Dec. 29, 2003

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - UNLV's Sherry McCracklin was named the Mountain West Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Week, the conference announced on Monday. McCracklin earns her second MWC weekly honor of the season, as she was also named for the week of Dec. 1, and this marks the fourth time in the first six weeks of the season that a Lady Rebel has been named MWC Player of the Week.

McCracklin, a 6-1 junior forward from Hazel Crest, Ill, played all 40 minutes and posted her eighth double-double of the season to lead UNLV to a 62-51 victory over Mississippi State on Sunday in Las Vegas. She scored 13 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the floor, and was 5-of-8 from the line. The nation's leading rebounder, she grabbed 13 boards for her league-high eighth double-double, and the 16th of her career. She also posted team highs in assists (four), steals (three), and added one block.

In addition to leading the nation in rebounding, McCracklin also is top in the conference in blocks (1.9 bpg), is third in steals (2.2 spg), sixth in scoring (13.7 ppg), and ninth in field goal percentage (46.8 percent).

The Lady Rebels, 8-2 and riding a three-game win streak, will host Cal Poly in the Thomas & Mack Center in a doubleheader with the men's team on Tuesday, Dec. 30 at 5 pm. At halftime of the Cal Poly game, UNLV will retire the jersey of former three-time All-American Linda Fr?hlich.