11/13/1999 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 13, 1999
LAS VEGAS - The UNLV women's basketball team will open the 1999-2000 regular season on Monday, Nov. 15 as it travels to No. 14 UC Santa Barbara for its first-round matchup in the Preseason Women's National Invitation Tournament. The game will be held at The Thunderdome (6,000) at 7:00 p.m. and may be heard live on KENO 1460 AM in Las Vegas with Bob Blum delivering the play-by-play. The game may also be heard live on the internet by logging onto www.unlvrebels.com.
Mon., Nov. 15 UNLV at No. 14 UC Santa Barbara 7:00 p.m.
Game at The Thunderdome (6,000), Santa Barbara, Calif.
Game may be heard live on KENO AM 1460 in Las Vegas
Lady Rebels On The Air
The 1999-2000 season will mark UNLV's first on KENO AM 1460. Every Lady Rebel contest including exhibitions and any postseason action may be heard on the Las Vegas sports radio station. All broadcasts may also be heard live on the internet by logging onto www.unlvrebels.com. Bob Blum, the dean of West Coast broadcasters, is in his 12th season as voice of the Lady Rebels and will deliver the play-by-play. The color commentary will be provided at home by Susan Pitz, while Lady Rebel Sports Information Director Andy Grossman will perform the duties during the away contests. UNLV Head Coach Regina Miller's Radio Show may be heard prior to the tipoff of every Lady Rebel game this season. Blum will host the five minute pregame show on KENO AM 1460.
The Lady Rebels
UNLV (0-0) returns five players and two starters from last year's team, which became the most improved Division I team in the nation from 1997-98 to 1998-99...Head Coach Regina Miller is in her second season with the Lady Rebels and has a 17-11 mark...She is in her eighth year as a head coach with an overall record of 77-111...UNLV will be led this year by 1998-99 national Freshman of the Year Linda Fr?hlich...Fr?hlich led the WAC in scoring last year (23.5 ppg) and was first in the nation among all freshman (6th overall)...The other starter returning for UNLV is Erin Johansson, who holds the UNLV record for most three-pointers made in a game with 7 at Air Force...During the exhibition season, UNLV defeated the NWBL USA Elite Travel Team 89-60 and lost to the New Zealand National Team 74-60.
The Opponent
No. 14 UC Santa Barbara (0-0) played two exhibition games this year...The Gauchos defeated the NWBL USA Elite Travel Team 81-56 and SBC Prerov 78-59...In 1998-99, UCSB made it to the NCAA Tournament's first round and compiled a 26-4 overall record...The Gauchos recorded a 15-0 mark in the Big West earning the western division's title...UCSB is coached by Mark French, who is in his 13th year at UCSB with a record of 227-125 and in his 21st year overall with a career mark of 334-225.
NWBL Recap
Linda Fr?hlich scored a game-high 32 points on 12-of-18 shooting as UNLV defeated the National Women's Basketball League's USA Elite Travel Team 89-60 in an exhibition game at Lied Gymnasium Saturday, Nov. 6. After leading by only two points at halftime (41-39), the Lady Rebels outscored NWBL 48-21 in the second half. The game was the first for UNLV this season and the only one that will be held at Lied Gymnasium. The Lady Rebels also got scoring from Kinesha Davis (17 points) and Erin Johansson (14 points). Dayna Gambill dished out a game-high 8 assists, while Fr?hlich added 7. Fr?hlich also had a game-high 16 rebounds, while Brooke Ingalls pulled down 11. NWBL was led by Melissa Sanford's 23 points on 8-of-10 shooting. Delona Little pulled down a team-high 7 rebounds and Cozette Ealy led the team in assists with 7.
