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The UNLV Lady Rebels used a 22-3 second quarter to grab their fourth win in as many tries Sunday, Nov. 20 as they defeated the Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners, 74-42.
With the win, UNLV is now 4-0 for the first time since the 2017-18 season.
This is the second straight game where the Lady Rebels’ defense held their opponent to under 50 points in a game.
“Each game gives you something different to learn,” head coach Lindy La Rocque said. “We didn’t have the start that we needed, wanted, or quite frankly, accustomed to. We had to learn that lesson quickly and change it.”
The first quarter was a bit of a slow start for the Lady Rebels who only made two of their first ten shots while their opponents made five of their first six shots.
UNLV trailed by as much as 10 in the quarter, but a 9-0 UNLV run near the end of the quarter cut the CSUB down to just two points by the end of the first.
This was also marked the first time all season that UNLV has been outscored in a quarter.
The Lady Rebels were led by center Desi-Rae Young who had 18 points and 10 rebounds, notching her first double-double of the season.
Young has scored in double figures in 17 straight games. She has also scored 15 or more points in her last five games going back to last season.
“I just think being very patient,” Young said. “I knew I was getting double-teamed, so it was like, ‘Ok, you got to pass the ball. It’s not all about scoring.’ I can get a rebound, I can get an offensive putback, go to the free throw line so that’s what was really working.”
The second quarter was by far the strongest quarter for UNLV who used a 20-0 run over the final 6:35 of the quarter to jump out to a 37-20 lead into the half. Young led all Lady Rebel scorers with 10 points at the break.
This 22-3 second quarter was sparked by tenacious full-court pressure which led to easy transition opportunities for the Lady Rebels.
UNLV forced CSU Bakersfield into 18 turnovers while only committing seven of their own.
The Lady Rebels had two different stretches during the game where they held the Roadrunners scoreless. One stretch was five minutes while the other was six minutes.
“This week in practice, we really focused on our press and our zone.” La Rocque said. “We knew we wanted to play it today and if nothing else, to play it against someone else other than ourselves in practice.”
The UNLV bench produced a season-high 35 points in the game. One of the leaders in that second unit was forward Kenadee Winfrey who finished the day with seven points, eight rebounds and three steals.
“My role was just doing my job,” Winfrey said. “Coming off the bench, I just wanted to do my role and do my job. We started a little slow and we needed a little spark so that was just what I was hoping I could do.”
The Lady Rebels will now get ready for the UNLV Thanksgiving Tournament which tips off Friday, Nov. 25. UNLV’s first opponent in the tournament is Albany which will start a string of three games in three days for the program. Tip-off between UNLV and Albany is set for 11 a.m.
“Winning,” Young said when asked about the tournament. “Winning all three games. We talk about it every day and that's what we want to do. This is just getting prepared for the conference [tournament] ahead.
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