UNLV women drop first conference game to BYU

By Tiffany Gibson

Thursday, Jan. 7, 2010 | 2:05 a.m.

The Mountain West Conference season didn't begin as well as the UNLV women's basketball team had hoped, with the Rebels falling to Brigham Young University, 71-61, on Wednesday night.

Junior point guard Erica Helms scored 18 points, but it wasn't enough to outweigh BYU's defense and backcourt pressure.

"The intensity in the MWC is no joke," said coach Kathy Olivier. "They pressed us and we knew about that and prepared all week. We've got to take care of the basketball."

The Rebels (7-8) took the lead at the beginning of the game with two baskets from Helms, but lost their offensive rhythm after BYU junior guard Haley Hall hit a 3-pointer five minutes into the first half.

As the Cougars settled into their offense, the Rebels' ball movement became sluggish. Olivier shouted from the sidelines for her players to block out as UNLV also continued to struggle in the rebounding department.

Sophomore forward Jamie Smith led the team with eight boards, including seven on the defensive end.

Overall, the team grabbed 36 rebounds — four fewer than BYU — and was just 9-of-26 shooting.

As the end of the first half approached, Helms scored a layup that cut BYU's 12-point lead to 10 at 32-22.

Helms said she never quit driving to the basket in an effort to tie the game up.

"Our team played really hard, but they're a young team and didn't know how conference play is," Helms said. "They (BYU) sped the game up, and we haven't seen that all season."

She said BYU's backcourt pressure really hurt the Rebels' offense because it caused players to make quick shots.

And with their outside shots bouncing off the rim, the Rebels had to find a way to score against BYU's size in the paint during the second half.

UNLV sophomore center Markiell Styles said she knew she was going to have to be a physical force underneath the goal.

"BYU is a really good rebounding team," Styles said. "We were discombobulated, but we could have handled them. We just have to be more physical."

Styles scored 10 points, including two foul shots in the second half, and brought the Rebels within 8 points of BYU.

Olivier said Styles asked for the basketball and was a key player in the team's second-half comeback.

The team's second-leading scorer on the season, freshman guard Kelli Thompson, struggled from beyond the 3-point arc, gong 1-for-7. In the first half, Thompson scored only two points and rounded out the game with nine.

"They (BYU) were ready for her," Olivier said. "They have watched every tape of every game we've played, so they knew about her."

She said Thompson, who averages 13 points per game, has been consistent throughout the season and just couldn't find her stride Wednesday night.

Thompson's 3-pointer in the second half did, however, bring fans to the edge of their seats and the Rebels one basket from tying the game. With less than nine minutes to play, BYU led UNLV, 46-44.

But turnovers in the backcourt and missed shots sealed the game for BYU. The Cougars scored 19 points off of UNLV's 17 turnovers.

Olivier said she has stressed the importance of making good decisions and not turning the ball over, but turnover rates continue to be high.

She said the team will have to stop committing excessive turnovers to have a chance at beating New Mexico on Saturday at home at the Cox Pavilion.

"They (New Mexico) are a top 30 RPI team," Olivier said, "so we're going to have to be very physical."