Lady Rebels beat Hawaii, reach tourney final

The UNLV women's basketball team coasted into the final of the Duel in the Desert, beating Hawaii 67-54 Sunday night at Cox Pavilion.

Erica Helms paced the Lady Rebels (6-5) with 17 points, and Kelli Thompson added 16 points. Both players hit three 3-pointers, and UNLV finished 10-for-23 from beyond the arc (43.5 percent).

Overall, UNLV shot just 33.8 percent (23-for-68), including a 7-for-36 effort in the first half (19.4). But Hawaii hit just 31.7 percent for the game (19-for-60), including 12.5 percent in an ugly first half (3-for-24).

In today's 7:30 p.m. final, UNLV will face DePaul, which upset No. 10 Florida State, 75-60.