Lucas Peltier-UNLV Athletics
LAS VEGAS – The UNLV Lady Rebels improved to 2-0 on the young season, defeating the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks 85-71 on Thursday at the Thomas & Mack Center.
Similar to their previous game, the Lady Rebels saw several players score in double figures, with guard Amarachi Kimpson leading the charge with 19 points.
Forwards Alyssa Brown (11 points, 11 rebounds) and McKinna Brackens (14 points, 10 rebounds) both notched double-doubles in the winning effort. Guards Kiara Jackson and Aaliyah Alexander notched 11 points each, and forward Macie James pitched in off the bench with 10 points.
The Lady Rebels were hosting their first Education Day since 2019 during the game.
Here are some quick takeaways from the Lady Rebels’ victory:
Winning the Turnover Battle
The statistic that showcases the Lady Rebels’ dominance in this game came from turnovers.
The strong defensive effort on the court led to the Lumberjacks turning the ball over all afternoon. Northern Arizona ultimately ended the game with 18 total turnovers, with 13 of them being credited as steals for the Lady Rebels. On the other side, UNLV was much better at taking care of the basketball, turning the ball over only seven times.
Domination On The Boards
Similar to their previous game against Loyola Marymount, the Lady Rebels’ efforts to play a hard-nosed game in front of the basket paid off tremendously.
UNLV was the far more physical team on the boards, and they were rewarded with a 55-40 edge in rebounds. Even more telling was that the Lady Rebels landed 24 offensive rebounds, creating more scoring opportunities (27 second chance points) and imposing their will against the Lumberjacks.
Scoring Depth on Display
The team that wins is often the team that gets contributions up and down the lineup, and that held true for the Lady Rebels.
Whereas six Lady Rebels scored double-digit points, the Lumberjacks could only get similar production from three players. UNLV also got significantly more contributions from their bench, with 19 points compared to Northern Arizona’s eight.
