Women’s basketball: Pack loses in championship game of Classic

By: Lukas Eggen

Monday, November 30, 2009 - 11:13 PM

Nevada forward Shavon Moore scored a career-high 18 points on Friday against Columbia. She also pulled down 13 rebounds.

The Wolf Pack women’s basketball team started out hot before losing in the championship game and settling for second place at the Nugget Classic last weekend. The Wolf Pack opened the tournament with a 64-47 victory against Columbia on Friday before falling to West Virginia in the championship game 66-41 on Saturday.

NEVADA SHINES AGAINST COLUMBIA

During the Wolf Pack’s victory against Columbia, two Nevada players set career highs in points. Forward Shavon Moore poured in 18 points while Nicole Williams added 14 points, four rebounds and one assist for the Wolf Pack. In addition to her 18 points, Moore added 13 rebounds to record her first double-double of the season.

The Lions led 10-4 early in the first half, but the Wolf Pack went on a 13-6 run to take the lead at 17-16. Nevada worked and extended its lead at halftime 32-26.

Moore and Williams led the Wolf Pack in the second half, as the team pulled away from the Lions and lead Columbia 58-40 with fewer than six minutes remaining in the game.

WEST VIRGINIA WOES

A day after defeating Columbia, the Wolf Pack faced West Virginia in the championship game of the Nugget Classic.

The Mountaineers built up a 16-point lead at halftime and then withstood Nevada’s comeback attempts to take the game 66-41.

The Wolf Pack trailed by eight points midway through the first half, but West Virginia went on an 18-10 run to end the half to go up 35-19 heading into the second half of the game.

The Wolf Pack pulled to within 13 in the second half after a layup by Nicole Williams, but the team was not able to get any closer.

Nevada struggled to find its shot during the game, shooting just 31.4 percent from the field, while West Virginia shot 38.7 percent from the field. The Mountaineers got to the free throw line 24 times compared to just 10 for the Wolf Pack.

One of the few bright spots for Nevada during the game was point guard Amanda Johnson. A day after going 1-for-8 from the field, Johnson scored a career-high 11 points in the losing effort.

TWO NAMED TO ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM

Nevada forward Shavon Moore and guard Nicole Williams were named to the Nugget Classic all-Tournament Team.

Moore averaged 10 points per game and 10.5 rebounds per game. She led the team in rebounds in both of Nevada’s games at the Nugget Classic.

Williams averaged 11 points land four rebounds over the two games.

Nevada’s next game is Wednesday, when it hosts Sacramento State at noon. The game kicks off a five-day stretch in which Nevada will play three games. The team travels to Arizona to face the Wildcats at 7 p.m. Friday before returning on Sunday to take on the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Rebels at 2 p.m.

Lukas Eggen can be reached at leggen@nevadasagebrush.com.