New Zealand Recap
Gina Falmer led all scorers with 27 points and three other New Zealanders scored in double figures as the New Zealand National Team defeated UNLV 74-60 in a women's basketball exhibition game at the Thomas & Mack Center. New Zealand outscored UNLV 20-6 over the final 4:47 of the game after the score was tied at 54. New Zealand took a 20-8 lead halfway through the first half on a 13-0 run and held the lead until the 16:29 mark in the second half when UNLV led 41-40. Donna Loffhagen scored 13 for New Zealand, while Julie Ofsoski added 12 and Rebecca Cotton contributed 10. Tracey Kelly led the team in rebounds with 7. The Lady Rebels were led in scoring and rebounding by Linda Fr?hlich with 19 points and 11 boards. Erin Johansson added 17 points on 5-of-10 three-point shooting. Constance Jinks was the only other Lady Rebel in double-figure scoring with 12 points. Dayna Gambill led the team in assists with 7.
Preseason WNIT.
UNLV's first regular season game is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 15, at No. 14 UC Santa Barbara at 7:00 p.m. in the Preseason National Invitation Tournament. The tournament begins on Nov. 15th and ends on Nov. 22. Two 1999 NCAA Women's Final Four participants in Duke and Georgia along with seven other NCAA Tournament teams - Boston College, UCSB, Illinois, Liberty, Maine, St. Mary's (Calif.) and Virginia Tech - headline the tournament's field. The field also includes 1999 Postseason Women's NIT participant Western Michigan. The tournament is a 16-team, single elimination tournament for NCAA Division I schools, annually showcasing some of the top women's college basketball programs in the nation. The first round pairings are as follows: UNC-Greensboro at Duke, Boston College at Maine, UAB at Georgia, Liberty at Virginia Tech, Western Michigan at Illinois, Northern Iowa at Oklahoma State, UNLV at UC Santa Barbara, St. Mary's at TCU. If the Rebels win their first round game they would then play the winner of St. Mary's/TCU on Wednesday, Nov. 17.
1998-99 In Review
Regina Miller's first season as head coach of the Lady Rebels was a memorable one. Followin are some of the major team accomplishments: The team became the most improved Division I women's basketball team in the nation. In 1997-98 the Rebels went 4-23, but improved to 17-11 in 1998-99...Their 17-11 mark in 1998-99 was their best record since the 1993-94 campaign when they went 23-7...They qualified for the WAC Tournament for the first time. Under the old WAC format, only six of the eight teams in each division qualified for the tournament...Their 73-67 win over Hawai'i in the first round of the WAC Tournament was their first conference tournament game win since 1994, when they were a member of the Big West Conference...With their 17 wins in 1998-99, they more than quadrupled their win total for the year prior and exceeded their victory total of the previous three seasons combined...Freshman Linda Fr?hlich was selected as the national Freshman of the Year by the Women's Basketball Journal and the United States Basketball Writers Association after leading the WAC in scoring with 23.5 ppg in 1998-99. She also led the nation in scoring among all freshman...Fr?hlich was selected as First-Team All-WAC Mountain Division, WAC Mountain Division Freshman of the Year, to the WAC Mountain Division All-Newcomer Team, and All-WAC Tournament...Fr?hlich was selected as WAC Mountain Division Player of the Week twice...The Lady Rebels recorded a 10-3 home record, which was their best since 1993-94 when they were 15-2 at home...They won the Golden Gopher Classic, which was their first tournament title since they won the UNLV Showboat Shootout in 1993-94. That win also marked the first tournament win on the road since the Houston Lasdy Cougar Classic in 1990-91...They won their conference opener for the first time since 1993-94 and first conference opener on the road since 1992-93.
Rebel Returners
UNLV returns six players off last year's roster. They are Thyr? Brooks, Kinesha Davis (redshirted in 1998-99), Linda Fr?hlich, Brooke Ingalls, Erin Johansson, and Courtney Swanson. Only two started (Fr?hlich and Johnasson), while Brooks and Davis didn't see action
New Faces
The Lady Rebels welcome nine new faces this year. They are Carlesa Dixon, Dayna Gambill, Constance Jinks, Viveca L?f (will have to sit out this year after transferring), Dishawn McCracklin, Talisha Mitchell, Marenna Nyffeler, Heidi Plummer and Tiana Sanders.
