by RENO, Nev. – In a game that featured 16 lead changes and was tied for over nine minutes, the Nevada women’s basketball team grinded out a 68-57 win Wednesday evening over Colorado State.
The game was tied at halftime after senior Terae Briggs (Crow Tribe) got a layup to fall with seconds remaining that sent the two teams into the locker room tied at 31. Briggs had 14 points at the break and was on pace to record another double-double. Coming out of halftime, the Wolf Pack (8-13, 4-6 MW) broke the tie first on a jumper from junior Kristin Dearth. The rest of the third quarter was as back and forth as any though as the Pack and Rams (8-13, 2-8 MW) traded the lead six times in the 10 minute span.
It was Nevada that came out on top in the third though, edging the Rams by a single point. With the game tied at 44, junior Mikayla Christian knocked down a jumper with 2:08 left in the quarter that put Nevada back on top. CSU’s Mollie Mounsey then hit 1-of-2 free throws with eight seconds remaining in the period to send the Pack into the fourth with a narrow 46-45 advantage.
The Rams struck first in the fourth, taking a two-point lead, but freshman Da’Ja Hamilton answered for the Pack on its next possession to tie the game up once more. Nevada and Colorado State continued battling back and forth with four more lead changes until the 4:19 mark of the quarter. A basket by Christian put the Pack up by just two, but it was a lead Nevada would not relinquish. Briggs added a point on a successful free throw, but it was a 3-pointer by junior Camariah King with 2:49 left that really shifted momentum Nevada’s way and gave the Pack a six-point lead. Nevada hit 5-of-6 free throws in the last minute of play that provided a cushion to earn the 11-point victory.
Briggs led all scorers with 20 points, her fifth 20-point game of the season. Nevada had two others reach points in double figures as senior Jade Redmon contributed 14 points and King added 10. Christian fell one point shy of reaching double digits for the first time as a member of the Pack but grabbed a career-high six rebounds in the win. As a team, Nevada dished out 14 assists to 11 turnovers, its second-lowest turnover total of the season. The Pack was led in assists by King who tied her season high of five.
Nevada hits the road this weekend for a matchup Saturday, Feb. 9 at New Mexico that will tip at 12 p.m. PT.
Postgame notes
-The Wolf Pack improved to 8-13 overall and 4-6 in Mountain West play after a 68-57 home win over Colorado State. Nevada is just one game out of fifth place in the MW standings.
-Senior Terae Briggs led all scorers with 20 points, her fifth 20-point game of the season. She finished 7-of-11 from the field and was 6-of-7 from the free throw line. She fell just two rebounds shy of recording her ninth double-double of the year.
