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Dec. 8, 1997
Lady Rebs Looking for Season's First Victory at Nevada, Reno
Lady Rebel Basketball This Week:
- Sun., Dec. 14
- UNLV at Nevada, Reno (Radio-Delayed); 2:00 p.m.
- Game held at Lawlor Events Center (11,200), Reno, Nev.
- Will be broadcast on KSFN - 1140 AM by Bob Blum (tape delayed at approximately 9:00 p.m.)
The UNLV women's basketball team will be back on the road as it travels to Reno, Nev., for its only game of the week. The Lady Rebels will battle the Wolf Pack of Nevada, Reno on Sunday, Dec. 14 at 2:00 p.m. The game will be held at UNR's Lawlor Events Center (11,200) and may be heard on KSFN-1140 AM tape delayed at approximately 9:00 p.m. with Bob Blum calling the action.
The Lady Rebels
The Lady Rebels (0-6) lost last week to Youngstown State (65-61) and Middle Tennessee State in overtime (85-82) as UNLV opened at home in the Las Vegas Club Shootout. Junior forward Angalete Dye leads the team with a per-game average of 11.2 points and 11.3 rebounds, while senior guard Taneisha Gossett is second on the team in scoring with 10.5 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
Nevada, Reno (4-1) defeated Fresno State (63-50) at home in its only game last week. The Wolf Pack are scheduled to face Weber State on the road, Wednesday, Dec. 10. UNR is led by senior center Leesha Donadelle who is averaging 13.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. Nevada, Reno finished the 1996-97 season with an overall record of 13-13 and finished first in the Eastern Division of the Big West with a 9-5 mark. Head Coach Ada Gee is in her fifth year with the Wolf Pack. She was also the interim head coach at Vanderbilt for three games.
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 seasonis 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.
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 8.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg
20 Karen Webster G 5-8 Jr.-2L Bellevue, Wash./Sammamish HS 4.8 ppg, 2.5 apg
21 Angalete Dye F 6-1 Jr.-2L Vacaville, Calif./Will C. Wood HS 11.2 ppg, 11.3 rpg
24 Toby Girard G 5-5 Sr.-1L Tempe, Ariz./Yavapai College 6.8 ppg, 2.0 apg
33 Taneisha Gossett G 5-9 Sr.-1L Phoenix, Ariz./Central Arizona Coll. 10.5 ppg, 5.7 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, Utah/Utah Valley State Coll. 7.8 ppg, 2.8 apg
15 Liz Wolfe C 6-3 Jr.-2L Coquitlam, B.C./Centennial SS 3.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg
30 Kedonica Qualls G 5-6 Jr.-JC Jonesboro, La./Kilgore (Texas) JC 0.6 ppg, 0.6 rpg
31 Brooke Ingalls F 6-0 Fr.-HS Redmond, Wash./Eastlake HS 1.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg
40 Tekeira Strambler F 5-11 Sr.-1L Midland, Texas/Central Arizona Coll. 2.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg
54 Eishia Brightwell F 6-1 Jr.-JC Lawrenceburg, Ind./Vincennes Univ. 2.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg
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.
Last Week
LAS VEGAS, Nev. - Led by senior guard Caroline McCombs' game-high 20 points, Youngstown State defeated the UNLV Lady Rebels, 65-61, in the opening round of the Las Vegas Club Shootout, Friday afternoon at the Lied Gymnasium. It was also UNLV's home opener. Trailing 63-61 with 41 seconds remaining, UNLV senior guard Taneisha Gossett missed two free throws that would have tied the game. Youngstown State then made two free throws in the final seven seconds to put it away. Behind 17-13 with 8:04 left in the first half, UNLV went on a 12-0 run over 6:28 to take a 25-17 advantage. Youngstown State came right back hitting two three pointers in the final 30 seconds and trailed by three at the half, 29-26. The Lady Rebels (0-5) were led by junior forward Amy Wunderlich who scored a team-high 15 points, while junior forward Angalete Dye (13 points, 11 rebounds) and Gossett (13 points, 12 rebounds) each turned in double-doubles. Senior guard Colleen Cook assisted the Lady Penguins (6-1), who extended their winning streak to six games, scoring 10 points. In the second game of the shootout, Xavier (4-1) defeated Middle Tennessee State (2-3), 78-62.
LAS VEGAS, Nev. - Led by junior forward Teneka Burrell's game-high 23 points, Middle Tennessee State defeated the UNLV Lady Rebels in overtime, 85-82, in the Las Vegas Club Shootout's consolation game Saturday afternoon at the Lied Gymnasium. Trailing 81-75 with 2:52 left to play in overtime, UNLV cut the margin to 81-80 on junior guard Kristin Pool's three-point play and junior center Liz Wolfe's short pull-up jumper at the 1:25 mark. Middle Tennessee State made three free throws extending its lead to five points with seven seconds remaining and held on for the victory. UNLV led 69-63 with 2:04 left in regulation. MTSU's junior guard Cortney Neely hit a key three pointer with 29 seconds left to cut the Lady Rebels lead to 71-70. The teams exchanged free throws to give UNLV a 73-71 advantage when Neely drove the lane, making a layup with 1.6 seconds on the clock, sending the game into overtime. The Lady Rebels (0-6) were led by senior guard Toby Girard's season-high 21 points. UNLV's lone all-tournament team member, senior guard Taneisha Gosset added 16 points and 13 rebounds. Junior guards Karen Webster and Pool contributed 13 and 11 points, respectively. Burrell added 10 rebounds for the Lady Raiders (3-3), while junior guard Carlita Elder put in 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. In the shootout's championship game Youngstown State (7-1) def. Xavier (4-2), 78-71.
Next Week
UNLV will be back in the Mack as it hosts Northern Arizona on Wednesday, Dec. 17 at 5:00 p.m. in the Thomas & Mack Center. The Lady Rebels will then travel to Tampa, Fla., to take on South Florida in the Tampa Bay Shootout on Saturday, Dec. 20 at 2:00 p.m. EST.
Series History
UNLV leads the series with Nevada, Reno 14-3. UNLV lost the last meeting which was played in Reno during the 1995-96 season, 70-66. The Lady Rebels are 7-2 vs. UNR in Reno.
Head Coach LaDonna McClain
Head Coach LaDonna McClain (Missouri Southern, '87) is in her second season at UNLV with a record of 4-27. 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 64-132.
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.
The Last Time
UNLV recorded its last win vs. Air Force (85-62) on Feb. 20, 1997. The Lady Rebels are in the midst of an eight-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 22 straight games away from Las Vegas. The last time the Lady Rebels faced UNR in Reno was during the 1995-96 season. UNLV lost that game 70-66.
Top-Ranked Schedule
UNLV has two opponents this season that are currently ranked in the top four. The Lady Rebels just lost to Louisiana Tech (3rd-USA Today/ESPN, 4th-AP) and are scheduled to face Connecticut (2nd-USA Today/ESPN, 3rd-AP) on Dec. 27. UNLV also has four teams on its schedule who are receiving votes for the polls. They are Colorado State, New Mexico, Hawai'i and Utah.
On the Defensive
UNLV is holding its opponents to a field goal percentage of .386. Lady Rebel opponents have made 133 shots out of 345 attempts this season.
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. She had 13 points and 12 rebounds vs. Youngstown State and 16 points and 13 rebounds vs. Middle Tennessee State.
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 Northern Arizona game - Dec. 17:
- UNLV women's basketball schedule cups will be given to the first 500 fans.
- Bring a can of food, get a free admission
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