University of Nevada Las Vegas

Dec. 22, 1997

Lady Rebels to play next two home games at the Thomas & Mack Center

Sat., Dec. 27 No. 3 Connecticut at UNLV (Radio-Tape Delayed) 7:00 p.m. 
Game held at Thomas & Mack Center (18,500), Las Vegas, Nev. 
Will be broadcast on KSFN 1140 AM by Bob Blum on a tape delayed basis at approximately 10:30 p.m.

The UNLV women’s basketball team will be back in the Mack as it hosts No. 3 Connecticut on Saturday, Dec. 27 at 7:00 p.m. at the Thomas & Mack Center (18,500) in its only game of the week. It will mark the second of three consecutive home games in the T&M for the Lady Rebels. The game will precede the Runnin’ Rebels game with UCLA. The UConn game may be heard on a tape delayed basis at approximately 10:30 p.m. on KSFN-1140 AM with Bob Blum calling the action.

The Lady Rebels -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Lady Rebels (0-9) lost last week to Northern Arizona (90-72) at the Thomas & Mack Center and on the road at South Florida (55-46). Senior guard Taneisha Gossett leads the team in scoring with a per-game average of 10.7 points. Junior forward Angalete Dye leads the team in rebounding with 9.8 per game and is second in scoring with 9.7 ppg. The Lady Rebels return seven players from last year’s squad that recorded an overall record of 4-23, finishing seventh in the WAC’s Pacific Division at 2-14. UNLV will participate in the Mountain Division this season because of the WAC’s rotating quadrants. Head Coach LaDonna McClain is in her second season at UNLV and eighth overall as a head coach.

The Opponent --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

No. 3 Connecticut (10-0) defeated No. 12 Stanford (94-78) on a neutral floor in Florida on Saturday in its only game of the week. Prior to that, UConn defeated Massachusetts (63-44) on the road on Dec.11. The Huskies are led by senior guard Nykesha Sales who is averaging 20.5 ppg. Sophomore forward Stacy Hansmeyer leads the team in rebounding with 6.2 pg. UConn finished the 1996-97 campaign ranked No. 1 in the AP poll with an overall record of 33-1. The Huskies won the Big East title with a perfect 18-0 mark. Their only loss of the season was to Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament. Head Coach Geno Auriemma is in his thirteenth year with the Huskies.

Series History ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This will mark the first meeting in women’s basketball between UNLV and Connecticut.

Possible Lady Rebel Starters ------------------------------------------------------------

No.Player          Pos. Ht.  Yr.-Exp. Hometown/Last School           1997-98 Statistics
00 Amy Wunderlich   F   6-0  Jr.-2L   Norco, Calif./Norco HS         8.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg
20 Karen Webster    G   5-8  Jr.-2L   Bellevue, Wa./Sammamish HS     4.7 ppg, 2.2 apg
21 Angalete Dye     F   6-1  Jr.-2L   Vacaville, Ca./Will C. Wood HS 9.7 ppg, 9.8 rpg
24 Toby Girard      G   5-5  Sr.-1L   Tempe, Ariz./Yavapai College   6.3 ppg,  1.9 apg
33 Taneisha Gossett G   5-9  Sr.-1L   Phoenix, Az./Central Az. Coll. 10.7 ppg, 5.8 rpg

Lady Rebels Off The Bench -------------------------------------------------------------- No.Player Pos. Ht. Yr.-Exp. Hometown/Last School 1997-98 Statistics 11 Kristen Pool G 5-6 Jr.-JC Provo, Ut./Ut. Vly State Coll. 7.0 ppg, 2.2 apg 15 Liz Wolfe C 6-3 Jr.-2L Coquitlam, B.C./Centennial SS 4.2 ppg, 4.4 rpg 30 Kedonica Qualls G 5-6 Jr.-JC Jonesboro, La./Kilgore (Tx) JC 2.0 ppg, 1.1 rpg 31 Brooke Ingalls F 6-0 Fr.-HS Redmond, Wash./Eastlake HS 1.6 ppg, 2.5 rpg 40 Tekeira Strambler F 5-11 Sr.-1L Midland, Tx/Central Az. Coll. 2.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg 54 Eishia Brightwell F 6-1 Jr.-JC Lawrenceburg, Ind./Vincennes Univ. 2.8 ppg, 2.7 rpg

Atop the NCAA ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Junior forward Angalete Dye was tied for 16th in the nation in rebounding as of Dec. 15. Dye had averaged 10.3 rebounds per game through seven games. She had also recorded the most rebounds of any player in the NCAA this season with 23 vs. Long Beach State on Nov. 23. Mercy Aghado of St. Peter’s was second with 22. Updated NCAA Statistics have not been released since Dec. 15.

