LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) — UNLV hosts Hawaii for its final pre-conference game Tuesday, Dec. 21, at the Cox Pavilion. The Lady Rebels are coming off a thrilling come-from-behind win after rallying from a 19-point deficit to defeat Pacific 80-79. Hawaii hasn't played since Dec. 5, a 76-63 win over Loyola Marymount.

Its also UNLV's final game before the holiday break and we're celebrating by giving everyone in attendance a special Rebels ugly holiday t-shirt.

Tip off is 2 p.m. Pacific.  Watch live locally on YurView (Cox 14, 1014 HD) and listen at UNLVRebels.com, featuring Wyatt Tomchek on play-by-play. 

All-time series: UNLV leads 32-16.
First meeting: Jan. 1, 1976. UNLV won 103-49 at Chico, Calif.
Last meeting: Dec. 19, 2018.  Hawaii won 66-61 in overtime in Las Vegas.

Lady Rebels' latest: UNLV 80, Pacific 79

• Sophomore center Desi-Rae Young scored a career-high 24 points as UNLV overcame a 19-point deficit to knock off Pacific 80-79 at the Cox Pavilion Saturday.
• The Lady Rebels trailed 52-33 one minute into the third period and used a 19-6 run, highlighted by 8 points from Young, to cut Pacific's lead to 3. 
• Jade Thomas came off the bench to bookend a two-minute, 10-0 scoring run, with a 3 and a layup off Pacific turnover. 
• UNLV began the fourth period with an 11-0 run and took its first lead of the game with 8 minutes to play.
• Pacific retook the lead with 2-1/2 minutes remaining, but Essence Booker drew a foul, collected on two free throws, then forced a turnover and drained a jumper for the go-ahead and game-winning buckets. 
• Booker had 9 fourth-quarter points and finished with 15 total.
• It was the third largest comeback in UNLV's history.

Short memories

• The Lady Rebels have only suffered consecutive defeats once under Lindy La Rocque. 
• Under La Rocque, UNLV is 10-1 following a loss (in the same season of play) with an average margin of victory of 17 points in those nine games.

Preseason hype

• Picked third in the Mountain West preseason poll, the Lady Rebels return four student-athletes from last year's team, including two starters, and welcome eight newcomers.
• Reigning Mountain West Freshman of the Year Desi-Rae Young was named to the 2021-22 Preseason Mountain West All-Conference Team.

Scouting Hawaii

• Hawaii comes to Las Vegas following a 16-day layoff since its last game, a 76-63 win over Loyola Marymount.
• Hawaii's 18-women roster returned nine from 2020-21, including four starters.
• Senior Amy Atwell was an All-Big West Second Team member a year ago while being named Sixth Man of the Year the prior season in 2020.
• The other half of the team are the nine newcomers, including four NCAA Division I transfers.
• The Wahine have used four different starting lineups in eight games, mostly due to injuries.

Setting records in the classroom

• The Lady Rebels finished the Fall 2021 term with a program record 3.44 team GPA.
• Six players — Essence Booker, Alyssa Brown, Alyssa Durazo-Frescas, Justice Ethridge, Jade Thomas and Taylin Smith — earned Dean's List distinction (for undergraduates only).
• Graduate senior Khayla Rooks crushed it in her first post-grad semester, earning a 3.80 GPA in cybersecurity studies.