LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - Â The UNLV women's basketball team closes off its non-conference schedule by hosting this weekend's Duel In The Desert tournament at the Cox Pavilion. The first game of the tournament saw No. 15 Mississippi State take down USF, while the Lady Rebels host Virginia Friday at 2 pm on day two of the three-day event. All four teams will then play Saturday in the 3rd place and championship games, set for 12 and 2:30 pm, respectively.
The first 300 fans to Friday's contest will receive a free UNLV mason jar, while the first 100 fans on Saturday will receive a free elf hat. Tickets are $8 for seniors, $6 for seniors and staff, and can be purchased online at UNLVTickets.com. Students 17 and under are free to UNLV Lady Rebel games with a school ID, while all kids 12 and under are free as well.
There will be a live video stream available through FloHoops.com. Wyatt Tomchek will handle the radio broadcast on KDAD The Game 920 AM.
UNLV Game Notes Â
♦  This is the eighth time the Lady Rebels have hosted the pre-Christmas Duel In The Desert event, but the first time UNLV will have played Virginia in the event, as the two teams face off in the second game of the first round Friday afternoon. This is also the second time in program history the teams have met each other, with the other meeting coming in the 1989-90 season.
♦  Virginia is the second ACC opponent for UNLV this season, after a 57-45 loss to Duke on Nov. 14. The Lady Rebels are 3-7 all-time against the ACC, with the last win coming over Clemson in the 2013 Duel In The Desert.
♦  UNLV has met both Mississippi State and USF before in this tournament, in 2017 against the Bulldogs and in 2010 against the USF Bulls.
♦ Senior center Rodjanae Wade is almost averaging a double-double as she is posting 13.2 points and 9.8 rebounds per contest, which ties her for 28th in the nation and leads the nation. Her five double-doubles on the season also tops the Mountain West and is tied for 16th in the country as well.
♦ The 2019-20 UNLV Lady Rebel squad are one of the youngest and least experienced teams in the Mountain West this season after graduating four senior starters. UNLV has 10 underclassmen on this year's squad, with seven freshmen and three sophomores, while the four-member senior class had a total of two career starts (as a Lady Rebel) entering the season.
