June 12, 2001

LAS VEGAS - A matchup with conference rival New Mexico that will be nationally televised by ESPN highlights the UNLV women's basketball team's 2001-02 schedule, announced by the school on Monday.

The Lady Rebels are slated to meet the Lobos on Jan. 6, 2002, at The Pit in Albuquerque. The game will mark the squad's first ESPN showing since a Jan. 27, 1993, game against Long Beach State at the South Gym.

"We're all ecstatic about the opportunity to play on ESPN," UNLV head coach Regina Miller said. "The national exposure from a game like this is priceless, and it's a great chance for the NCAA selection committee to get an early look at our team and our conference."

Along with its grueling 14-game Mountain West Conference schedule, UNLV will face some tough competition in the non-conference portion of the season. The Rebels open the year and make their debut in the new Cox Pavilion against Cal State Fullerton on Friday, Nov. 16.

Once again, UNLV will host the Cox Communications/Lady Rebel Shootout, with the Rebels facing Sacramento State on Saturday, Nov. 24, and Tennessee Tech and Seton Hall rounding out the field.

December will begin with the Rebels' toughest test of the year, a matchup against SEC power Georgia in the first round of the Oakland Tribune Classic, and a date with either Central Connecticut State or California in the second round.

The annual "Battle for Nevada," return games with UC Santa Barbara, UC Irvine and Eastern Washington and several new additions complete the non-conference slate.

The ESPN game against the Lobos will be the Rebels' league opener and marks the first time that UNLV will begin Mountain West Conference play on the road. The two teams will tangle twice in 20 days with UNM returning the game in Las Vegas on Jan. 26.

And, because the game at Albuquerque has been moved to the beginning of the slate, the Rebels will finish the regular season with four of five games at home, including the regular season finale against defending conference champion Utah. The MWC Tournament is set for March 6-9 at the Thomas & Mack Center.

"I think we have a strong schedule," Miller said. "We have upped our schedule based on the experience of our team by including teams like Tennessee Tech, Seton Hall, Georgia and UC Santa Barbara that ranked high in the RPI last year. We will have every opportunity to turn the head of the NCAA selection committee this year."