Arizona Women’s Basketball hangs on to beat UNLV

TUCSON, AZ – Opening tournament action as the host team, Arizona Women’s Basketball (21-7, 10-6), hung tough to beat UNLV and advance in the NCAA Tournament.

Playing a bit tight at first, Arizona Women’s Basketball was ultimately able to outlast UNLV, as the Wildcats were led by Shaina Pellington’s 30 points and Cate Reese’s 16 points in the 72-67 first-round win.

Arizona opened the tournament on Saturday evening as the No. 4 seed in the Greensboro Region; however, Arizona had earned the right to host the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament this year.

Taking on 13-seeded UNLV inside McKale, the Wildcats started a bit slow in this one, falling behind 14-9 after the first period of play.

Arizona couldn’t seemingly find an offensive rhythm to start as the Wildcats shot just 3 of 15 from the field.

Luckily, that didn’t last long, as the Wildcats were able to respond in a big way in the second quarter, outscoring the Rebels 22-15 and taking a slim, 31-29 halftime lead.

However, a back and forth second half would keep this one competitive as Arizona Women’s Basketball was finally able to escape with the first-round win.

Arizona would continue to hit their shots in the third quarter, but unfortunately for the Wildcats, so would UNLV as the Rebels would not back down, outscoring Arizona 24-17 and retaking the lead at 53-48 after three quarters.

Trailing by five, Arizona would need a big response in the fourth quarter if they were going to win. And luckily, they did not disappoint as the Wildcats opened the quarter with an 8-0 run to go up 56-53.

With their offensive firepower, Arizona would also bring the defensive intensity in the fourth quarter, holding the Rebels to just 14 points and coming away with the 72-67 win.

Where does Arizona Women’s Basketball go from here?

With the win, the Wildcats improve to 21-7 (10-6) and advance to the next round where they will take on 5th seed North Carolina on Monday evening in McKale Center.

Listen to the Wildcats following their first-round win!