by RENO, Nev. – With a strong defensive effort displayed throughout the game, the Nevada women’s basketball team defeated the Memphis Tigers, 75-67, Saturday afternoon in the consolation game of the annual Nugget Classic. The Pack (3-2) made its presence felt throughout the game, as the team held the Tigers to 41 percent shooting in the victory.
Nevada opened the game causing Memphis to take multiple tough shots and forced five turnovers in the first five minutes of play. Senior guard Stephanie Schmid ignited the Pack’s offense, knocking down her lone three-pointer of the afternoon to give Nevada its first lead, 11-10, with 3:54 remaining in the quarter.
That spark was the start of what turned out to be an 8-of-12 shooting performance in the opening period for the Pack, as Nevada led, 17-14, heading into the second quarter. The defense did not let up though, as two blocks from the Pack helped extend its lead to 23-16 with 6:30 remaining in the second frame.
After the Tigers went on a 7-0 run and reclaimed the lead, 32-31, both squads traded baskets for the remaining 1:53, making it difficult for either team to hold an advantage. However, a last-second, mid-range jumper from Schmid, capped off a 70 percent second quarter shooting performance from the Pack, as Nevada took a 34-33 lead into halftime.
Coming out of the locker room, Nevada asserted itself on the offensive end, forcing Memphis to put the Pack in the bonus at the 7:30 mark. Nevada’s nine made free throws on 10 attempts midway through the quarter helped keep its lead, 46-40, before Schmid hit another basket to extend Nevada’s advantage to double-digits.
With the Memphis not backing down and slowly chipping away at Nevada’s lead, sophomore guard MorningRose Tobey (Assiniboine Sioux)ended the quarter with an exclamation point, hitting her only three-pointer of the game with 30 seconds left, which brought the Pack’s lead back to 58-48 entering the final period.
Rebounding turned out to be a crucial part in the last 10 minutes of play, as the Pack outrebounded the Tigers, 10-6, in the fourth quarter. Nevada was led in that category by sophomore forward Terae Briggs (Crow Tribe), who pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds to go along with her 13 points, which marked the second double-double of her career.
In the final minutes of the matchup, Memphis used a 10-4 run to tie the game at 66 a piece with just over one minute remaining. The tie score wouldn’t last long though, as junior guard T Moe knocked down three of her 11 points to give Nevada the lead once again.
After Memphis responded with a single free throw, Moe threaded a pass through the Tiger defense to find Briggs, where she recorded her game-high sixth assist. The basket extended the Pack’s lead, 71-67, as two pairs of free throws would ice the game, giving Nevada the 75-67 win.
Schmid would finish the afternoon with a game-high 19 points, leading her to a spot on the All-Tournament team.
Up next, Nevada will matchup versus UC Irvine on Dec. 1 inside Lawlor Events Center at 6:30 p.m. PT.
