Arizona Wildcats Outlast Tough UNLV Squad to Remain Undefeated
The Arizona Wildcats put on a stellar fourth-quarter performance to beat the UNLV Rebels, 75-66, in women’s basketball action at the McKale Center on Tuesday night.
The Wildcats (4-0) faced their toughest game to this point in the season, as the Rebels (2-1) played with them for three quarters before Arizona finally got into a groove in the final 10 minutes.
The Wildcats went off from the floor, as they shot 9-of-12 (75%), including a perfect 3-of-3 from the 3-point line. The Rebels shot 46% but were still left in the dust.
UNLV led by four points entering the fourth quarter and held onto that lead for the first two minutes of the quarter until Lauryn Swann drained a 3-pointer with 7:57 left to push the Wildcats head by two points, 54-52.
UNLV proved difficult to put away, even as Arizona pushed ahead by six points, 67-59, with 2:28 left. The Rebels’ Amarachi Kimpson hit two free throws and Meadow Roland’s put-back with 1:40 remaining cut the Wildcats’ lead to 67-63.
From there, Wildcats went on a 8-0 run in 1:17 that included four straight made field goals to put the game away.
UNLV is one of the best mid-major programs in women’s basketball. Coach Lindy La Rocque and the Rebels have won the last three Mountain West Conference regular-season and tournament championships and been to the NCAA Tournament three straight seasons. The Las Vegas native entered the season with a 102-22 record.
Swann had a near-perfect game for the Wildcats, as she scored 19 points on 8-of-9 shooting. That included a pair of 3-pointers. She did that in 19 minutes off the bench.
Jada Williams pumped in 15 points, along with six rebounds. Breya Cunningham added 12 points and a team-high nine rebounds.
Thanks to the late surge, the Wildcats shot 53% for the contest. But, the Wildcats committed 21 turnovers and was tied in the rebounding battle, 33-33. The Rebels also outscored the Wildcats in the paint, 34-24.
Kimpson scored 14 points and grabbed three rebounds for the Rebels. Kiara Jackson added 12 points, but she shot 3-of-16 from the floor and missed all four 3-point attempts.
Arizona is coming off an 18-16 season that saw it reach the NCAA Tournament and win in the First Four before falling in the first round. It was the Wildcats’ last season in the Pac-12 before they moved to the Big 12 this season.
The Wildcats will travel to Chicago to face Chicago State on Saturday at noon mountain time.
