UNLV stifles Stonehill in return to Cox Pavilion

Sophomore guard Macy Spencer made her prolonged season debut Friday and shined bright in a bounce back win for the UNLV Lady Rebels.

UNLV blasted Stonehill, 93-57, Friday, Nov. 15 from the Cox Pavilion to improve to 3-0 at home this season. The three-time defending Mountain West champions were entering off their first loss of the season on the road in Arizona to the Wildcats.

“Really proud of our group and the effort we put forth tonight,” head coach Lindy La Rocque said. “To come out and dictate the tempo of the game on both sides of the ball.”

Sitting at 3-1 on the year, UNLV will now continue on its five-game homestand which will include the program’s Thanksgiving Classic. For now, the team will host San Diego Tuesday, Nov. 19 from the Cox Pavilion with tip-off scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

Spencer entered for her first minutes of the season late in the first quarter and almost immediately drilled a three-pointer. That was one of the Lady Rebels’ four made threes in the opening quarter.

She’d finish with a career-high 20 points with four made three-pointers.

As a team, UNLV shot 43% from the floor while going 13-for-30 from deep for a 43% mark there as well. Through the first three games of the season, the program shot 15-for-58 from three-point territory.

It was a game of many firsts for the home team as freshman guard Teagan Colvin made her first collegiate field goal on the way to nine points on the night. Junior center Erica Collins scored her first points of the new season and would finish with five points and a rebound in eight minutes.

Recovering from an ACL injury last season, junior forward Kenadee Winfrey played her first significant minutes of the season with 12 minutes on the floor. Her lone made field goal was a trey ball that pushed her team’s lead to 40, its largest of the game at that time.

“[We got] everyone in the game,” La Rocque said. “Have everyone see success, that’s huge for our development as a team and as we continue to build on as the season goes.”

Everybody in uniform was able to play for La Rocque’s group after the starting five’s defensive effort netted the team a large lead. Stonehill was forced into three turnovers before its first field goal of the game. In total, it would commit seven turnovers in the first 10 minutes.

Overall, the Skyhawks were held to 35% shooting with a 29% finish from three-point range. They also tallied 22 turnovers which turned into 22 points for the Lady Rebels.

UNLV pushed its lead to double-digits in the second quarter and would lead by 25 points before halftime. Senior Alyssa Brown racked up a career-high six steals to go along with seven points and nine rebounds.

Transfer senior guard Aaliyah Alexander was the lone starter in double-figures with 13 points on 5-of-8 from the field.

Fellow starting guard Kiara Jackson added six points and seven assists with zero turnovers. Last season, the senior from Prairie View, Texas led the country in assist-to-turnover ratio.