Dec. 18, 2003
LAS VEGAS -
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After playing its last three games on the road, the UNLV women's basketball team finally return to Las Vegas to play their first home game since Nov. 30. The Lady Rebels starts a four-game homestand on Friday night against Texas-San Antonio at 7:30 pm in the Cox Pavilion, and is ready to begin another winning streak after seeing its four-game win streak snapped at Loyola Marymount on Monday. Fans can receive free admission to the game by bringing an unwrapped toy that will be given to charities in Las Vegas for Christmas gifts for children.
In the Loyola Marymount loss, the Lady Rebels welcomed back Sheena Moore to the lineup, but were outrebounded for the first time this season and also shot a season-low attempts at the free throw line. UNLV hopes to turn around both of those on Friday, and are happy to play again at home, where they are 3-0 on the season, and have posted a 21-3 record in the Cox Pavilion over the last three seasons.
UNLV will look to continue its strong play on the boards and on defense. The Lady Rebels are outrebounding their opponents by 11.3 rebounds per contest which ranks them fifth in the country, and they also lead the Mountain West Conference in steals at 11.0 per game (30th in the nation). UNLV also has the top scoring offense in the conference at 72.6 points per game.Head coach Regina Miller is also closing in on her 100th win at UNLV, as she is 98-55 in her six years in Las Vegas.
The Lady Rebels have the nation's leading rebounder in junior forward Sherry McCracklin, who is averaging 13.8 rpg, and also leads the Mountain West Conference in both steals (2.7 spg) and blocks (2.0 bpg), and is fourth in scoring at 14.8 ppg. She's also posted a league-high six double-doubles for the year. Junior forward RanDee Henry, a transfer from Detroit Mercy, joins McCracklin to form possibly the best frontcourt in the Mountain West. She leads the conference in scoring at 21.0 ppg, and also is fourth in rebounding at 8.4 rpg.
Texas-San Antonio is 2-5 on the season, and have lost their last three games, including an 82-73 setback at Southern Utah on Tuesday night. Also included in the losing streak was a 58-55 home loss to Denver and a 76-63 loss at Alabama. The two wins on the year for the Roadrunners have come at Texas Southern, and against UTEP in the UTSA Thanksgiving Classic.
Dewella Holliday has paced the Roadrunners this season with 16.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. She's also shooting a team-high 50 percent from downtown (8-of-16). Nikki Hendrix sat out the first five games of the year, but has averaged 21 points in her last two, and is shooting 54.8 percent from the field
