Nevada Release
1/27/2016
Thanks to a 70-64 road win, Nevada women’s basketball coach Jane Albright earned career win No. 500 Wednesday night from Viejas Arena.
Now in her 32nd year as a Division I head coach, Albright’s 500th win comes on a night where the Wolf Pack (4-15, 3-5 MW) had to mount a fourth quarter comeback. She now ranks 31st among active Division I coaches in career victories. Albright also collected her 400th career win while with the Wolf Pack during her first season at the helm.
As for the game itself, Nevada’s 70 points is a season-high and the Pack got three scorers into double figures. The offense was led by junior Stephanie Schmid who produced 19 points and was near perfect from the free throw line, going 5-for-6. Freshman Riana Everidge notched a new career-high with 16 points and added eight rebounds to her night. Senior Nyasha LeSure racked up 12 points to post her 14th game in double figures this season.
Most points in the game were scored in the second half, but the Pack managed to outscore the Aztecs (6-13, 1-7 MW) by just after the first two quarters to take a three-point lead into halftime. The early stages of the third quarter belonged to the Pack as it established a nine-point lead with 3:58 remaining in the period. The final four minutes though went to SDSU. The Aztecs turned a nine-point deficit into a five-point lead heading into the final quarter and scored seven points in the final 13 seconds of the quarter.
Nevada quickly rose to the task as the fourth quarter began, pulling within one after the first minute and a half. It wasn’t until the 6:43 mark however that the Wolf Pack would regain the lead. A timely three-pointer by sophomore Halie Bergman sparked a 6-0 run that gave the Pack a little bit of breathing room with under five to play.
With 31 seconds displayed on the clock and the Pack up by three, Schmid was sent to the line for a pair of free throws. The junior made her first, missed her second but the offensive board was grabbed by Everidge, keeping possession with Nevada. As time ticked away even further, senior Kelsey Kaelin was then sent to the line and hit both of her foul shots, sealing the win for the Pack.
The Wolf Pack hands the Aztecs its seventh consecutive loss and earns its first road win since Jan. 3 of last year when it topped Air Force in Colorado Springs.
Sdsu scored seven points in the final 13 seconds of the third to take a five-point lead into the fourth quarter
Nevada returns home to Lawlor Events Center to host Utah State this Saturday, Jan. 30 at 4 p.m. Prior to tip, the Nevada athletics department will host its annual All-Sports Clinic which will begin at 2 p.m. Attendance to the game will be free.