Leaders of the WAC ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Junior forward Angalete Dye is second in the WAC in rebounding with 9.8 per game. She trails Kanequa Chancellor of UTEP who leads the WAC with 10.1 per game. Dye is also tied for seventh in the WAC in blocks with 1.0 per game. Senior guard Taneisha Gossett is tied for 17th in blocks with 0.6 per game. Junior guard Kristen Pool is 17th in steals with 2.2 per game. Junior forward Amy Wunderlich is 19th in the WAC in free throw percentage at .686. As a team UNLV is sixth in the WAC in rebounding with 39.9 per game. It is seventh in steals with 10.8 and tied for eighth in blocks with 2.1.

Lady Rebels in the Mack ------------------------------------------------------------------

UNLV will play its next two home games in the Thomas & Mack Center. The Connecticut game will mark the 88th time the Lady Rebels have hosted a regular season contest in the building. UNLV is 68-19 over 15 years when playing in the Thomas & Mack Center. The Northern Arizona game on Dec. 17 was the first regular season affair in the building for the Lady Rebels this season. UNLV will also host Loyola Marymount on Dec. 30 and Hawai’i on Feb. 26 in the Thomas & Mack Center. UNLV hosted two games in the building last year, losing to UCSB (101-77) on Dec. 30 and defeating Air Force Academy (85-62) on Feb. 20.

Lady Rebel Honors --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Senior guard Taneisha Gossett was the only Lady Rebel selected to the Las Vegas Club Shootout All-Tournament Team. Gossett recorded two double-doubles in the tournament, which was held Dec. 5-6. She had 13 points and 12 rebounds vs. Youngstown State and 16 points and 13 rebounds vs. Middle Tennessee State.

Top-Ranked Schedule ---------------------------------------------------------------------

UNLV has two opponents this season that are currently ranked in the top four. The Lady Rebels lost to Louisiana Tech (4th-USA Today/ESPN, 4th-AP) on Nov. 28 and will face Connecticut (3rd-USA Today/ESPN, 3rd-AP) this week. UNLV also has four teams on its schedule who are receiving votes for the polls. They are Colorado State, Hawai’i, New Mexico and Utah.

The Last Time --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UNLV recorded its last win on Feb. 20, 1997 vs. Air Force (85-62). The Lady Rebels are in the midst of an 11-game losing streak dating back to last season. UNLV recorded its last road win at Long Beach State (64-63) during the 1995-96 season. The Lady Rebels have lost 24 straight games away from Las Vegas.

Last Week ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Sparked by Marisa von Bromssen’s six three-pointers and game-high 28 points, Northern Arizona defeated the UNLV Lady Rebels, 90-72, Wednesday night at the Thomas & Mack Center. Down 59-44 with just over 16:30 left to play, the Lady Rebels went on an 8-1 run over 3:07 to cut the margin to eight points. NAU rallied 13-2 over the next 5:36 to take a 73-54 advantage and never looked back. Northern Arizona led 51-40 at halftime. The Lady Rebels (0-8) were led by senior guard Taneisha Gossett’s team-high 17 points. Junior center Liz Wolfe recorded season-highs of 12 points and 10 rebounds for UNLV. Northern Arizona (5-3) was assisted in the win by senior forward Tina Douglas-Pederson and junior guard Kara Newman, who both had 14 points.

