Dec. 21, 2004

LAS VEGAS -

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Coming off another disappointing loss in which they had a chance to win in the final seconds, UNLV (4-5) plays its final game before breaking for Christmas as the Lady Rebels play their annual rival game against Nevada, Reno (4-4) on Wednesday afternoon in the Thomas & Mack Center at 5 pm. This is the first of four regular season games for UNLV in the TMC, where they have a 107-38 record over the last 21 years.

UNLV dropped the championship game of the Duel In The Desert Scarlet division on Sunday night to Iowa State 86-78. The Lady Rebels had a chance to win in regulation, but Nikki Hitchens made just one of two at the line with 0.9 seconds to go to tie the game. In UNLV's other two losses to unranked teams (vs. UCF, at Michigan), the Lady Rebels had a shot at the buzzer that could have tied the game and sent both into overtime, but both shots were off the mark.

Wednesday's game is the third of a seven-game homestand for UNLV, after its 61-49 win over Northern Arizona in the opening round of the Duel In The Desert on Saturday. Following the Christmas break, UNLV hosts Central Connecticut State, Canisius, High Point, and Northern Colorado, before beginning Mountain West conference play with three straight road games.

This past weekend's tournament saw several players turn in career games for the Lady Rebels, as Hitchens scored her career-high as a Lady Rebel with 19 points against Northern Arizona. Shana Coleman (21) and Kisha Lee (13) also scored career-highs the next day against Iowa State in the title game.