels held the Bulldogs to only eight points in the first quarter.
UP NEXT: The Lady Rebels continue league play hitting the road to visit San Jose State on Wednesday, Jan. 1. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m.
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