Utah bounces UNLV from women’s tournament
All UNLV senior Erica Helms could muster was "last game" as she sat at the podium Tuesday, her eyes beginning to well with tears.
She lowered her head, and coach Kathy Olivier placed her left hand on Helms’ back.
No one could question Helms’ heart after she led the Lady Rebels with 14 points and did all she could do to keep their season going.
But Helms couldn’t overcome eighth-seeded UNLV’s school-record-low 17.5 percent shooting, which included at least eight missed layups, in a 55-44 loss to fifth-seeded Utah.
The Utes closed with a 13-2 run to send UNLV out in the first round of the women’s Mountain West Conference Tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center.
The Lady Rebels, who began the season with hopes of making a postseason tournament, finished 11-20 for their fifth consecutive losing season.
Olivier always tries to wear a smile, but the trying season clearly wore on her.
The smile was still there after the game, but it didn’t seem as natural.
After the postgame news conference, Olivier admitted to wanting to share a tear or two with Helms.
"We were always looking for some positives this year," Olivier said. "I have a great staff that works extremely hard. The players come in every day. They want to get better. They focus. They work hard.
”It’s not like Downerville. And it’s hard. It’s hard when you lose as many games as we did."
The season will be defined by a series of close losses in which the Lady Rebels failed to make the necessary plays down the stretch.
So, fittingly, the season ended that way, too, but against a Utah team (15-16) that UNLV rallied to beat 51-47 just three days before.
The game was tied at 42 when Iwalani Rodrigues, who scored a game-high 16 points, made a 3-pointer with 1:51 left to put the Utes ahead for good.
That sparked the game-closing 13-2 run.
But the fact the Lady Rebels were even in position to win in the final two minutes was astounding, considering their poor shooting.
Kelli Thompson was 0-for-16, Helms 3-for-13, India Chaney 1-for-8 and Mia Bell 1-for-7.
In addition to missing layups, UNLV made just 3 of 17 3-point shots.
The Lady Rebels’ shooting percentage broke their previous low mark of 19.1 percent on Jan. 14, 1999, against Rice.
But offense wasn’t UNLV’s only problem.
The Lady Rebels had difficulty against Utah’s Janita Badon, who finished with 13 points, 17 rebounds and seven assists.
It was her pass to Rodrigues that set up the crucial go-ahead 3-pointer.
Badon later helped put the game out of reach by beating the press and finding Michelle Harrison for a layup and three-point play for a 53-44 lead with 48.8 seconds left.
"Where she really killed us was the rebounds," Olivier said. "A point guard gets 17 rebounds. Think about that. It’s crazy."
Now UNLV begins another offseason, and Olivier talked about the team coming back stronger next season.
She will no doubt turn her attention to the future quickly, but the players will probably carry their sad memories from this game and season with them for the next several months.
"I thought as a group we played hard," Helms said after regaining her composure.
"I think I just left it all on the floor the last game."
It just wasn’t enough.
Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914.