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UNLV 77-61 loss starts fast at Colorado State

UNLV fell 77-61 at Colorado State after a 29-point first quarter put the Lady Rebels in a deep hole. Aaliyah Alexander scored 18 and Meadow Roland added 17 and 12 with five blocks.

UNLV guard Mariah Elohim crouches in a defensive stance in front of a Nevada ballhandler.
UNLV guard Mariah Elohim squares up on defense against Nevada during the Lady Rebels’ game at The Pavilion in Las Vegas. Image by Mark Hebert — Dice City Sports

UNLV never recovered from a brutal opening quarter and fell 77-61 to Colorado State on Feb. 25 at Moby Arena in Fort Collins, Colorado.

The Lady Rebels scored first, but Colorado State answered with a 29-point first quarter and carried a 29-12 lead into the second. UNLV shot 4 of 15 in the first and 3 of 15 in the second, and the early hole forced them to chase the game the rest of the night.

UNLV’s shots never settled

UNLV finished at 32.8 percent from the field and 29.6 percent from 3-point range, going 20 of 61 overall and 8 of 27 from deep. Colorado State was steadier, shooting 41.4 percent overall and 40.7 percent from 3-point range while making 11 threes.

UNLV also left points at the line, going 13 of 19. Colorado State was nearly perfect, hitting 18 of 19 free throws. The Rams did most of that damage late, going 12 of 13 at the stripe in the fourth.

Alexander and Roland did what they could

Aaliyah Alexander led UNLV with 18 points, scoring on 5-of-15 shooting and going 6 of 7 at the line. Meadow Roland posted 17 points and 12 rebounds for another double-double and added five blocks. Trystan James gave UNLV a lift off the bench with seven points and four rebounds.

Colorado State put four players in double figures and leaned on balance all night. Lexus Bargesser scored 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Brooke Carlson added 13 points and made all 11 of her free throws.

A late push, but CSU had the closer

UNLV won the third quarter 17-11 and played its best offense in the fourth, scoring 21 points. But Colorado State matched it with a 27-point final quarter, using threes and free throws to keep the lead comfortable.

The loss dropped UNLV to 18-10 overall and 13-5 in the Mountain West. Colorado State improved to 22-7 and 13-5.

Up Next

UNLV continues its road swing Saturday at Fresno State. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. PT on the Mountain West Network.

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Welcome to Dice City Sports — where we provide premium, exclusive, up-to-date news and analysis surrounding the Las Vegas sports scene. Follow along on social media, and check back for new articles daily!
Dice City Sports editor Mark Hebert covers the Vegas Golden Knights, Las Vegas Raiders, Athletics, and UNLV baseball and softball. He has 24 years of journalism experience, is also a senior reporter at Exhibit City News, and previously covered the Dallas Stars and Texas Rangers. Follow him on X or connect on LinkedIn.

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