WBB2K22: Hoops Report 2

UNLV 85, Oral Roberts 81

After leading 27-21 at the end of the first, UNLV's lead was just 35-34 with 3:07 to go in the second quarter as host Oral Roberts went on a 13-8 run. UNLV's Khayla Rooks, the daughter of former NBA center Sean Rooks, had a hot start for UNLV going 4-5 with 11 points in her first 13 minutes of action.

Oral Roberts grounded UNLV in the second quarter outscoring the Rebels 18-10 to take a 39-37 lead into the half. Delaney Nix shot 4-5 in the first half with 10 points for Oral Roberts.

The rest of the game was a dog fight as both teams were tied 71-71 with 4:03 to go. Transfer forward Nneka Obiazor grabbed a rebound and scored on a layup with 3:50 to go to put the Rebels up 73-71. UNLV never trailed the rest of the night, outscoring Oral Roberts 12-10 the rest of the way.

Essence Booker led the victorious Rebels with 21 points. She also had three steals. UNLV's depth paid off as another frontcourt player Desi-Rae Young scored 18 points, with 10 rebounds and three blocks. Rooks finished the game with 14 points and led the team with six assists, while grabble six rebounds.

Keni Jo Lippe paced Oral Roberts with 21 points and three assists. She shot 8-12. Nix finished the game with 10 points, missing her final three shots of the contest.

Miami 72, Jackson State 67

In front of 1,102 fans, visiting Jackson State gave Miami all that it could stand but a slow start gave the Hurricanes the win. Miami outscored Jackson State 27-15 in the first quarter and never outscored the Tigers in a period for the rest of the game, but it was enough to hold on for the win. Kelsey Marshall led Miami with 19 points as her teammates Lola Pendande and Maeva Djaidi-Tabdi added 12 points each. Pendande led Miami with four blocks. Keshuna Luckett had 10 assists and eight points for Jackson State. The Tigers were led in scoring and rebounding by Ameshya Williams, who had 18 points and nine boards. She and Miya Crump shared the team lead with two blocks.

Michigan State 93, Morehead State 31

There was no messing around for Michigan State in its home opener. Alyza Winston led the Spartans with 20 points, six steals and four triples. Her backcourt mate Nia Clouden dropped in 15 points on 6-8 shooting. She passed out seven assists and shot 3-4 from long range. Michigan State shot 17-28 from three, for 60 percent. The winners shot 56 percent overall. The Spartans shined on defense holding Morehead State to 9-34 overall shooting. They also forced 29 turnovers.

Georgia Tech 74, Central Michigan 40

Digna Strautmane shot 8-10 and just missed a double-double with 19 points and nine boards as Georgia Tech routed visiting Central Michigan. Nerea Hermosa also shot the ball amazingly going 9-10 with 18 points. Georgia Tech's usual stars Lorela Cubaj and Lotta-MAJ Lahtinen combined for just eight points. Cubaj posted nine rebounds and a strong five assists. Lahtinen led the Yellowjackets with eight assists and grabbed four rebounds in the win. Central Michigan had one player in double-digits as Jahari Smith had 14 points, making all of her eight free-throw attempts. She also had two blocked shots.

Kentucky 81, Presbyterian 53

Dre'una Edwards led all players with 20 points, shooting 9-11 from the field in Kentucky's first victory of the season. Kentucky's Jazmine Massengill and Rhyne Howard both led all players with seven assists apiece. They also led all players with four steals each. Howard scored 15 points and shot 6-12. Treasure Hunt also scored 18 points with nine rebounds for the Wildcats.

Trinity Johnson led Presbyterian with 11 points, five assists and four rebounds.