It was as if Sydni Summers was channeling every last bit of will she could into the 3-pointer she chucked up from way beyond the arc as time expired.
Even if the UNLV guard’s final shot hadn’t gone wide to the side of the backboard, it wouldn’t have mattered.
The No. 2-seeded Lady Rebels had found themselves in too big of a hole against No. 3 Colorado State in the semifinals of the Mountain West tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center, falling 66-59.
As the ball hit the floor to the soundtrack of the final buzzer, Summers lifted her jersey over her face and walked away, barely avoiding the Rams’ spirited celebrations. It was a tough shooting night for the Lady Rebels, who went 6-of-25 from the 3-point line and 31.7 percent overall.
The loss ended UNLV’s season and secured a spot in the Mountain West championship game for the Rams, who outscored the Lady Rebels in the paint 28-10 despite having a size disadvantage.
Colorado State (26-7) will meet ninth-seeded Air Force (16-17), which defeated fifth-seeded Boise State 68-66, in Tuesday’s championship game. The winner will advance to the NCAA Tournament.
Senior guard Aaliyah Alexander led the Lady Rebels with 22 points, powering a 10-2 run to start the game.
UNLV (21-11) never trailed in the first quarter, but ended the period on a 2:30 scoring drought to enter the second quarter with a four-point lead.
Colorado State ran out the shot clock for a perfectly timed 3-pointer to end the second period and tie the game at 28.
Lady Rebels coach Lindy La Rocque didn’t use the entire halftime break to get through to her team. The players came out all smiles and laughs, doing layup and shooting drills.
Colorado State slid into the lead for the first time with a 3-pointer early in the third quarter, but the advantage was short-lived, as Shelbee Brown drove through contact and connected on a three-point play.
There were two more lead changes until the Rams hit another 3-pointer to pull ahead 42-38 entering the final quarter.
It was a must win quarter, but only the Rams came out playing like it, starting the period on a 6–0 run to pull ahead 47-38. They went on to outscore UNLV 14-4 in the period, forcing La Rocque to call a timeout down 13 with 4:11 left.
The Lady Rebels went on a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to four points with 59 seconds left. They got as close as three before Colorado State iced the game.
Contact Callie Fin at cfin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Callie__Fin on X.
Up next
Who: No. 3 Colorado State vs. No. 9 Air Force
What: Mountain West women’s tournament final
When: 6:30 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Thomas & Mack Center
TV: CBSSN
