Like the Las Vegas summer heat, our UNLV Top 10 Moments of the Decade keep rolling along and we present our second sport -- the Lady Rebels. So check out the top 10 women's basketball moments of the past 10 years and be sure to keep checking back as we keep bringing you more though the summer.
NO. 10: HOMETOWN HERO/FOR TARK!
Danielle Miller scores 22, including buzzer beater to force OT, at Fresno State (Feb. 11, 2015)
The morning of Feb. 11, 2015, was a sad day for all UNLV fans as legendary Hall of Fame Runnin' Rebels coach Jerry Tarkanian passed away. The Lady Rebels were in Fresno for that night's game against the Bulldogs, and as they watched the pregame scoreboard tribute to Tark (a former Fresno State men's coach as well), they knew they wanted to somehow show their appreciation for the iconic figure. And they did that the best way possible -- on the court -- as the Lady Rebels stunned the 17-4 Fresno State team, handing the first-place Bulldogs their first home loss in 18 games. Fresno State came into the game with a 34 RPI ranking, but UNLV kept the pressure on the Bulldogs the entire game, and then it came down to Danielle Miller to provide the heroics. First, with UNLV down three in the final seconds, she drained a 24-foot three-pointer at the buzzer to force overtime, and then, with UNLV holding a one-point edge in the final seven seconds, she sank a pair of free throws to seal the emotional and memorable 73-70 victory.Â
NO. 9: SMITH AT THE BUZZER
Senior LaTecia Smith sank her second game-winner of the month at the buzzer for a two-point win over rival UNR (Jan. 22, 2020)
Though UNLV has dominated the all-time series against its in-state rival UNR, especially in games held in the city of Las Vegas, the matchups have been very competitive the past decade. That was never more the case than the first meeting of the 2019-20 season in the Cox Pavilion. In a game that featured several momentum swings, UNLV took the lead for good in the third quarter but could never shake the Wolf Pack, and the game was tied with six seconds left. The Lady Rebels called timeout and advanced the ball before setting up the game-winning play, as senior
LaTecia Smith received the inbounds pass, took advantage of a high screen and drove in before sinking a 12-foot shot from just outside the paint as the horn sounded, capping a 66-64 victory as Smith was mobbed by her teammates on the court.Â
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NO. 8: SHORT-HANDED LADY REBELS STUN FIRST-PLACE LOBOS
With three key players unavailable, UNLV reserves spark upset victory  (Jan. 11, 2017)
UNLV entered this home game against New Mexico down three key players, as starting post players
Katie Powell and
Paris Strawther were both serving one-game suspensions following their role in an altercation with Utah State the previous game, while reserve
Jordyn Bell was out with a concussion. That left just eight players available to dress out, and five of the eight players had a combined one collegiate start, to face a Lobo team that came in alone in first place in the Mountain West. What happened next was one of the most inspiring games in years for the Lady Rebels, as
Alyssa Anderson, in her first career start, scored a game-high 18 points on a school-record tying 6-of-7 performance from three-point range on the way to a 56-42 victory for UNLV. Freshman RJ Wade showed her potential with 10 points and nine rebounds in her first career start, while Dakota Gonzalez added 16 points and 10 rebounds. UNLV held the Lobos to 10 points under their previous season low on just 21.9% shooting from the floor.
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NO. 7: LA ROCQUE COMES HOME
Lindy La Rocque becomes the first Las Vegas native to be named head coach of the Lady Rebels  (March 18, 2020)
When UNLV looked for a new leader for the Lady Rebel program, it wanted to find someone with both ties to the city of Las Vegas and a tradition of success. Both of those were found in
Lindy La Rocque, who was hired as the eighth full-time head coach in Lady Rebel history on March 18, 2020. La Rocque was a high school standout at Durango High School in Las Vegas, where she became the school's (boys and girls) all-time leading scorer with 2,678 points and left with many other program records. La Rocque then moved on to Stanford where she played on four straight Final Four teams before moving into the coaching world, serving on the coaching staffs of three programs that would reach the NCAA Tournament in six straight seasons. That included the past three seasons in Palo Alto where she was assistant coach for a Cardinal program that consistently ranked among the top 10 in the country and made a pair of Sweet 16s and one Elite Eight appearance.
