by FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Holding its opponent to under 27 percent shooting, the Nevada women’s basketball team rolled to a 62-38 win Wednesday evening at Colorado State.
The Rams (7-10, 1-5 MW) got on the board first and jumped out to an early 3-0 lead before freshman Imani Lacy sunk a 10-foot jumper to get the scoring started for the Wolf Pack (6-12, 2-5 MW). Nevada rattled off four consecutive points to take its first lead of the game, but CSU’s Myanne Hamm hit a 3-pointer to knot the game up at 6-6. The two teams traded baskets for a good chunk of the remainder of the quarter, until the 1:32 mark when freshman Essence Booker stole the ball and found a wide open Da’Ja Hamilton who knocked down a triple. The Rams made a long range shot of their own, however, tying the game at 15 before the end of the quarter.
The second quarter was all Wolf Pack for the first 7:24 as the Nevada defense held the Rams scoreless until the 2:36 mark of the period. During that stretch, senior Terae Briggs (Crow Tribe) scored the Pack’s first five points of the quarter to give Nevada a five-point cushion. Both teams went cold shooting until the 3:51 mark of the period when Booker drained a 3-pointer with the shot clock expiring. With under a minute remaining in the first half, the Rams had still scored just two points in the quarter until Lena Svanholm hit a triple to send the game into halftime with the Pack ahead 27-20.
Nevada really broke the game wide open in the third quarter, opening the period on a 9-0 run before CSU head coach Ryun Williams called a timeout. The Pack scored three more points before the Rams made their first basket of the quarter at the 5:12 mark. Nevada kept up its hot shooting, getting five points in less than a 60 second span from senior Jade Redmon that extended the lead to 19.
With its foot on the gas, the Pack ended the third quarter with back-to-back triples from junior Camariah King that sent Nevada into the final quarter with a 50-28 lead. The Rams started the fourth quarter on an 8-2 run, but a bucket by Hamilton with 5:14 to play halted any CSU momentum. From that point on the Pack defense held the Rams without a field goal and continued to add to its lead.
Nevada had three players score in double figures, led by 15 points from Redmon. She extended her streak of games in double figures to 15 games. Briggs added 10 points and tied her career high of 14 rebounds to post her eighth double-double of the season, which ranks second in the Mountain West. King recorded 14 points and knocked down 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. The Wolf Pack dominated on the glass, collecting a season-best 55 rebounds to 27 by the Rams.
Nevada will enjoy its first bye of the season this weekend and return to action next Wednesday, Jan. 30 when it hosts in-state rival UNLV at 6:30 p.m.
Postgame notes
-The Wolf Pack snapped a three-game losing streak to improve to 6-12 overall and 2-5 in Mountain West play after a 62-38 win at Colorado State.
-Nevada outscored Colorado State 35-18 in the second half, including a 23-8 advantage in the third quarter.
-Senior Terae Briggs recorded her eighth double-double of the season, and second consecutive, with 10 points and 14 rebounds. She needs one rebound to reach 600 in her career. Her 14 rebounds tied her career high.
