There was a 21 minute delay due to a shot clock malfunction at the 11:03 mark of the first half, with Utah leading 15-10. The delay began at 11:27 a.m. and ended at 11:48 a.m.
UNLV ended the first half shooting 0-for-7 from the floor, which Utah translated into a 9-2 run to take a 27-24 advantage after the first period and did not trail for the remainder of the contest.
At halftime, Utah recorded eight assists on 11 field goals, five from senior Shona Thorburn, the conference leader in assists (6.96/game). Thorburn finished the game with eight assists, bumping her career total to 650, one shy of the all-time MWC record of 651 held by Mandi Moore of New Mexico (2001-05).
Thorburn's eight assists tied the record for assists in a semifinal game with Nikki Heckroth of New Mexico (vs. CSU, 3/7/01) and Tiana Fuertes of Utah (vs. UNLV, 3/10/00)
UNLV's leading scorer, senior Sheena Moore, was held scoreless in the first half on 0-for-3 shooting. On the season, Moore averaged 15.5 ppg against Utah, above her season average of 13.3 ppg (8th in MWC). Moore finished the game with six points on 2-for-11 shooting.
Including today's win over UNLV, Utah is 20-1, 12-1 in the MWC, when leading at halftime. UNLV drops to 2-7 on the season when trailing at the half.
UNLV was held without a three point field goal in the contest for the first time this season. In conference losses, the Rebels were held to just 20.9 percent shooting (23-110). Opponents in those conference losses shot 35.5 percent (49-138) from beyond the arc including the 3-for-13 by Utah in today's contest.
UNLV senior Sherri McCracklin posted her third double-double of the season with 10 points and 12 rebounds in the game. That marks the 24th double-double of her career, tying for fifth all-time at UNLV (RanDee Henry - 2003-05).
McCracklin's four blocks in the game set a new semifinal record for the MWC tournament (3, Lauren Beckman of Utah, vs. UNLV, 3/10/00).
Utah will make its fourth appearance in the finals of the MWC Tournament, including the team's third consecutive appearance. Utah won the inaugural game in 2000, defeating BYU, 61-47. Utah lost in 2004, 71-50, to New Mexico and again, 47-37, vs. New Mexico in 2005.