Lady Rebels win fifth straight, move into tie for MW lead

The UNLV women’s basketball team won its fifth straight game to move into a tie for first place in the Mountain West, defeating Utah State 73-67 on Wednesday night at Logan, Utah.

Alana Cesarz scored 14 points for the Lady Rebels (8-10, 5-1), who are tied with Colorado State atop the MW standings. Danielle Miller added 13 points, Mia Bell 12 and Rejane Verin 11.

UNLV finished the first half on a 13-2 run to take a 43-33 halftime lead, then ended the game on an 11-4 run. It held the Aggies (8-9, 2-4) to a season low in points, and Utah State was 0-for-12 on 3-pointers.

The Lady Rebels, meanwhile, were 8-for-16 on 3-points.

Four UNLV starters fouled out, but the Lady Rebels’ bench provided solid minutes. A total of 32 fouls were called in the second half, 15 on UNLV.

“I have to give it up to our subs; they did a great job coming in and keeping their composure,” Lady Rebels coach Kathy Olivier. “It was tough being in foul trouble so much, but we are happy to get out of here with the win.”