RENO, Nev. – The University of Nevada women’s basketball team defeated Wake Forest 95-87 in the John Ascuaga’s Nugget Classic Consolation game Saturday evening at Lawlor Events Center.
With the win, Nevada improves to 4-3 on the season, while Wake Forest drops to 4-4 on the year. The 95-87 win marks the eighth time a Jane Albright Nevada team has reached 90 points. The program is 8-0 in games when 90 or more points have been scored.
Wolf Pack senior guard Arielle Wideman tied a career-high with two made three-pointers to give Nevada an early 10-5 lead. Wideman attacked the basket at the 13:56 mark with a lay-up to put Nevada ahead 17-7. A made three by Wake Forest guard Kelila Atkinson ended the Wolf Pack 11-0 run. Wideman knocked down her third shot from beyond the arc to push the Nevada lead to 31-14 with 7:27 on the clock. A pair of made free throws by Wideman tied the senior’s career high of 17 points, giving the Pack a 39-23 lead. Dearica Hamby cut the Wake Forest deficit to single digits at 39-30 with two made shots from the charity stripe with 1:49 to play before halftime. Nevada led 46-33 at the break, shooting 50 percent from the field.
Five consecutive points by Wolf Pack guard Danika Sharp extended the lead to 51-33 out of the break. Kandice Ball got the Demon Deacons within 66-55 of the Pack with a basket in the paint at the 12:47 mark. A lay-up by Ataijah Taylor cut the deficit to single digits at 68-60 with 11:48 to play. A three-point play by Terilyn Moe gave Nevada an 85-76 lead with 5:25 on the clock. The Wolf Pack was solid from the free throw line late to claim the 95-87 win.
Sharp and Moe led Nevada with 23 points each. The point total is a new career-high for Moe, eclipsing her previous career-high of 20 points that was reached in the Cal State Fullerton game last year. Wideman’s 22 points is a new career-high, passing her 17 points that was set last season at CSU Bakersfield. With a made three-pointer in the game, Sharp moves past Tahnee Robinson (2009-11) to sit in fourth place of Nevada’s all-time made three list with 141.
The Wolf Pack will close out its four-game home stand Tuesday night against BYU. Tip-off is 6:30 p.m. at Lawlor Events Center.
