Jan. 14, 2005

LAS VEGAS -

UNLV-San Diego State game notes
Download Free Acrobat Reader

Selected as the preseason favorite in the Mountain West Conference for the first time, the UNLV Lady Rebels (9-5) look to live up to their billing as they open their conference schedule Saturday afternoon against San Diego State (5-7). The game has a 4 pm tip-off in the Cox Arena in San Diego.

Though they bring in a five-game win streak, UNLV doesn't resemble the same team that was picked to win the conference, as preseason all-conference forward Sherry McCracklin went down with an Achilles injury in preseason, and has yet to play a game this season. She was far from the only injury however, as a total of seven players have missed a combined 48 games, and the constant injuries have wrecked havoc with the starting lineup.

UNLV looks to have finally adjusted on offense, and have been on fire in its last four games, scoring 80+ points in all four, and winning all four by a +20 point margin. The Lady Rebels have used a deeper bench to wear down its opponents, with its bench contributing 24% of the team's scoring (as opposed to 17% last year). The starting five is a more balanced scoring threat, with all five ranked in the top 30 in the MWC.

Saturday's game is the first of three on the road to begin the MWC season for the Lady Rebels. UNLV is 3-2 all-time in conference openers, and have won two straight over SDSU, 50-48 in the 2002-03 season, and 76-58 in Las Vegas last season. The Lady Rebels were 5-2 in conference play on the road last season, and ended the season with wins at both Utah and BYU, only the second school in the MWC to ever sweep that road trip.