RENO-Although New Mexico State's women's basketball team entered Thursday night's contest tied with Nevada in the Big West standings, the Roadrunners couldn't match the Pack on the floor as Nevada raced to a 75-61 victory at Lawlor Events Center.
The win lifted Nevada (3-2, 13-5) into sole possession of third place in the Big West's Eastern Division, while New Mexico State (2-3, 7-10) fell into fourth place.
Once again, it was hometown product Kate Smith, the Pack's true freshman out of McQueen High, who was the team's leading scorer. She finished with 21 points on 9-of-16 shooting.
Katie Golomb also had a big night for Nevada, scoring 19 points on 8-for-10 shooting.
Smith's and Golomb's shooting percentages were indicative of the Pack's overall success from the floor against the Roadrunners, as Nevada hit 26 of its 47 shots during the game, a 55 percent average.
At the other end of the floor, the Pack defense limited New Mexico State to just 37 percent from the floor.
Nevada was never seriously challenged for the lead after having built a 46-27 lead by halftime. During the first half, the Pack seemingly couldn't miss from the field, shooting 64 percent.
Nevada is set to host Cal-Poly on Saturday at 7 p.m. in another Big West contest. The game against the Mustangs had originally been scheduled for Sunday, but it has been moved to Saturday so it would not conflict with the Super Bowl.
