Jan. 20, 2006

LAS VEGAS -

UNLV-Utah game notes
Download Free Acrobat Reader

The UNLV women's basketball team returns to action on Saturday night, as they host Utah at 7 pm in the Cox Pavilion

The Lady Rebels (11-4, 3-1) bring in a two-game win streak, and have a four-game win streak at home in Las Vegas going into Saturday's game, but those streaks will be severely tested by Utah (12-4, 3-2). The Utes, preseason favorites in the MWC, have been on fire after opening the season with two losses, as they have won three straight game, by an average of 34.7 points per game. Utah still trails UNLV in the conference standings however, as the Lady Rebels are tied for second at 3-1 along with New Mexico and TCU, while the Utes are alone in fifth place at 3-2.

For the second straight game, UNLV faces the MWC's top offense, as Utah averages 68.7 ppg. The key to the game could be however how well UNLV's offense does, as the Lady Rebels are 10-1 this year when scoring more than 60 points, while Utah is 3-3 when its opponent scores more then 60 points. The Lady Rebels also look to break another losing streak, after winning for the first time in six years at Colorado State on Wednesday, as they have lost three straight to Utah in Las Vegas.

Though the Lady Rebels' scoring has dropped off this season, with a 66.7 ppg average through 14 games to rank fifth in the MWC after leading the league in scoring in 2003-04 and 2004-05, UNLV is at the top of the league in several defensive categories. The Lady Rebels are currently leading the conference in blocks (4.47 bpg) and rebound margin (+7.4), and are second in steals (10.40 spg).

With their win over Colorado State, the Lady Rebels are now just four wins away from their 600th win in program history, a mark only 34 schools have reached in NCAA history.