TAMPA, Fla. – Led by junior forward Sonya Swick’s game-highs of 17 points and 11 rebounds, South Florida defeated the UNLV Lady Rebels, 55-46, at the Tampa Bay Shootout, Saturday afternoon at USF’s Sun Dome. Trailing by seven points at halftime, South Florida used a 12-1 run over the first 5:05 of the second half to take a 29-25 lead. After senior guard Taneisha Gossett’s three-pointer gave the Lady Rebels a 34-33 advantage, South Florida went on a 9-2 run, taking a 42-36 lead with 4:29 to play. USF held on for the win, outscoring the Lady Rebels 13-10 over the remainder of the game. The Lady Rebels used three three-pointers in the first half to hold their 24-17 advantage. Gossett led the Lady Rebels (0-9) with 11 points. Junior forward Angalete Dye led the team in rebounds with nine. South Florida (5-5) was assisted in the win by freshman guard Dione Smith’s 14 points and sophomore guard Stacey Brinkley’s 12.

Next Week -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UNLV will remain in the Mack as it hosts Loyola Marymount on Tuesday, Dec. 30 at 5:00 p.m. The game will precede the Runnin’ Rebels vs. Nevada, Reno. The Lady Rebels will then travel to Laramie, Wyo., and Fort Collins, Colo., to begin conference play. The Lady Rebels will face Wyoming on Thursday, Jan. 1 at 7:00 p.m. MST and Colorado State on Saturday, Jan. 3 at 3:00 p.m. MST.

Last Year ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Lady Rebels struggled last year in LaDonna McClain’s first season in Las Vegas. UNLV recorded a record of 4-23 overall and 2-14 in WAC play. The Lady Rebels finished seventh in the Pacific Division, failing to qualify for the WAC Tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Lady Rebel Returnees -----------------------------------------------------------------------

The Lady Rebels return eight players from last year’s roster. 6-1 junior forward Angalete Dye is one of the returning post players. She recorded career highs of 30 points and 13 rebounds vs. TCU, the last game of the 1996-97 season. One of three seniors, 5-5 guard Toby Girard ran the point last season. She averaged 8.9 ppg. Another senior, 5-9 guard Taneisha Gossett returns as the Lady Rebels’ leading scorer, recording 10.7 ppg during 1996-97. Sophomore guard Sara Hoopes, the only local player on the team, redshirted last year and is currently academically ineligible. The final senior, 5-11 forward Tekeira Strambler saw limited action last season recording a career-best 16 points vs. Fairfield. Karen Webster, a 5-8 junior guard returns at the two-guard spot. She averaged 3.3 ppg last season. Liz Wolfe, a 6-3 junior center looks to be one of the more improved players on the team. Wolfe averaged 3.1 ppg and 3.7 rpg last year. The final returnee is 6-foot junior forward Amy Wunderlich. The most physical player on the team, she averaged 6.1 ppg and 5.0 rpg.

New Faces --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Lady Rebels have six new additions to the program, four coming from junior college programs and two out of high school. Eishia Brightwell, a 6-1 junior from Lawrenceburg, Ind., comes to UNLV from Vincennes University where she averaged 14.9 ppg, 6.9 rpg and 2.1 bpg. Rashmi Houston, a 5-9 junior guard from Pulaski, Tenn., played at Northwest Shoals Community College in Ala., where she averaged 14 ppg, 6 rpg and 4 apg last year. She injured her right ACL during practice prior to this season’s opening game. She will have surgery and use this season as a redshirt year. Kristen Pool, a 5-6 point guard from Provo, Utah, attended Utah Valley State College averaging 6.0 ppg, 5.8 apg and 2.1 spg as the team won the conference championship with a 25-7 mark last year. Kedonica Qualls, the final junior-college transfer, is a 5-6 junior guard from Jonesboro, La. She went to Kilgore Junior College in Texas where she averaged 7 ppg, 5 apg and 3 spg last season. Brooke Ingalls is a freshman forward from Redmond, Wash. She attended Eastlake High School, averaging 13 ppg, 9 rpg and 5 apg her senior season. Tina Garcia is a freshman guard from Huntington Beach, Calif., who attended Mater Dei High School. She had reconstructive knee surgery during the summer and is finishing up her rehabilitation. Garcia will use this season as a redshirt year.

