Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Lady Rebels routed

OMAHA, Neb. -- Just a few blocks south of the Civic Auditorium, where UNLV played Creighton for the Women's National Invitation Tournament championship Tuesday night, the boyhood home of former President Gerald Ford has been turned into a tourist attraction.

So at least the Lady Rebels can take solace in the fact they weren't the first to stumble through downtown Omaha on their way to bigger and better things.

That's where a young UNLV team appears to be headed, although it will have to wait at least another year to prove it. The Lady Rebels' remarkable run of last-minute WNIT victories ended in less-than-dramatic fashion as Creighton jumped to an early 13-point lead and never looked back en route to a 73-52 victory that was every bit as thorough as the final score suggested.

The Lady Rebels were playing on just one day's rest and looked tired from the start. It was their eighth game in the past 24 days but the first time they didn't stand a chance.

"Everybody's tired at this time of the season," said UNLV coach Regina Miller, refusing to blame the defeat on fatigue. "Players are physically tired and coaches are mentally exhausted. But this is the time of the season you've got to dig deep."

The game was virtually over before the Lady Rebels (26-8) could plant their shovels in the dirt as Creighton, which had an extra day to prepare for the Lady Rebels, looked as fresh and crisp as the 30-degree weather outside.

"We can't use being tired as an excuse," said Sheena Moore, who was the only Lady Rebel in double figures with 21 points, and the only one who seemed to have any gas left in her tank.

"They had to do the same thing (to get to the championship game) as we did. We just didn't have what it takes tonight. As a team, we didn't leave it all out on the floor like they did."

More important, the Bluejays (24-9) got on the floor more often than the Lady Rebels did. Creighton beat UNLV to practically every loose ball, and once they got possession, the Blue Jays knew what to do.

As expected, Creighton made a bunch of 3-point baskets (9-for-22), hit its free throws (8-for-8) and took care of the ball (11 turnovers). But the Bluejays also controlled the backboards, and their 40-31 rebounding edge was quite unexpected.

"They didn't give us too many second chances and that was a matter of them being more aggressive than us," said Miller, who thought second-chance points would pave the Lady Rebels' path to victory.

Instead, they were just another pothole. The Lady Rebels got just six points on putbacks while the smaller Bluejays finished with 13.

"(UNLV) is one of the best rebounding teams in the nation," said Creighton's Christy Neneman, who scored 17 points and pulled down nine rebounds en route to being named the tournament's most valuable player. "We had to rebound and we proved we could do that."

Added Creighton coach Jim Flanery: "The key tonight was winning the rebounding. We collapsed on their two post players (RanDee Henry and Sherry McCracklin) with an extra defender, and having the extra defender (near the basket) also helped us rebound the basketball."

The Lady Rebels also had trouble against Creighton's press, more from the standpoint of getting into their offense than turning the ball over. UNLV had 16 turnovers, under its season average, but struggled getting the ball inside for high-percentage shots.

And when they did, everyone except Moore seemed to miss.

Moore made 8-of-14 from the field but other than McCracklin, who took just three shots, hitting two, she was the only Lady Rebel who made more shots than she missed. UNLV shot 38.5 percent for the game, but just 29 percent in the second half.

The Lady Rebels' best chance to get back in the game came right after halftime, when InFini Robinson, the only senior in the starting lineup, canned a long 3-pointer to slice the deficit to single figures at 41-32, capping an 8-0 spurt.

Creighton responded with a 10-2 run to reestablish a 17-point lead at 51-34 with 15:02 to play, and that was that.

In addition to Neneman, Creighton received huge games from its other two perimeter players as Laura Spanheimer had a team-high 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting while 3-point specialist Dayna Finch added 16 points, including 4-of-9 from beyond the arc.

The Bluejays got their points in bunches, as they used 15-2 and 14-3 runs in the first half to build a 17-point cushion. In the second half, Creighton went on a 13-0 run to go up 66-37.

The Lady Rebels didn't hang around to watch Creighton cut down the nets. But Miller said this team, with a key addition or two, may get to experience that thrill itself in the not-too-distant future.

"From the first time we played Utah at home, I thought we really improved over the rest of the season," she said. "Too bad we didn't show it tonight.

"But I'm extremely proud of this team. Nobody expected us to be playing on the 30th of March. We just didn't take advantage of our chance to win a championship ... but this team should have that opportunity again."

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