UNLV Lady Rebels Shock Conference Leader Utah Utes

The Cox Pavilion was rocking in this one as the Rebels just simple out played the Utah Utes in a shocking 68-55 win.

Coming in to this game, The Lady Rebels where very fired up because on Saturday, they lost a game in Provo, Utah in the last 1.7 seconds of the game against BYU, 53-52.

In better news, Jamie Smith (pictured) is ranked fourth in the nation among freshman with 8.9 rebounds per game.

Before the game tonight, as the Rebels headed to warms- ups, Zac and Jenna went to the edge of the court and gave / got high fives from most of the players as they past by. The children were very excited to have been a part of this. To them it a extremely big deal.

The following is the article about the game that was posted on www.unlvrebels.com.

""Trailing by eight points with nine minutes to play, UNLV blew past Utah with a 20-2 run, and broke an 11-game losing streak to the Utes with a 68-55 victory on Wednesday night in Mountain West Conference women's basketball action from the Cox Pavilion. With the win over the first-place Utes, UNLV improved to 11-16 on the year, 4-10 in the league, and posted a victory over Utah for the first time since March 4, 2004. The Utes meanwhile dropped to 18-8, and 11-2 in the MWC.

UNLV also set a school record on the night, connecting on 23-of-24 at the free throw line for 95.8%, topping the previous mark of 95.5% (21-of-22), which came against Pacific on March 2, 1991, and it was the third best performance ever in a MWC game. The Lady Rebels would make all 14 of their attempts in the second half, including 10 in the in the last 1:32 of the game.

The game was tied at 27 at halftime, and then again at 29-29 before Utah reeled off a 9-0 run. A jumper from Halie Sawyer ended the run, making the score 38-29 with 14:48 to play. Twice UNLV closed to within three, and a pair of free throws from India Chaney made the score 41-38, but five straight points from the Utes stretched the lead back to 46-38 with 9:03 on the clock. After five unanswered points from UNLV cut the lead to 46-43, Kalee Whipple made two free throws to push the lead back to five with 7:38 to play. That would be the final points for the visitors for the next six minutes.

Dominique Harris, turning in her best game of the season, started the game-winning rally for UNLV by knocking in a pair of free throws, and after Jamie Smith's trey tied the game at 5:27, 48-48, Harris hit back-to-back jumpers for a 52-48 lead. Brittany Halberg then hit back-to-back three-pointers, putting UNLV ahead by 10, 58-48 with 1:50 to play. A short jumper from Katie King broke the run for UNLV, but the Lady Rebels would hit 10 straight at the line in the final 1:32 for the 13-point victory.

The first half was a back and forth affair, with six ties and 14 lead changes. Neither team would lead by more then four points in the opening 20 minutes.

For the first time since the season opener, UNLV would place five in double figures, as the entire starting lineup finished with 10 or more points. Halberg scored all of her team-high 15 points in the second half, while Harris finished with 13. Smith posted her ninth double-double of the year with 10 points and 14 rebounds.

Shamela Hampton and Erica Helms also recorded 10 points each. UNLV shot 38.5% (20-of-52) for the game, was 5-of-17 (29.4%) from three-point range. The Lady Rebels held a 38-32 edge on the boards, and turned the ball over just 11 times.

Morgan Warburton led Utah with 21 points, while King added 12. Whipple, a native of nearby Hiko, Nev., shot just 2-of-13 from the floor and scored 10 points before fouling out, one of three Utes to foul out of the contest. Utah was held to 32.7% (18-of-55) for the game, was 6-of-25 (24%) from downtown, and made 13-of-15 at the line for 86.7%.

UNLV will have the weekend off before playing its final road game of the regular season, as it will take on Air Force in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Wednesday, March 4 at 6 pm.""

During the game, my son was thrown a UNLV t-shirt by a cheerleader at a time out. he put it on right away.

After the game, We waited a bit and talk with a few players, before leaving the arena. My voice was a little horse at the end.

The emotions are running high as on Saturday, March 7th will be the end of regular season, and the last game for the seniors on the court of the Cox Pavilion. We will miss them very much. This part of the cycle of the being a fan of college sport players. After 4 or 5 years they move on to a new chapter in there life.