Azana Baines helps Seton Hall shock No. 23 UNLV with 84-54 win

Dec 16, 2023, 08:00 pm

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. -- — Azana Baines had 23 points and 11 rebounds to help Seton Hall rout No. 23 UNLV 84-54 on Saturday.

It's the fourth straight win for the Pirates (8-3), who jumped all over the Lady Rebels (9-1).

UNLV missed its first 11 shots and trailed 15-2 before Nneka Obiazor hit a driving layup for the Lady Rebels’ first basket of the game with 1:28 left in the quarter. They trailed 17-8 at the end of the period.

Seton Hall expanded the lead in the second quarter behind Micah Gray and Azana Baines and was up 35-14 before UNLV hit consecutive 3-pointers to cut the deficit to 15. The Pirates answered right back and led 42-21 at the half.

After putting up just 21 points in the opening 20 minutes, UNLV scored 23 in the third quarter, but couldn't get defensive stops. Seton Hall had 26 points in the period and led 68-44 heading to the fourth. The Pirates shot 73% in the third quarter and 56% for the game.

Alyssa Brown led the Lady Rebels with 13 points before fouling out.

UNLV was off to the best start since the 1990-91 team won its first 14 games. The Lady Rebels entered the rankings this week, marking the second consecutive season that the team has appeared in the Top 25. They were ranked for the final five weeks last season — the first time UNLV had made the Top 25 since 1994.

The Lady Rebels came into the game averaging 84.4 points and already had wins over Arizona and Oklahoma. Desi-Rae Young has been nearly unstoppable for UNLV this season, averaging 19.0 points. She had a rough day against the Pirates, scoring just six points while making only 2 of 12 shots.

It was the first-ever meeting between the teams. UNLV decided to take a week-long trip east and will also play Fairleigh Dickinson on Thursday.

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AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball