The Lady Rebels faced off against the Air Force Falcons for the second time this season on Jan. 21. The Falcons were looking for payback after losing to the Rebels at home, 64-58, but it ended up going the opposite direction, as they lost by 31 points, giving the Rebels their largest lead-differential win this season. The final score was 78-47.
The Rebels’ defense is near unmatched, with countless scrappy, energetic players who never give up on a play. This game was an outstanding example, as UNLV held the Falcons to just 28.4 percent shooting from the field and 12.5 percent from 3-point range, while allowing only eight total free throws in the entire game.
Their defense continued by allowing only one Falcons player to score in double figures, finishing with 12 points. They also held Air Force below 10 points in both the first and fourth quarters, with a combined 17 points.
Lady Rebels’ Ridiculous Offense
It wasn’t just their defense that won them the game but also their explosive offense. They shot 52.6 percent from the field and went ballistic in the paint, scoring 48 of their 78 total points. Remarkably, four players scored in double figures, as well as 10 of 14 total players scoring at least one point in this game. None other than forward Shelbee Brown led the way with 20 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists in the massive blowout.
This team continues to look unstoppable with an 8-1 conference record, sitting as the No. 2 seed behind San Diego State’s undefeated 8-0 mark. Additionally, the Rebels hold an overall record of 13-6 and look to add another win on Jan. 24 against their neighboring Nevada Wolf Pack.
Jesse Vanderveer is a basketball reporter and writer for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X via @JesseVanderveer22
