March 1, 2011

Box Score

RENO - Nevada senior guard Tahnee Robinson scored 32 points and junior Kate Kevorken hit two big three-pointers down the stretch to lead the Wolf Pack to a 71-66 win over Louisiana Tech Monday night before 1,940 fans at the Lawlor Events Center.

The victory by the Wolf Pack snapped LA Tech's 14-game winning streak which dates back to an 83-75 loss to 20th ranked Marquette on Dec. 30 in Miami.

LA Tech (21-6, 13-1 WAC) still holds a one-game lead over Fresno State in the Western Athletic Conference race with two games remaining. The Lady Techsters will close out the regular season schedule at home hosting Boise State Thursday and Idaho Saturday.

The story of the night was rebounding as Nevada dominated the glass for 40 minutes, outrebounding LA Tech 46-22. However, despite being outrebounded so badly, LA Tech still had a chance to win.

After Nevada built a 50-37 lead thanks to the sharp-shooting of Robinson, who hit 11 of 22 field goals and 5-of-7 from beyond the arc, Tech answered using a 16-0 run over a six minute period to retake the lead.

Senior guard Tarkeisha Wysinger-Mackey, who led Tech with 24 points and a career-high eight steals, ignited the run hitting three three-pointers during the run. Her final three from 23 feet away with 10:33 to play in the game gave the Lady Techsters a 53-50 advantage.

The two teams continued to battle back-and-forth and a Jasmine Bendolph three-pointer with 2:55 to play in the game gave the Lady Techsters a 64-63 advantage.

However, Kayla Williams scored on a layup and then Kevorken - who entered the game averaging 3.7 points per game - hit a long three with 1:59 to play to up the advantage to 68-64.

Following a miss by Tech on the offensive end, Nevada had an opportunity to put the game away but Wysinger-Mackey stole the ball and went the length of the floor for a layup to make the score 68-66.

Nevada guard Nicole Williams then hit 1-of-2 free throws with 45 seconds to play to push the lead to three. After three timeouts by LA Tech trying to set up a game-tying three, the Lady Techsters turned the ball over with 14 seconds to play.

An intentional foul was called on Tech as Williams hit 1-of-2 and Nevada kept possession of the basketball. Tech was forced to foul again and Robinson hit 1-of-2 with 6 seconds to play to seal the win.

In addition to Wysinger-Mackey's effort, Bendolph recorded her first career double double with 15 points and a career-high 13 assists while committing only two turnovers. Adrienne Johnson added 15 points and eight boards.

For the game, Tech shot 44 percent (24-55) from the field, 9-of-17 from the three-point line and 9-of-16 from the free throw line. Nevada shot 46 percent (25-55) from the field, 8-of-16 from the three-point line and 13-of-18 from the free throw line.