Upcoming Event: Women's Basketball versus Western Colorado (EXHIBITION) on October 27, 2025 at TBD
TBD
Women's Basketball
vs Western Colorado (EXHIBITION)
Thursday, January 23
Las Vegas, Nev.
7:35 p.m. PST
University of Utah
56
at
49
*UNLV
Utah Women's Basketball Team Remains Undefeated in MWC Play
1/23/2003 12:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 23, 2003
LAS VEGAS, Nev. - The University of Utah women's basketball team (13-3, 3-0) remained perfect in Mountain West Conference play tonight with a 56-49 win over UNLV at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas. It was both the Utes' fifth straight win and fifth game in a row they have held an opponent to 50 points or less.
Though they committed 21 turnovers, the Utes capitalized more so on the 17 of the Lady Rebels, converting them into 20 Utah points. Utah shot 40 percent on the game, while UNLV went 18-of-59 (31.5 percent) from the field on the game.
Utah started the game off very slow, committing two turnovers in the first 35 seconds and going 1-for-7 from the field (14 percent), scoring its first basket nearly four minutes in. Meanwhile, the Lady Rebels scored the first seven points, connecting on 3-of-6 shots. The Utes then went on a 4-0 run to cut the lead to three, and tied the game at 11 with 11:43 left on the clock.
Utah took its first lead of the game (13-11) at the 10:53 mark. Both teams exchanged baskets before UNLV went on a 6-0 run to take a six-point lead. The Utes answered with five straight points, narrowing it to one. With 2:28 left in the half, Utah took its first lead (24-23) since 8:52. After a few UNLV free throws, the Utes went into the locker room down by one point, 26-27.
A full-court pressure defense allowed UNLV to score nine points on 10 Ute turnovers in the half. The Lady Rebels also out-rebounded Utah 21-18. The Utes connected on 8-of-24 from the field (33 percent), but managed just one trey on the half.
UNLV opened the second half on a 6-0 run, while Utah committed two turnovers in the first two minutes. However, freshman Kim Smith and junior Kelsy Stireman hit back-to-back threes to cut the lead to one (32-33). After both teams traded baskets, Utah went on a 10-0 run, aided by another pair of treys, both by Smith, to take its biggest lead of the game, 42-35.
The Lady Rebels then scored eight straight points to take back the lead, 42-43. The Utes quickly regained the lead on yet another Smith three, but UNLV immediately tied it at 45 with 7:38 left in the game. Utah would then hold UNLV scoreless for 6:39, setting the stage for the victory.
"This is a very good win for us," Head Coach Elaine Elliott said. "We definitely struggled with turnovers - we weren't seeing the floor clearly - but you have to win games on the road in conference play, and we're not taking anything for granted."
Smith finished the game with 20 points, 15 of which came from three-point range. She also added five rebounds, two assists and a steal. Junior Carley Marshall finished with a double-double - 14 points and 10 rebounds. She also added three blocks.
Sophomore Shona Thorburn dished out a team-high six assists to go along with six points, three rebounds and one steal, while Stireman totaled six points, four assists, three steals and three rebounds.
UP NEXT:
Utah travels to San Diego State for a 5:05 p.m. (PST) game against the Aztecs (6-9, 0-2) on Saturday, Jan. 25. "They will try to use their quickness against us," Elliott said of San Diego State. "They don't have the size that UNLV did, but they are very athletic."
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