Head Coach LaDonna McClain ----------------------------------------------------------

Head Coach LaDonna McClain (Missouri Southern, ‘87) is in her second season at UNLV with a record of 4-32. The fifth head coach in the 23-year history of the UNLV women’s basketball program, she was hired in the spring of 1996 to replace former Head Coach Jim Bolla. In her first season with UNLV her team recorded a 4-23 mark. McClain came from Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tenn., where she headed that program for six seasons. APSU went 5-21 in her first season and she built it into the 1995-96 Ohio Valley Conference regular-season co-champions and tournament champions. She also led that team to its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. McClain is in her eighth season as a head coach and has a career record of 64-135.

Assistant Coaches ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Coming from Austin Peay State University with McClain are second-year UNLV assistant coaches Sheryl Krmpotich (Xavier, ‘92), Marcus Payne (Southwestern, ‘87) and Carrie Daniels (Austin Peay, ‘96). Director of Basketball Operations Steve Corraro (UNLV, ‘95) is in his fifth season with the program.

Injury Report -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Junior guard Rashmi Houston injured her right ACL during practice before the season started and will have surgery on it. She will use this season as a redshirt year.

Upcoming Promotions ----------------------------------------------------------------------

For the Connecticut game - Dec. 27: 
- UNLV pom-poms will be given out to the first 1,000 fans.

ASSOCIATED PRESS TOP 25 POLL Games through Dec. 14

Rank Team    Record    Pts  Prv
1.   Tennessee (39)   10-0  975  1 
2.   Old Dominion      8-0  931  2 
3.   Connecticut       9-0  901  3 
4.   Louisiana Tech    5-2  842  4 
5.   North Carolina    7-1  784  6 
6.   Texas Tech        5-1  750  7 
7.   Arizona           5-0  746  8 
8.   Vanderbilt        6-1  681  9 
9.   Wisconsin         7-0  541  17 
10.  Virginia          7-1  533  12 
11.  Georgia           6-1  506  15 
12.  Stanford          2-3  461  18 
13.  Illinois          4-4  421  5 
14.  Washington        6-0  407  19 
15.  Florida           5-3  357  10 
16.  Nebraska          9-3  333  13 
17.  Duke              6-2  330  11 
18.  Western Kentucky  9-2  312  14 
19.  Tulane            5-1  278  20 
20.  N. Carolina St.   9-0  262  22 
21.  Colorado          5-1  241  21 
22.  SW Missouri St.   7-0  229  -- 
23.  Auburn            5-1  178  16 
24.  Arkansas          7-1  167  24 
25.  Alabama           5-2  134  23 

USA TODAY/ESPN TOP 25 Games through Dec. 14

Rank Team              Record  Pts   Prv
1.   Tennessee (59)    10-0    1,499  1
2.   Old Dominion (1)   8-0    1,425  2
3.   Connecticut        9-0    1,384  3
4.   Louisiana Tech     5-2    1,299  4
5.   North Carolina     7-1    1,211  6
6.   Texas Tech         5-1    1,151  7
7.   Arizona            5-0    1,071  9
8.   Vanderbilt         6-1    1,042  8
9.   Georgia            6-1    856    10
10.  Wisconsin          7-0    810    15
11.  Illinois           4-4    780    5
12.  Virginia           7-1    649    17
13.  Stanford           2-3    617    18
14.  N. Carolina State  9-0    611    20
15.  Western Kentucky   9-2    595    12
16.  Florida            5-3    499    11
17.  Nebraska           9-3    496    13
18.  Duke               6-2    485    14
19.  Tulane             6-1    469    19
20.  Washington         6-0    363    23
21.  Auburn             5-1    358    16
22.  Colorado           4-1    350    21
23.  Alabama            5-2    272    22
24.  SW Missouri St.    7-0    219    NR
25.  Fla. International 5-0    180    25

STANDINGS
1997-98 WAC Standings (as of Dec. 22)
Mountain Division
               WAC Games   All Games
               W  L  Pct.  W  L  Pct.
Colorado State 0  0   -    8  0 1.000
Utah           0  0   -    8  0 1.000
New Mexico     0  0   -    9  2  .818
UTEP           0  0   -    5  4  .556
Brigham Young  0  0   -    5  4  .556
Air Force      0  0   -    5  5  .500
Wyoming        0  0   -    3  6  .333
UNLV           0  0   -    0  9  .000

