Jan. 27, 2003
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THIS WEEK
at Air Force * Thursday, Jan. 30 at 7 p.m. (MST)
at New Mexico * Saturday, Feb. 1 at 7 p.m. (MST)
MAKING "PIT" STOPS ...
The UNLV women's basketball team (11-5, 2-1) prepares for a two-game conference road swing through Air Force on Thursday, Jan. 30 at 7 p.m. (MST) and New Mexico on Saturday, Feb. 1 at 7 p.m. (MST). Both games will be broadcast live in Las Vegas on KSHP 1400 AM radio and via an Internet link on unlvrebels.com with Bob Blum, the dean of West Coast broadcasters, calling play-by-play action for his 16th season with the Lady Rebels.
TEAM SCOUTING REPORT
Air Force (6-10, 0-3): The Falcons carry a current 1-44 all-time conference record into Thursday's matchup with UNLV and still seeks its first league win since a 77-72 victory over San Diego State during the 1999-2000 season. Sophomore LaToya Howell is the team's all-around top returning player who leads the Cadets in scoring (17.9), rebounding (4.9), assists (104) and steals (51).
New Mexico (11-5, 1-2): The Lobos look to avenge their two losses in 2001-02 to UNLV this weekend at the world-famous University Arena, better known as "The Pit," where the team rarely loses, holding a current 105-24 all-time and 43-9 conference winning record at the venue. Senior Jordan Adams, a Nevada native, leads the team in scoring (16.4) and rebounding (6.4). UNM has made five consecutive postseason appearances under current head coach Don Flanagan.
SERIES NOTES
UNLV leads the all-time series versus Air Force (11-1) and New Mexico (16-5). Last season, the Lady Rebels swept both teams in conference play. UNLV has won the last 11 meetings versus Air Force and last three against UNM. Also of note, New Mexico and UNLV last played at "The Pit" in front of a national television audience on ESPN2 and before the second largest home crowd (17,215) to attend a Division I women's basketball game in 2001-02.
LADY REBELS AND THE RPI
In the latest WBCA / Summerville RPI ratings index, the Lady Rebels are rated 87th, while New Mexico is 53rd and Air Force 238th. Upcoming opponents: Colorado State (55) and Wyoming (67).
SUPER SOPH ON THE BOARDS
Sophomore Sherry McCracklin is on her way to breaking her freshman rebound total of 134 accomplished during her 2001-02 rookie campaign. The team's leading rebounder (123) averaging 7.7 rebounds per game, McCracklin scored 12 of her career-high 22 points in the first half of play in a 73-69 win over league rival BYU on Jan. 25. She also made two blocks and brought down five rebounds in UNLV's first victory over BYU in the last six meetings between both schools. In 47 career games played to-date, McCracklin has taken down a total of 257 rebounds.
STEAL OF A DEAL
The Lady Rebels literally got a steal of a deal when senior Julia Gray transferred from the University of Washington during the 2000-01 season. Gray, who still holds the school record at UW for most steals in a game (11), currently leads the league in steals with 55 to-date. She is also the league leader in assist/turnover ratio (2.21). Against Utah on Jan. 23, Gray collected a season-high eight steals.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Join UNLV coach Regina Miller and the Lady Rebels for their third Lady Rebel Luncheon of the year on Tuesday, Feb. 4 at noon in the Si Redd Room located in the Thomas & Mack Center. Cost is $10 to the public. For more information, contact Joli Hatch at 895-3020.
STREAK BREAKERS
UNLV won only its sixth win all-time versus BYU on Jan. 25 and snapped a five-game losing streak to the Cougars dating back to Jan. 13, 2001. With the victory, the Lady Rebels also broke BYU's nine-game win streak versus MWC opponents. In preseason games this season, UNLV halted Texas A&M-Corpus Christi's home winning streak at Circle K Court to 10 games with a 55-38 win on Dec. 7.
UPCOMING GAMES AND PROMOTIONS
The Lady Rebels return home next week to host conference rivals Wyoming on Thursday, Jan. 6 and Colorado State on Saturday, Jan. 8 at Cox Pavilion. The UNLV vs. Wyoming game features "Senior Citizen Night" with $1 admission offered to all seniors. The UNLV vs. CSU game marks "Women in Sports Night" with $1 admission offered to all women. Both games are scheduled to tip-off at 7:30 p.m.
