UNLV roundup: Lady Rebels place third in home tournament

LaTecia Smith scored a career-high 22 points for UNLV, which shut out South Florida for the first six minutes of the fourth quarter in a 61-51 win in the Duel in the Desert women’s basketball tournament third-place game Saturday at Cox Pavilion.

Freshman Melanie Isbell had career highs of 10 points and six rebounds for the Lady Rebels (4-8), who trailed 20-16 after one quarter and led 31-29 at halftime.

Smith ended the third quarter with a jumper that put UNLV up 46-44 and started an 11-0 run. She added six steals and five rebounds.

Tamara Henshaw had eight points and 13 rebounds for the Bulls (7-6), who held a 42-28 edge in rebounds. Kristyna Brabencova and Shae Leverett each scored nine points for USF.

In the championship game, No. 15-ranked Mississippi State (11-2) posted a 72-59 win over Virginia (5-6).