Lady Rebels struggle early, lose to No. 23 Arizona

Adam Candee

Monday, Dec. 23, 2002 | 10:08 a.m.

On top of whatever salary Regina Miller earned as Lady Rebels coach Sunday night, add another 37 cents to her take-home pay.

After the late-game happenings in UNLV's 101-73 blowout loss to 23rd-ranked Arizona at Cox Pavilion, it is a safe bet that Miller will not be needing that small sum for a stamp on a Christmas card to Tucson.

First, the Lady Rebels coach watched Arizona's starters sprint to a 12-0 lead, prompting Miller to hang her head in disbelief as her UNLV squad fell into a hole it never escaped.

Miller then witnessed those same Wildcats players extend their lead to 27 points with two minutes remaining and this time, Miller's head shook in mild disgust.

Asked about Arizona (6-2) not pulling its starters with a substantial lead late in the game, Miller thought for a minute and said,"That's what you do up in that situation."

No Wildcat reserve saw more than 10 minutes of action, while every Arizona starter totaled at least 13 points. Arizona led by as many as 18 points in the first half before pulling completely away late by exploiting its size advantage in the paint.

"From the get-go, we played intense, hard, and focused," Arizona coach Joan Bonvicini said. "We were able to control the glass and score so much in the paint."

Both Bonvicini and Miller concurred that Arizona's fast start doomed any UNLV hopes.

"You almost have to put together a perfect game and we knew that coming in," Miller said.

Led by imposing 6-foot-5 freshman center Shawntinice Pope's 17 points, 18 rebounds, and six blocks, the Wildcats scored 62 of their points in the paint and shot a scorching 53.4 percent for the game. Arizona also outrebounded the Lady Rebels (6-3), 56-33, including 17 on the offensive glass.

"In order to compete against one of the top 25 teams, we've got to rebound the ball better," Miller said. "We've got to tune up our fundamentals a bit more."

Arizona's fast start included a strong defensive effort against UNLV star guard Constance Jinks, who shot a dismal 1-for-10 in the first half. Jinks provided UNLV's bright spot, though, by ripping off 26 of her game-high 30 points in the second half. Most of those points came on jumpers, as Jinks shot 10-of-16 after the break, including 3-of-3 from the arc.

Guard InFini Robinson notched a career-high 21 points for the Lady Rebels, who shot just 36.8 percent. Arizona point guard Aimee Grzyb notched 13 points and 10 assists, while power forward Krista Warren totaled 14 points and 10 rebounds.

The Lady Rebels, who have dropped two of their last three games, are off for the holiday week before hosting Nevada-Reno on Sunday afternoon.