Pacific Division
               WAC Games   All Games
               W  L  Pct.  W  L   Pct.
Hawai’i        0  0   -    8  1  .889
TCU            0  0   -    8  2  .800
SMU            0  0   -    7  2  .778
Rice           0  0   -    7  2  .778
Fresno State   0  0   -    5  5  .500
San Jose State 0  0   -    4  5  .444
San Diego State0  0   -    3  5  .375
Tulsa          0  0   -    3  5  .375

LADY REBELS ON KSFN

The dean of West Coast broadcasters, Bob Blum returns for his tenth season broadcasting Lady Rebel basketball. This season, Blum will broadcast all 27 regular-season games as well as any WAC Tournament or other post-season contsts on KSFN-1140 AM.

1998 WAC TOURNEY

For the second straight year, the Thomas & Mack Center on the campus of UNLV will serve as the site of the WAC Women’s and Men’s Basketball Tournaments. The women’s tournament will be held March 2-7 and will involve 12 of the 16 WAC teams. The top two teams from each division will receive a first-round bye, while the remaining eight teams will play first-round games on March 2. The women’s quarterfinals will take place on March 4 with the same game times as the first round. The semifinals are slated for March 6 with the championship game scheduled for March 7.

UNLV’S RECORD
WHEN IT:

Plays on Monday..    0-0
Plays on Tuesday..    0-0
Plays on Wednesday..    0-1
Plays on Thursday..    0-0
Plays on Friday..    0-3
Plays on Saturday..    0-3
Plays on Sunday..    0-2
Plays during the afternoon..    0-5
Plays at night..    0-4
leads at halftime..    0-4
is behind at halftime..    0-5
shoots a higher FG% than opp..    0-2
shoots a lower FG% than opp..    0-7
shoots an equal FG% as opp..    0-0
shoots a higher 3pt% than opp..    0-2
shoots a lower 3pt% than opp..    0-7
shoots an equal 3pt% as opp..    0-0
shoots a higher FT% than opp..    0-0
shoots a lower FT% than opp..    0-9
shoots an equal FT% as opp..    0-0
has more rebounds than opp..    0-3
has less rebs than opp..    0-5
has equal rebs as opp..    0-1
has more assists than opp..    0-3
has less assists than opp..    0-6
has equal assists as opp..    0-0
has more turnovers than opp..    0-8
has less turnovers than opp..    0-1
has equal turnovers as opp..    0-0
has more fouls than opp..    0-8
has less fouls than opp..    0-1
has equal fouls as opp..    0-0
has more blocks than opp..    0-4
has less blocks than opp..    0-4
has equal blocks as opp..    0-1
has more steals than opp..    0-5
has less steals than opp..    0-4
has equal steals as opp..    0-0



1997-98 PRESEASON COACHES’ POLL

    Mountain Division    Pts.
    Utah (12)    117
    Colorado State (4)    108
    New Mexico    90
    Brigham Young    77
    Wyoming    65
    UTEP    50
    UNLV    39
    Air Force    22

    Pacific Division    Pt.s
    Hawai’i (10)    110
    San Diego State (3)    100
    Rice (2)    95
    SMU (1)    86
    TCU    68
    Fresno State    50
    San Jose State    31
    Tulsa    28

    1998 WAC Champion
    Utah (11)
    Colorado State (3)
    Hawai’i (2)

UNLV TICKET PRICES

Admission for UNLV women’s basketball games is $4.00 for adults, $2.00 for students and $2.00 for UNLV faculty and staff. UNLV students are admitted free with valid I.D. For more information please call 895-3900.

UNLV ON TV

UNLV’s game at Long Beach State was shown on Fox Sports West 2 on a taped-delayed basis. The Lady Rebels will again be featured on the tube when they are part of the WAC’s television game of the week when they play at New Mexico on February 15. It will be shown live on Fox Sports Southwest at 11:00 a.m. MST.

