Lady Rebels race past Air Force, stay tied for second in MWC
UNLV outscored Air Force by 34 points in the final 12 minutes to run away with an 86-48 victory in a Mountain West Conference women's basketball game Saturday in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Kelli Thompson scored 21 points and Sandrine Nzeukou 20 for the Lady Rebels (21-8, 9-4 MWC). Thompson hit 8 of 10 field-goal attempts and Nzeukou 6 of 7 as UNLV shot 68 percent (17 of 25) in the second half and a season-high 55.8 percent (29 of 52) for the game. Jamie Smith added 11 points and 11 rebounds for the Lady Rebels, who had a 44-26 advantage in rebounds and forced Air Force (5-23, 0-13) into 23 turnovers.
Up 48-44, UNLV began its run by scoring 14 straight points and ended the game with 11 in a row. All four Falcons points in the final 12 minutes came on free throws.
The 38-point winning margin was the Lady Rebels' second-highest in a Mountain West game and the first time they have won a conference game by at least 20 points since the 2004-05 season.
UNLV remained tied for second with Colorado State in the conference, behind San Diego State. The Rebels will host the Rams at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Cox Pavilion.
