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Women's Basketball Heads to WAC Tourney on Two-Game Streak
March 6, 2012
RENO, Nev. - The University of Nevada women’s basketball team (7-22, 3-11 WAC) will look to ride the momentum of two straight home wins into the Western Athletic Conference tournament’s quarterfinal game against Utah State (20-8, 11-3 WAC) Wednesday 2:30 p.m. at the Orleans Arena. This will mark the second time the schools have met in a conference tournament game. Nevada defeated Utah State 61-60 in the 2007 WAC tournament in Las Cruces, N.M. Utah State leads the overall series 9-8. The Aggies defeated the Wolf Pack in both meetings this season, handing Nevada a 91-69 loss in Logan and a 84-72 decision in Reno. Nevada is just 7-11 all-time at the WAC Tournament. The Pack was eliminated in the first round of its first four trips to the tournament from 2000-04. The Wolf Pack recorded its first WAC Tournament win March 8, 2005 under then-head coach Kim Gervasoni when it defeated the Hawai’i Rainbow Wahine 65-61. The win was followed by a 64-54 loss to Rice to eliminate Nevada from the tournament. Since then, Nevada is 6-6. The most points the Wolf Pack has ever scored in a tournament game was 91 when it defeated LA Tech 91-88 March 12, 2009. The fewest points Nevada has ever scored was in a 45-41 loss to Hawai’i March 5, 2002. The Pack’s greatest margin of victory came in a 76-61 (15 points) win over San Jose State March 7, 2006, while its greatest margin of defeat came in an 82-56 (26 points) decision against LA Tech March 12, 2008. Four times Nevada has been eliminated from tournament play by LA Tech. Nevada defeated Idaho in the first round of last year’s tournament 75-61 before falling to Louisiana Tech 66-59. LAST TIME OUT Nevada rode the emotions of their four starting seniors early on, jumping out to a 13-4 lead. Louisiana Tech closed the gap on a layup by Jasmine Bendolph at the 12:22 mark to bring the score to 16-10. Nevada responded by hitting several shots from downtown to extend their lead to 12. The Wolf Pack knocked down 4-9 of its shots from beyond the arc in the first half while the Lady Techsters went 2-5. Louisiana Tech cut Nevada’s lead to six on a layup by Tavasha Anderson. Chanelle Brennan’s 10 points led Nevada to a 40-31 lead over Louisiana Tech at halftime. Louisiana Tech looked determined to get back in the game out of the break. The Lady Techsters got within three points of the Pack on a basket by Shantale Brambale-Donaldson at the 18:06 mark. Nevada exchanged baskets with Louisiana Tech over the next several minutes to maintain a small lead. The Lady Techsters tied the game at 61-61 on two free throws from Bramble-Donaldson. Nevada reclaimed the lead on a free throw and jump shot by Kayla Williams. A made three point shot by Louisisana Tech’s Whitney Jones tied the game at 66-66 with 4:09 left to go. Senior Amanda Johnson’s steal and eighth assist on a Kevorken layup put Nevada up 69-66. With eight assists in the game Johnson passed Dellena Criner (2005-2009) for third best on the program’s career list. A layup by Jelena Vucinic at the 1:25 mark put Louisiana Tech up 70-69. Senior Amanda Johnson came up big late, hitting a jump shot with 57 seconds to go. The Pack made a strong defensive stand on the Lady Techsters next possession that led to a rebound, putting Kate Kevorken on the line where she made the first and missed the second. Nevada’s missed free throws down the stretch allowed Louisiana Tech to have a chance to tie the game as they were down 75-72 with seven seconds left. The Lady Techsters inbounded a full court pass that was picked off by Kate Kevorken to seal a 76-72 win. MARCH GLADNESS SENIOR DAY LEADERSHIP CLOSE GAMES FOR THE PACK CAPTAIN KATE LEADS THE TEAM SPEAKING OF CLOSE GAMES WILLIAMS CLIMBS NEVADA’S BLOCKS LIST AMANDA THE ASSISTS MACHINE
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