SANTA BARBARA, California (Ticker) -- Kayte Christensen had 15 points and 14 rebounds off the bench to lead No. 13 Santa Barbara to a 77-56 victory over UNLV in the opening round of the womens National Invitation Tournament.

Stacy Clinesmith had 12 points and handed out six assists and Kristi Rohr contributed 11 points for Santa Barbara (1-0), which shot 43 percent (28-for-64) from the field.

Kinesha Davis scored 27 points and pulled down 10 rebounds for UNLV (0-1), which shot just 29 percent (20-for-69) -- 4-of-18 from 3-point range.

The Runnin' Rebels took a 7-2 lead less than two minutes into the game before the Gauchos went on a 12-0 spurt.

Davis made two free throws with 9:51 left in the first half to tie the game at 16-16 but Santa Barbara put together an 11-2 run, taking a 27-18 lead on Erin Buescher's free throw with 5:04 left in the half.

Santa Barbara took a 10-point lead 33 seconds into the second half as Clinesman nailed a 3-pointer, and maintained a double-digit lead throughout most of the game.