March 7, 2005

LAS VEGAS -

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UNLV (15-12, 6-8) and Wyoming (16-11, 7-7) will meet for the first time in the Mountain West Conference Tournament as the fifth-seeded Lady Rebels take on the fourth-seeded Cowgirls in the quarterfinals on Wednesday at 2:30 pm (MST) in the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colo. Both teams come in with losing streaks, as Wyoming fell to New Mexico 65-48 on Saturday, while UNLV has dropped three straight games, though just by a combined 12 points.

Looking at recent history, UNLV has won six of the last seven meetings between the two schools, including a split this year. The Lady Rebels also have a 4-5 all-time record in MWC Tournament action, while the Cowgirls are just 1-5, with the lone win coming last year when as the fifth seed they defeated Colorado State 67-61.

Taking another look at the two teams, Wyoming has been led by Ashley Elliott all season, the MWC's leading scorer, but she's been held to an average of 13 points against UNLV this year, almost four below her season average. Meanwhile, in four career games against the Cowgirls, UNLV's senior forward RanDee Henry has been unstopable, averaging 19.3 points and 10.8 rebounds while shooting 51% from the floor.

The top scoring team in the conference, UNLV's offense has been a key part in its rebound from a 2-5 start in MWC play. After scoring over 70 points just once in the first half of conference play, the Lady Rebels have scored 70 or more in four of the last seven games, all victories. They have also been dominating the boards, with a 10.4 rebound margin over the last seven games.