UNLV roundup: UNR surges late, slips past Lady Rebels

Da’Ja Hamilton hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 4:07 left to help send UNR past UNLV 62-59 in a Mountain West women’s basketball game Wednesday in Reno.

Marguerite Effa scored 14 points for the Wolf Pack (13-12, 6-8), who won their third straight and paid back the Lady Rebels (12-12, 8-5) for a 66-64 loss on Jan. 22.

LaTecia Smith had 17 points and Rodjanae Wade 15 points and 15 rebounds for UNLV, which led 11-10 after one quarter, 29-23 at intermission and 43-41 entering the fourth quarter.

The Lady Rebels led by 12 midway through the third quarter before UNR closed the period on an 11-2 run.

Hamilton, who totaled nine points, put the Wolf Pack up 54-51 with her 3-pointer, and they didn’t trail again.

Smith hit a 3 with 14 seconds left to pull UNLV within 60-59, but Spring Valley product Essence Booker hit two free throws with 10 seconds to go for UNR.

Booker and Nia Alexander each scored 11 points for the Wolf Pack, who were outrebounded 38-30. UNR shot 46.6 percent; the Lady Rebels shot 41.4 percent.

BASEBALL

Senior pitcher Ryan Hare, junior first baseman Jack-Thomas Wold and sophomore second baseman Edarian Williams were named to the Mountain West’s preseason all-conference team, which was voted on by the league’s eight coaches.

Hare was 8-4 with a 3.52 ERA in 16 appearances, including 11 starts, in 2019. The right-hander pitched 79⅓ innings and held opponents to a .217 batting average, with 52 strikeouts and 24 walks.

Wold, a Basic High School product, batted .331 with a .494 slugging percentage and a .398 on-base percentage. He totaled 33 RBIs and 32 runs in 41 games.

Williams, a Rancho High School product, batted .342 with a team-high 80 hits in 57 games. He had a .399 on-base percentage and 36 RBIs. His 34-game on-base streak and 17-game hitting streak were tops among the Rebels.

MEN’S TENNIS

Senior Eric Samuelsson was named Mountain West player of the week for the first time after going a combined 4-0 in singles and doubles last week while helping the Rebels (6-0) to victories over Northern Arizona and Santa Clara.

A native of Ahus, Sweden, Samuelsson downed the Lumberjacks’ Facundo Tumosa 6-4, 6-4 and the Broncos’ Jesus Barajas 6-4, 6-3, both at No. 2 singles. Samuelsson also teamed with Clayton Alenik for two doubles victories.

WOMEN’S TENNIS

Junior Izumi Asano was named Mountain West player of the week for a second time after winning in singles and doubles last week in the Rebels’ loss to Arkansas.

She and senior En-Pei Huang, the nation’s No. 13-ranked doubles team, are 11-3 this season. They downed No. 22-ranked Tatum Rice and Lauren Alter of Arkansas 6-1.