Fr?hlich All-Everything
Sophomore Linda Fr?hlich has been tabbed a 1999-2000 third-team preseason All-American by the Women's Basketball News Service. Last year she was selected as the national Freshman of the Year by the Women's Basketball Journal as well as the United States Basketball Writers' Association. She was selected first team All-WAC for the Mountain Division, named Freshman of the Year for the WAC's Mountain Division, named to the WAC Mountain Division's all-newcomer team and selected as All-WAC Tournament. She was named UNLV Sportswoman of the Year, selected as WAC Mountain Division's Player of the Week twice (Nov. 30, Jan. 4), named tournament MVP at the Golden Gopher Classic in Minneapolis, Minn., and was named all-tournament at the Four Queens Shootout in Las Vegas. She also led the WAC in scoring with 23.5 ppg, was sixth in the nation in scoring and first among all freshman, led the team in rebounding with 9.2 rpg, which was second in the WAC and tied for 36th in the nation, she led the team in steals and was tied for first in the WAC and 30th in the nation with 2.9 spg and she led the team in field goal percentage at .462 and was seventh in the WAC. In addition, she was second on the team in free throw percentage with .767 and was 12th in the WAC, tied for 10th in the WAC in blocks per game with 0.9 and recorded 12 double-doubles, including one triple-double.
Fr?hlich Voted Mountain West Conference's Top Returner
Sophomore Linda Fr?hlich led the way on the Mountain West Conference's preseason all-conference team as she was voted both the coaches and media's choice as top returning player in the conference. Also named to both squads were Utah's Lori Red, Colorado State's Heather Haanen and BYU's Cady Williams. Rounding out the coaches' five-member team was New Mexico's Miranda Sanchez. The media chose BYU's Jill Adams.
Head Coach Regina Miller
Regina Miller is in her second season as head coach of the Lady Rebel basketball program. In her first season, Miller led a team that had gone 4-23 the year prior to a 17-11 mark making the squad the most improved in all of Divison I women's basketball from 1997-98 to 1998-99. She also led the team to its first-ever WAC Tournament berth and the team's first conference tournament victory since 1994. Miller came to UNLV from Western Illinois where she was the head coach of the Westerwinds six seasons. While at WIU, she led the Westerwinds to the 1995 regular season and post-season conference championships, and the NCAA Tournament. She was also honored as the 1995 Illinois Basketball Coaches Association's Coach of the Year. Prior to earning the post at WIU, where she compiled a record of 60-100, Miller spent five years an assistant coach at her alma mater and national power Old Dominion from 1987-92. ODU reached the NCAA Tournament four of the five years she was there. She landed her first assistant coaching position at Arizona (1986-87) and spent two years (1985-86) as a graduate assistant at Western Kentucky as it made the Final Four both years she was there. At UNLV her record is 17-11, while her career head coaching record is 77-111.
Assistant Coaches
UNLV's assistant coaches are Kristen Cole, Brenda Pantoja and Staci Schulz, while the director of basketball operations is Ayanna Hines. Cole, who is in her first year, came to UNLV from Auburn where she served as an assistant coach since the summer of 1996. Cole graduated from Notre Dame in 1994 where she played basketball. Pantoja, who is in her first year, came to UNLV from Long Beach State where she was an assistant coach since 1997. Pantoja graduated from Arizona in 1996 where she played basketball. Staci Schulz, who is in her second year, came to UNLV from Western Illinois where she was an assistant coach for one season. Schulz was a player at Mount Marty College in Yankton, S.D., where she graduated from in 1996. Hines, who is in her frist year, came to UNLV from the WBCA where she was an events manager. Hines graduated from Howard in 1994.
Lady Rebels Will Play First Full Season In The Mack This Year
This season marks the first full season that the Lady Rebels will play at the Thomas & Mack Center. In the past, UNLV played most of its home games at Lied Gymnasium, however over the years the Lady Rebels have played in the big building. The Lady Rebels have hosted 93 regular season games at the T&M over 16 years and has a mark of 72-22 in those games.
Up Next
If UNLV defeats UCSB, the Lady Rebels would then play the winner of St. Mary's (Calif.) at TCU on Wednesday, Nov. 17 at a place and time to be announced. If UNLV falls to UCSB, the Lady Rebels' next action would be on Tuesday, Nov. 23 vs. Southern Utah at home at the Thomas & Mack Center at 7:35 p.m.
