New Mexico jumped out to a 21-1 lead by converting on 10 of their first 18 attempts from the field. The Lobos also forced five turnovers and did not allow a UNLV basket or rebound in the first four minutes of play.
New Mexico did not commit a turnover until the 13:05 mark and UNLV had six during that stretch.
UNLV's first point came on a Sequoia Holmes free throw at 12:45 and the Lady Rebels recorded their first field goal with10:18 left in the half.
At the 9:27 mark in the first half, New Mexico was shooting 11-19 from the floor while UNLV had only attempted 11 field goals and connected on just one.
New Mexico put together a 17-1 second-half scoring run that started at 16:52 with a Katie Montgomery 3-pointer and lasted 4 minutes, 59 seconds. The run pushed the Lobo's lead to 59-27 with 11:53 remaining in the game.
With eight assists New Mexico guard Katie Montgomery matched her career high as well as moving in to a tie for fifth place in the tournament record book.
New Mexico's Valerie Kast set a career high in points with 12 points.
The Lobo's Brandi Kimble set a career high and an MWC championship record with seven steals.
The Lobos avenged last year's 57-45 loss to UNLV in the second round of the championships.
The Rebels' loss ended a streak of three straight years with tournament opening victories.
The loss marks the largest margin of defeat for the Rebels this season (26, at Wyoming, 2/10/07).
New Mexico's 80 points ranks fifth on the all-time points list for MWC tournaments.
New Mexico will now face No. 2-seeded Wyoming at noon on March 9 in the third round of the MWC Championships.