NO. 6: HISTORIC COMEBACK KICKS OFF CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON (Nov. 11, 2017)
UNLV rallies from huge fourth quarter deficit for season-opening OT win
UNLV had made its mark on the NCAA record book before, with two of the 10 largest comebacks in women's basketball history in terms of largest deficit overcome in a victory (25 and 22 points). But the most impressive comeback in school history would come in the 2017 season-opener against Portland State, a victory that would prove to be the start of a magical season for the Lady Rebels. With just over five minutes left in the fourth quarter, it all looked lost for UNLV, as the Vikings scored six straight points following a foul and two straight technicals on Lady Rebel point guard
Nikki Wheatley, leading to her ejection and a 72-51 deficit with 5:27 on the clock. Wheatley's ejection would jolt the Lady Rebels into an inspiring rally, as they used a smothering defense to force eight turnovers and three missed shots on the next 13 possessions, while UNLV scored 19 straight to close within two. Down three in the final 20 seconds,
Brooke Johnson nailed a three from the top of the key to force overtime, and UNLV scored nine of the first 10 points of the extra period on the way to an 88-80 victory. In all, UNLV finished the fourth quarter on a 22-1 run, and 37-8 overall over the final 10 minutes.Â
NO. 5: GONZALEZ TWINS BRING NATIONAL ATTENTION
Dakota and Dylan Gonzalez status as social media celebrities brings national attention
UNLV had high-profile transfers before, but never did it have players that came in with the social media celebrity status that came with the addition of the Gonzalez twins, Dakota and Dylan, who during their time in the Scarlet & Gray had over 1 million instagram followers EACH! After playing their freshman year at Kansas, the twins transferred to the Lady Rebels and made their debut in 2016-17. Attending their first game as a Lady Rebel was more than 1,600 fans, including music superstar Drake, who watched from the Thomas & Mack Center seats as Dakota scored a then career-high 21 points in a 35-point victory over Southern Utah.
Again UNLV was in the national news when Drake made an appearance the next season when UNLV claimed a road victory at Pepperdine
(Drake holds court at Pepperdine, Cheers For Women's Basketball Twins)
The twins also made news for their musical efforts - and that would be the biggest factor in their decision to finish their collegiate playing career a year early, as the very strong academic students both graduated in four years. And yes, the two were more than just big on social media, helping the Lady Rebels to a 40-25 record and WNIT appearance during their two years, while Dakota received first team All-Mountain West honors in 2017-18.
(Dakota and Dylan made an appearance in the Sports Illustrated Pop Culture Grid during the 2016-17 season).
NO. 4: SANFORD, LADY REBELS STUFF WILDCATS (Dec. 20, 2011)
UNLV claims big home win over top-50 Kansas State
UNLV was already off to its best season in years with nine wins in the first 11 games, and would find another signature win right before Christmas as the Lady Rebels posted one of their best defensive games ever in a 44-38 victory over Kansas State. The Wildcats had won their first two games in the BTI Invitational and looked to make it 3-0, but senior center Lenita Sanford led a smothering defensive effort that held KSU to just 28.3% shooting, and only 16 points by halftime. Sanford came up with two of the biggest plays of night with two blocks in the final minute, while
Mia Bell's three-pointer at the shot-clock buzzer with 1:01 to play provided the eventual game-winning points.
NO. 3: BELL, LADY REBELS STUN GONZAGA (Dec. 9, 2017)
Katie Powell scores game-winning off putback in the final minute
UNLV made sure its first-ever meeting with WCC power Gonzaga would be a memorable one, as junior
Jordyn Bell scored a career-high 15 points, including a game-tying layup with just under 30 seconds to play. She missed the ensuing free throw but
Katie Powell was there for the rebound and quick putback with just 24.6 seconds to play for the 52-50 victory. The win snapped Gonzaga's 10-game home win streak.
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NO. 2: THOMPSON, LADY REBELS GROUND HAWKEYES (Nov. 13, 2011)
Overlooked Lady Rebels humble Iowa with 10-point win in title game
UNLV knew it had all the pieces for a potential conference championship run in 2011-12, but everyone else was overlooking the Lady Rebels, and that included one of its first opponents of the season, as they were one of four teams playing in the Hawkeye Challenge on the opening weekend of the season. Iowa purposely set its tournament bracket to avoid playing UNLV in the first round, not because of a potential loss, but because they assumed UNLV's potential low RPI would bring their strength of schedule down. The Lady Rebels quickly showed the Hawkeyes they had more things to worry about than a computer ranking after reaching the championship game following a 23-point win over Butler. Thanks to a 21-5 second half run and 26 points from Tournament MVP Kelli Thompson, the Lady Rebels silenced the Carver-Hawkeye Crowd with a 69-59 upset victory over a Iowa team that was receiving preseason votes in the top 25. It marked only the sixth time in 26 years Iowa did not win the Hawkeye Classic, and helped start the Lady Rebels to a 6-0 start and a 22-10 overall record that season.
NO. 1: MOUNTAIN WEST CHAMPIONS! (March 2, 2018)
Lady Rebels claim first-ever MW regular-season title on Senior Night
We close out our top 10 moments with the best by far, as UNLV capped the 2017-18 regular season with a 62-52 Senior Night win over Utah State that gave the Lady Rebels their first Mountain West regular season championship title. Presented with the championship trophy on the court after the win, the Lady Rebels finished the regular season with a school-record 14 MW victories, which was also the most overall conference wins for the team since going 14-4 in the Big West in 1994 (also the last time UNLV won a conference title). Just days later, several Lady Rebels would be honored for their season-long performances that led to the conference crown, as
Brooke Johnson was named MW Defensive Player of the Year, while both Johnson and
Katie Powell were First Team All-MW selections and
Nikki Wheatley was honorable mention.Â
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