Nevada

Davis, Lee lead Nevada to critical win over Colorado State 78-51

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RENO, Nev. (KOLO) – In front of the second-largest crowd in Nevada women’s basketball history of 6,995 fans, the Pack cruised to its fourth straight win with a 78-51 victory against Colorado State Tuesday afternoon in its annual “When I Grow Up” game.

Playing in front of young students from Northern Nevada, the Pack’s defense forced Colorado State into 15 turnovers and five assists. Colorado State, who is second nationally in assist/turnover ratio and ranked 81 in the NET rankings, is Nevada’s first win over a top 100 team in the NET rankings this season.

Senior guard Victoria Davis led Nevada in scoring with a season-high 21 points, scoring 19 of her 21 points in the first half. Sophomore forward Kennedy Lee collected her first collegiate double-double with a career-high 17 rebounds to go with 12 points.

Lee’s 17 rebounds were the most by a Nevada player in a single game since March 1, 2020. Reigning Mountain West Freshman of the Week Izzy Sullivan added 11 points off 50 percent shooting while senior guard Gabby Giuffre scored 10 points off 66.7 percent shooting off the bench.

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Feeding off the young crowd’s noise, Nevada used that energy to channel an early 9-0 scoring run to start the first quarter. After Colorado State’s All-American guard McKenna Hofschild made a jumper, fifth year guard Claire Jacobs responded with her own jump shot to put the Pack ahead by double digits.

Colorado State looked to cut the deficit just before the end of the first quarter with a pair of free throws, but a 3-pointer by Davis allowed Nevada to take an 11-point advantage heading into the second period. After Hofschild hit a jumper to open the second quarter, Nevada never relinquished its double-digit lead. Davis scored 13 out of Nevada’s next 15 points that allowed Nevada to take an 18-point lead.

Following a Colorado State jumper, baskets from freshman guard Dymonique Maxie and Giuffre allowed the Pack to go up by 20. The Rams closed the first half with a 7-0 scoring run, but Nevada’s strong performance led by Davis’ 19 first half points allowed the Pack to go into the locker room ahead by 13.

Colorado State struck first in the third period, but Nevada’s defense never allowed the Rams to get going. Sullivan quickly kept the momentum on Nevada’s side with a 3-pointer while Lee knocked in a layup to help the Pack move ahead by 16.

After trading baskets through the majority of the third period, Jacobs managed to score back-to-back buckets that put the Pack ahead 58-42 heading into the final 10 minutes.

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A 7-0 run to begin the last period put Nevada back in front by 20 points. Colorado State hit two consecutive jumpers, but the Rams did not score for the final 4:58 of the game. Nevada completed Tuesday’s contest scoring 11 unanswered points and shooting 42.9 percent from beyond the arc to move to 5-2 conference play and third place in the Mountain West standings.

Nevada goes on the road to take on co-conference leader UNLV in Las Vegas Saturday at 2 p.m. in the first matchup of the Silver State Series presented by America First Credit Union in 2024.

Postgame Notes

  • Tuesday’s attendance of 6,995 fans was the second-highest attended game in program history. The Nov. 28, 2017 contest against No. 1 ranked UConn remains the highest attended game in Nevada women’s basketball history (7,815).
  • Nevada forced Colorado State, who is second in the nation in assist/turnover ratio, into 15 turnovers and five assists. Colorado State (81) is Nevada’s highest NET ranked win this season.
  • Nevada’s defense forced Colorado State’s first 3-pointer to come at the 4:59 mark in the third quarter. The Pack forced Colorado State to just 17.6 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
  • Senior guard Victoria Davis scored a season-high 21 points, with 19 of those points coming in the first half.
  • Sophomore forward Kennedy Lee grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds to go along with 12 points for her first career double-double. Lee’s 17 boards are the most by a Nevada player since March 1, 2020.
  • Reigning Mountain West Freshman of the Week Izzy Sullivan had her 11th straight game with a 3-pointer en route to 11 points. She is one of three freshman players in women’s college basketball (Carla Viegas – Florida State and Keelie O’Hollaren – Air Force) to have at least 10 consecutive games with a 3-pointer.
  • Senior guard Gabby Giuffre scored 10 points off 66.7 percent shooting off the bench, her most points since Nov. 24, 2023.
  • Nevada is now 5-2 in the Mountain West and is currently third in the conference standings.



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