March 11, 2004
DENVER, Colo. -
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Having finally broken their BYU jinx by defeating the Cougars in the MWC Tournament for the first time in four years on Wednesday, the UNLV Lady Rebels (22-6) are ready to take their next step towards the 2004 Mountain West Women's Basketball Championship as they take on second-seeded Utah (23-6) in Friday's semifinals at 2:30 pm (MST) in the Pepsi Center.
This will be the second time in just over a week the two teams have played, as UNLV claimed a 68-60 overtime victory at Salt Lake City on March 4, breaking the Utes 27-game home win streak. That loss also cost Utah the #1 seed in the tournament, as the Utes fell into a tie for first with New Mexico.
This is UNLV's second appearance in the MWC semifinals. The Lady Rebels fell in the 2000 semifinals to top-seeded Utah 67-65, while in the 2002 tournament, they upset #1 seed Colorado State 72-58, before losing in the championship game to BYU 61-46. UNLV and Utah have met twice in the MWC tournament, with UNLV winning the second matchup, 57-38 in the 2002 quarterfinals.
A second win over Utah this season would not only push them closer to the MWC championship game, but would also keep alive their chances for an at-large bid to the NCAAs. In the five-year history of the Mountain West, only one of the 11 teams that have posted 20 wins in a season did not earned a bid to the NCAA. UNLV also received five votes in this week's AP Top 25 poll.
The Lady Rebels have been winning off their offense, averaging a league-high 71.9 ppg, while shooting 44.7% from the floor. UNLV is 15-0 when they score 70 or more points.
The win for UNLV over BYU on Wednesday broke a three-year losing streak to BYU in the MWC Tournament, including two losses in the quarterfinals. It marked the first time in tournament history BYU did not reach the championship game (they defeated UNLV in the 2002 title game).
Tournament Notes
- Change In Radio Broadcast Team Lady Rebel longtime radio play-by-play announcer Bob Blum was forced to miss the MWC Tournament trip, as he is recovering after a bout with pneumonia during the last UNLV road trip to Utah. San Diego State announcer Bill Earley will fill in as play-by-play announcer for UNLV during its games in the tournament, while UNLV SID Mark Wasik will continue as color on the broadcasts.
- All MWC Tournament Games to be televised All seven games of the MWC Tournament will be televised, and will be available in the Las Vegas area on Cox Channel 48. UNLV's quarterfinal game against BYU is set for Wednesday at 7:30 pm. If UNLV advances to the semifinals, their game will be shown on Friday at 2:30 pm, and will be shown on both Cox 48, and shown on CSTV (College Sports TV) for those with Direct TV. Saturday's game is being broadcast by ESPN2 on a tape-delay basis.
