Friday, Jan. 28, 2005 | 10:25 a.m.
They won five consecutive games and finally looked ready to soar, then promptly dropped three in a row and appeared primed to collapse.
It only figures that these Lady Rebels, masters of mystification that they are, came up with their biggest win of the season just when the situation called for them to tank.
Using a high-energy press that frustrated conference leader New Mexico throughout the second half, UNLV shrugged off a late deficit to upset the Lobos 63-60 Thursday night at the Thomas & Mack Center. The Lady Rebels survived two missed 3-point attempts in the final seven seconds to get their first win of the year in Mountain West Conference play.
"Defense and rebounding wins," UNLV coach Regina Miller said. "It's going to win every time."
A few clutch shots never hurt either. Freshman forward Sequoia Holmes converted consecutive three-point plays to put the Rebels ahead by four with 4:30 to play, and junior guard Brittney Thomas drained a 3-pointer for her only basket of the night to restore UNLV's edge to 58-54 with 2:26 left.
UNLV's offense came alive in the second half to complement the defense, shooting 54 percent (14-for-26) to give the Lady Rebels plenty of chances to set the press. Senior forward RanDee Henry led the team with 17 points and six rebounds, while Holmes finished with 14 points.
The Lady Rebels (10-8, 1-3) also controlled the glass, outrebounding the Lobos by a 20-8 margin after halftime. But their full-court man press made the biggest difference, especially after going down 48-42 with 10:30 to play.
"We'd seen that with pressure, they were a little shaky," Henry said. "We wanted to pressure them and play good defense."
From that point, UNLV grabbed two steals, forced another turnover and held the Lobos (14-3, 3-1) without a field goal for almost seven minutes. New Mexico's guards struggled to get the ball into the frontcourt to set the offense as the faster and more athletic Rebels pestered them.
"We just pressured them because we knew they couldn't handle the ball against our defense," UNLV junior guard Sheena Moore said.
With her team desperate for some hope after losing three games in a row to open conference play, Miller shortened her bench and called upon her starters to carry the load. Moore responded in the first half with 13 of her 15 points, while Henry and Holmes carried the team down the stretch.
Miller tried to instill urgency in her team without causing panic this week, pressuring them in practice to take responsibility for their effort after they failed to hold leads against Wyoming and Colorado State. She left mostly pleased with the results.
"I thought I saw it to a certain degree, but not to the magnitude we're going to need it," Miller said.
New Mexico, which saw its four-game winning streak snapped, is easily the best opponent UNLV has beaten this season. Rated 38th nationally in the RPI, the Lobos came into the game with the better defensive reputation, leading the nation by allowing opponents just 48.9 points per game and also giving up just 34 percent shooting from the floor.
"We beat a good team tonight," Miller said. "New Mexico's a good team. We didn't play perfect, but we made a few less mistakes."
Freshman forward Dionne Marsh came off the bench to pace the Lobos with 19 points, leading all scorers. Senior forward Lindsey Arndt and junior guard Abbie Letz both scored 11 points for New Mexico.
Letz, who hit 3-of-5 tries from the arc, compiled her points in just 20 minutes. After hitting a pair of 3-pointers in the second half, Letz sat out the final six minutes.
Her absence seemed to be a break for the Lady Rebels, the kind of good fortune they have needed of late. After alternating wins and losses in their first 10 games and appearing shell-shocked after their poor conference start, Henry said this could be the confidence boost that finally sends UNLV in the right direction.
"We haven't been playing like this, so hopefully we can continue to build," Henry said.
The Lady Rebels play host to Air Force (6-11, 1-3) at 3 p.m. Saturday at the Thomas & Mack. The Falcons won Thursday night at San Diego State, their first-ever road win against the Aztecs.
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