Jan. 29, 2002
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THIS WEEK
at Utah * Jan. 31 at 7 p.m. (MST)
at Brigham Young * Feb. 2 at 4 p.m. (MST)
HISTORY REMEMBERED
Dating back to a series that first began during the 1974-75 inaugural season, two of the Lady Rebels' all-time rivalries will be unfolded this week. Since the 70s, Mountain West Conference foes Utah and BYU have continued to haunt UNLV at their home venues. The Utes hold a 7-1 home advantage versus UNLV in the Jon M. Huntsman Center, while the Cougars are 6-1 in the Marriott Center. Times have changed perhaps as the Lady Rebels hope to test both team's home court dominance with Utah ahead on Thursday, Jan. 31 at 7 p.m. (MST) in Salt Lake City and BYU on Saturday, Feb. 2 at 4 p.m. (MST) in Provo, Utah. Both games to be broadcast locally on KENO 1460 AM radio and via an Internet link on unlvrebels.com.
TELEVISION ACCESS
The UNLV at BYU game on Saturday, Feb. 2 will be broadcast live on BYU-TV, available on Dish Network 500 systems, Direct TV and some AT&T cable outlets.
ROAD WARRIORS
Utah (9-8): The Utes, who advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament last season, are currently 9-8 overall and 2-3 in Mountain West Conference action. Picked to finish second in the conference preseason media poll, the Utes hope to snap a two-game losing streak after dropping to BYU (77-65) on Jan. 26 and New Mexico (66-55) on Jan. 19. Last year, Utah went undefeated in league play with a perfect 14-0 record. With the MWC race growing stronger than ever, the Utes have three starters and nine letterwinners returning to the lineup who will challenge the competition ahead of them. They are led in scoring by senior guard Erin Gibbons (16.1 ppg) and rebounding by senior forward Lauren Beckman (8.8 rpg).
Brigham Young (12-6):The Cougars are on a roll with a two-game win streak, after taking down in-state rival Utah, 77-65, and Air Force, 81-52, last week for their current 3-2 mark in the Mountain West Conference. Under first-year head coach Jeff Judkins, the Cougars are averaging 75.1 points per game and shooting 47 percent from the field over 18 games this season. They also lead the nation in 3-pointers made per game (9.2) and 3-point field goal percentage (.452). Junior guard Erin Thorn, the MWC's second leading scorer behind Fr?hlich, is averaging 17.8 ppg along with 4.4 rpg.
SERIES HISTORY
Going only 1-9 against Utah and BYU combined in conference play, it is no wonder the rivalry with both schools lingers until this day. In the all-time records, the Utes lead the series 11-8, while the Cougars lead 10-5. Both teams have lost only once at home to the Lady Rebels - nearly 28 years ago. BYU in 1974-75 (58-55) and Utah in 1975-76 (72-65). The Utes are on a seven-game win streak versus UNLV. The Cougars, however, had a five-game win streak snapped on Jan. 13, 2001, as the Lady Rebels victored to a 61-50 win at home in the TMC.
INVINCIBLE
Looking through the UNLV men's basketball records history, the all-time leading scorer is former Runnin' Rebel star Eddie Owens who played from 1973-77. In his four seasons at UNLV, Owens played in 118 games and racked up 2,221 career points. If Fr?hlich continues to average her current 22.1 ppg, she could very well become UNLV's (men's and women's) true all-time leading scorer in the next two games.
CROWDS A PLENTY
The Lady Rebels once again set a new school all-time home attendance record on Jan. 26, 2002, against league rival New Mexico. An announced crowd of 4,713 packed the Thomas & Mack Center as UNLV came from behind to beat the Lobos 72-60 for a series sweep. It was also the largest crowd in school history to watch a UNLV women's basketball game in the TMC. A school record crowd of 4,626 watched the Lady Rebels defeat Air Force, 75-50, in the TMC, prior to the second record-breaking attendance on Jan. 26.
LADY REBEL ALL-TIME HOME ATTENDED GAMES
1. 4,713 vs. New Mexico on Jan. 26, 2002 (TMC)
2. 4,626 vs. Air Force on Jan. 24, 2002 (TMC)
3. 3,754 vs. San Diego State on March 15, 1985 in NCAA First Round (TMC)
4. 2,500 vs. Long Beach State on Feb. 10, 1990 (South Gym)
5. 2,379 vs. San Diego State on Jan. 12, 2002 (TMC)
6. 2,200 vs. UC Santa Barbara on Feb. 17, 1990 (South Gym)
7. 2,148 vs. Wyoming on Feb. 3, 2001 (TMC)
8. 2,000 vs. Fresno State on Jan. 25, 1990 (TMC)
9. 1,500 vs. Connecticut on Dec. 27, 1997 (TMC)
10. 1,041 vs. Louisiana Tech on Dec. 17, 1990 (TMC)
