Sept. 22, 2016 LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) -
For the first time since the 2004-05 season opener, the UNLV women's basketball team will face a Final Four participant from the previous season, as the Lady Rebels will take on Oregon State on the first day of the inaugural Play4Kay Tournament, to be held during Dec. 19-21 in the T-Mobile Arena on the Las Vegas Strip. This tournament, which is being run by bd Global, features the first women's basketball games to be played in the new 20,000-seat venue. The three-day event supports the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, an organization that supports funding for women's cancer research.
"To me it's probably one of the better tournaments in the nation this year and we're playing for a great cause as well," said UNLV Head Coach Kathy Olivier. "How nice is it to be play this event in Las Vegas so that our local community can have the opportunity to watch this event, while we are also looking forward to playing in an outstanding basketball arena in the T-Mobile Arena. This tournament is a chance to play against great competition and gives us the chance to challenge some of the top teams in the nation."
The field for the tournament f eatures:
• Oregon State - Completed a historic 32-5 seas on with a berth in the 2016 Fi nal Four
• Long Beach State - Return all five starters from a 24-9 team
• New Mexico State - Defending WAC champions and fi nished 26-5 with an 2016 NCAA Tournament berth
• Oklahoma State - Finished 21-10 with an 2016 NC AA Tournament appearance
• Quinnipiac - Won the 2016 MAAC regular-seas on title finishing at 25-9 for the year
• Santa Clara - Return all five starters from a 23-9 campaign last season
• South Florida - Advanced to the second round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament finishing at 24-10
• UNLV - Returns the bulk of the team f ollowing last season's 18-win campaign
UNLV and Oregon State cap off the first day of action at the tournament, tipping off at 8 pm on Dec. 19. The Lady Rebels will then face either Quinnipiac or New Mexico State on Dec. 20, with the consolation games starting at 12:30 and 3 pm and the semifinals that night at 5:30 pm and 8 pm. Game times for day three will be at 12:30 pm (7th place game), 3 pm (5th place game), 5:30 pm (3rd place game) and at 8 pm (championship).
The last time UNLV played a defending Final Four team was on Nov. 14, 2004, a 77-68 loss to Minnesota in the WBCA/BTI Classic in Seattle, Wash. The Lady Rebels will face the Beavers for the first time since Dec. 21, 2013, a 68-60 contest won by Oregon State in the Duel In The Desert Tournament held in Las Vegas at the Cox Pavilion.
About bd Global:
bd Global, LLC is a representation, event management, and public relations firm operating on an international platform within the sports marketing industry. bdG manages multiple college basketball events in the United States each season, and previously has managed events across North America and the Caribbean, including college basketball events in Phoenix, Boston, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Southwest Florida, Dallas, Houston and Las Vegas. For more information, visit www.bdglobalsports.comor follow on @bdGlobalSports on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. About T-Mobile Arena:
T-Mobile Arena, the new 20,000-seat venue located on the Las Vegas Strip between New York-New York and Monte Carlo, opened April 6, 2016. The arena will host more than 100 events annually including major headline entertainment, awards shows, UFC,boxing, basketball and other sporting events, family shows and special events. T-Mobile Arena will welcome a National Hockey League expansion team in the fall of 2017 - Las Vegas' first professional sports team. The city's newest landmark features 50 luxury suites, more than two dozen private loge boxes, complete broadcast facilities, and other specially designed exclusive hospitality offerings and fan amenities destined to create a guest experience second to none. Toshiba Plaza, an adjacent two-acre outdoor entertainment space, features performance stages, a variety of video screens and other interactive content and display areas. Industry-leading architect Populous designed TMobile Arena to meet the U.S. Green Building Council's standards for LEED® Gold Certification. T-Mobile Arena is a privately funded joint venture between AEG and MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM). For more information visit the T-Mobile Arena website at www.tmobilearena.com. About the Kay Yow Cancer Fund:
The Kay Yow Cancer Fund was officially founded on Dec. 3, 2007, from the vision of the organization's namesake Kay Yow, former N.C. State University head women's basketball coach. Coach Yow was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1987 before succumbing to the disease on Jan. 24, 2009. The Kay Yow Cancer Fund is a 501 (c)(3) charitable organization committed to being a part of finding an answer in the fight against women's cancers through raising funds for scientific research, assisting the underserved, and unifying people for a common cause. To date, more than $5.28 million has been allocated for women's cancer research. For more information on the Kay Yow Cancer Fund or to make a donation, please visit www.KayYow.com. Follow the Kay Yow Cancer Fund on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.