#54 EISHIA BRIGHTWELL (F, 6-1, Jr.)
      SEASON-HIGH      CAREER-HIGH  SEASON AVG
PTS    6 @CSULB (11/23)   Same      2.8
REBS   6 @CSUF (11/21)    Same      2.7

#21 ANGALETE DYE (F, 6-1, Jr.)
      SEASON-HIGH      CAREER-HIGH        SEASON AVG
PTS   16 @CSUF (11/21) 30 vs. TCU (2/27/97) 9.7
REBS  23 @CSULB (11/23)   Same              9.8
BLKS   4 @CSULB (11/23)   Same              1.0

#5 TINA GARCIA (G, 5-10, Fr.)

#24 TOBY GIRARD (G, 5-5, Sr.)
      SEASON-HIGH        CAREER-HIGH                SEASON AVG
PTS    21 vs. MTSU (12/6)22 vs. Fresno St. (1/16/97) 6.3
REBS    5 vs. YSU (12/5) 6 @TCU (2/22/97)            2.0
AST     4 (twice)        8 vs. SJSU (1/18/97)        1.9

#33 TANEISHA GOSSETT (G, 5-9, Sr.)
      SEASON-HIGH       CAREER-HIGH          SEASON AVG
PTS   17 (twice)        28 vs. AFA (2/20/97) 10.7
REBS  13 vs. MTSU (12/6)    Same             5.8
ASTS   7 vs. MTSU (12/6)    Same             1.2

#32 SARA HOOPES (G, 5-9, So.)
      SEASON-HIGH    CAREER-HIGH (@NAU)          SEASON AVG
PTS   NA             15 (3 times)                NA
REBS  NA              5 (4 times)                NA
STLS  NA              6 vs. Vir. Tech (12/19/95) NA

#22 RASHMI HOUSTON (G, 5-9, Jr.)

#31 BROOKE INGALLS (F, 6-0, Fr.)
      SEASON-HIGH        CAREER-HIGH  SEASON AVG
PTS   5 vs. T-A&M (11/29)Same         1.6
REBS  5 (Twice)          Same         2.5

#11 KRISTEN POOL (G, 5-6, Fr.)
      SEASON-HIGH          CAREER-HIGH SEASON AVG
PTS   12 vs. T-A&M (11/29) Same        7.0
REBS  6 (Twice)            Same        2.1
AST   10 @CSUF (11/21)     Same        2.2

#30 KEDONICA QUALLS (G, 5-6, Jr.)
      SEASON-HIGH      CAREER-HIGH  SEASON AVG
PTS   6 at UNR (12/14) Same         2.0
REBS  3 at UNR (12/14) Same         1.1

#40 TEKEIRA STRAMBLER (F, 5-11, Sr.)
      SEASON-HIGH      CAREER-HIGH                 SEASON AVG
PTS   4 @CSULB (11/23) 16 vs. Fairfield (12/19/96) 2.0
REBS  3 @CSULB (11/23) 4 vs. TCU (2/27/97)         1.0

#20 KAREN WEBSTER (G, 5-8, Jr.)
      SEASON-HIGH       CAREER-HIGH          SEASON AVG
PTS   13 vs. MTSU (12/6)15 vs. SJSU (3/2/96) 4.7
REBS  5 @CSULB (11/23)  6 vs. CSULB (2/11/96)1.4
ASTS  5 vs. MTSU (12/6) 7 vs. TCU (2/27/97)  2.2

#15 LIZ WOLFE (C, 6-3, Jr.)
      SEASON-HIGH        CAREER-HIGH            SEASON AVG
PTS   12 vs. NAU (12/17) 16 vs. UCSB (12/30/96) 4.2
REBS  10 vs. NAU (12/17) 14 vs. UCSB (12/30/96) 4.4

#00 AMY WUNDERLICH (F, 6-0, Jr.)
      SEASON-HIGH        CAREER-HIGH         SEASON AVG
PTS   15 vs. YSU (12/5)  20 vs. UCSB (2/9/96)8.7
REBS  9 vs. T-A&M (11/29)12 @CSULB (1/12/96) 5.0
STLS  3 vs. T-A&M (11/29)3 (Six times)       1.0