Rebels win season opener, lose at home

November 16, 2009 by Sean Jaramillo 

Rebels smoke Southern Utah but lose to Nebraska

The UNLV Lady Rebels basketball team’s first weekend ended with a split of their first two games.

UNLV opened up the season on Friday with a 61-43 victory on the road against Southern Utah University.

They followed that up with a 73-51 loss against Nebraska on Sunday.

UNLV struggled early on against SUU, giving up the first nine points of the game.

Their struggles continued until the five-minute mark of the first half, as they trailed 21-16, but the Lady Rebels turned the score in their favor with a 9-2 run to end the half with a 25-23 lead.

The Lady Rebels continued their dominance in the second half, as the 9-2 run grew into a 22-6 run, giving UNLV a 38-27 advantage.

Southern Utah brought the game close again with a 10-2 run, to move within three points of UNLV.

The Thunderbirds’ run was paced by Chanel Thorley, who was the only SUU player in double-digits with 12 points and also led the team with eight rebounds.

The three point deficit was as close as the Thunderbirds got to the Lady Rebels for the rest of the game. UNLV went on a 19-1 run over the span of four minutes to put the game out of reach.

Freshman standout Kelli Thompson scored all 12 of her points during this run to help UNLV in the first game of her career as a Rebel.

Sophomore centers Sandrine Nzeukou and Markiell Styles were dominant in the second half, as Nzeukou scored a game-high 13 points and Styles added 12.

Junior guard Erica Helms tacked on 10 points and a game-high three steals.

Sophomore forward Jamie Smith came up with 12 rebounds, the only player on either team with more than 10 rebounds, and added seven points and a team-high three blocks.

Leading the team in assists was freshman guard Mia Bell, who had six assists coming off the bench.

The Lady Rebels did not have as successful of a time in their home opener against Nebraska.

UNLV and Nebraska played evenly through the first 10 minutes of the game, but the Cornhuskers managed an 11-2 run to end the half, giving them a 36-23 halftime lead.

The ‘Huskers continued to build off that momentum with an 18-6 start to the second half, which put the game out of reach for good.

Jamie Smith led the Rebels in both points and rebounds, racking up 12 and 11 respectively.

Kelli Thompson was the only other Rebel in double figures, managing 11 points.

UNLV now travels to Sacramento State on Thursday.