LADY REBELS BEGIN MW PLAY SATURDAY
UNLV and Utah State will tip-off on Saturday, Dec. 30 at 1 p.m. at the Cox Pavilion in the opening weekend of conference play
- Game Notes vs. Utah State (PDF) | 2023-24 Schedule
- 2023-24 Statistics (PDF) | 2023-24 Statistics (Web)
- @UNLVAthletics | @UNLVLadyRebels
- Buy Tickets
After another successful non-conference slate, the UNLV women’s basketball team is ready to defend its Mountain West title. The Lady Rebels will open conference play on home court hosting Utah State on Saturday, Dec. 30. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. and the game will be live on CBS Sports Network.
ABOUT THE OPPONENT: The Lady Rebels hold the overall series 30-4 over the Aggies. UNLV has won 12 straight versus Utah State dating back to the 2016-17 season. The Lady Rebels are 20-0 over the Aggies in Las Vegas. Utah State is currently 3-8 to start the 2023-24 campaign, with wins over Kansas City (62-60), Weber State (72-62) and Warner Pacific (66-54). The Aggies are led by junior Cheyenne Stubbs who is averaging 14.6 points per game. Junior Skye Miller is the second-leading scorer on the squad, averaging 10.0 points per game and leads the team in rebounds (4.9 rpg). Utah State welcomed 12 newcomers to the team this year, which included nine transfers and three freshmen.
LAST FIVE MATCHUPS
- Feb. 23, 2023 – UNLV won 86-32 in Las Vegas
- March 7, 2022 – UNLV won 82-69 in the Mountain West Championship Quarterfinal in Las Vegas
- Feb. 5, 2022 – UNLV won 72-60 in Logan
- Jan. 15, 2022 – UNLV won 86-68 in Las Vegas
- Jan. 27, 2021 – UNLV won 73-62 in Logan
BROADCAST INFO: The game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network. Fran Charles (play-by-play) and Kelly Burke (color analyst) are on the call. Fans can also listen to UNLV’s live audio with play-by-play announcer Wyatt Tomchek and color analyst Keavney Martin for free on Stretch Internet.
TICKETS: Tickets are $6 when purchased in advance online at UNLVTickets.com. General admission tickets at the door are $10 ($8 for seniors, UNLV faculty/staff and alumni). UNLV students and Nevada high school students (presenting student ID) as well as all children 12 and under enter free.
SATURDAY’S PROMOTIONS: The first 300 fans will receive a UNLV Strong wristband, so be sure to arrive early!
LADY REBEL LEADERS HEADING INTO MW PLAY: After a 10-1 non-conference slate, three Lady Rebels are currently averaging double-figures in scoring. Desi-Rae Young leads the squad with 17.8 points per game. Kiara Jackson is averaging 13.5 points per game and Alyssa Durazo-Frescas is averaging 10.5 points per game, respectively. Young also leads the team in rebounds (8.8 per game) and Jackson is the assist leader (5.1 per game).
LAST TIME ON THE COURT: The UNLV women’s basketball team is back in the win column after defeating FDU, 71-59, on Dec. 21 at the Stratis Arena. The Lady Rebels finished the non-conference schedule with 10 wins for the second consecutive season. Desi-Rae Young led the squad with 19 points and shot 6-for-9 from the field and was a perfect 1-for-1 behind the arc and 6-for-6 at the free throw line. Young brought down seven rebounds and had one assist. Alyssa Brown was the leading rebounder for the Lady Rebels, as she had 11 boards. Young also dished three assists. Nneka Obiazor tied her career-high in assists with four, which was the team-high.
NON-CONFERENCE WRAP: For the second consecutive season, the Lady Rebels finished non-conference with 10 wins. UNLV earned a 10-1 record over its non-conference opponents and included two Power 5 wins in back-to-back games against Arizona (72-53) and Oklahoma (92-76). This was the first time under head coach Lindy La Rocque the Lady Rebels earned a win over a Power 5 opponent. The Lady Rebels set a new program record in made three-pointers vs. Utah Tech on Nov. 14 after having shot 16-for-33 from the arc. Additionally, Alyssa Durazo-Frescas marked a new individual made three-pointer record against San Diego in the The Dana on Mission Bay Thanksgiving Tournament with eight made three’s. Desi-Rae Young had another strong start to the season, leading the Lady Rebels with 17.7 points per game. Young marked a new career-high in points (32) as she helped lead the Lady Rebels to victory over the Sooners and snapped their 17-game non-conference homestand. Young also hit the 1,500 career points mark and played in her 100th career game as a Lady Rebel. UNLV suffered one loss during the non-conference slate to Seton Hall (54-84), but bounced right back into the win column the following week against FDU before heading into conference play.
SQUAD UP: UNLV returns nine of the 12 players from its 2023 championship squad including three starters and Mountain West Sixth Player of the Year, Kiara Jackson and MVP of the Mountain West Championship, Desi-Rae Young. New to the squad this season are four freshmen, forward McKinna Brackens, point guard Amarachi Kimpson, guard Macy Spencer and forward Meadow Roland, and junior transfer Macie James, a forward from Oklahoma State.
LAST SEASON: The Lady Rebels are coming off another highly successful season that culminated with the second consecutive Mountain West Regular season title and Tournament title. UNLV received its second straight automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Lady Rebels had one of their best program records since the 1989-90 season, finishing the regular season with a 28-2 record. UNLV’s undefeated MW season (18-0) was also its best since the 1992-92 season. Head Coach Lindy La Rocque was named Mountain West Coach of the Year for the second time in just three seasons. Four Lady Rebels earned All-Mountain West accolades last season: Kiara Jackson (Sixth Player of the Year), Essence Booker (All-Mountain West team), Justice Ethridge (All-Mountain West team & All-Defensive team), Desi-Rae Young (All-Mountain West team & All-Defensive team).
