UNLV WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TAKES ON CONFERENCE-LEADING FRESNO STATE SATURDAY IN KEY MW ROAD GAME
Lady Rebels looking for first win over the Bulldogs since 2017-18 season
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UNLV will be in the marquee game of the weekend in the Mountain West, as the third place Lady Rebels (8-3 MW) are looking to hand conference front-runner Fresno State (11-0 MW) its first MW loss of the season. The contest will tip-off at 2 pm in the Save Mart Center.
There will be a live video stream available on the Mountain West Network, with the link also available on UNLVRebels.com. Wyatt Tomchek (play-by-play) and Mark Wasik (color analyst) will handle the radio broadcast, also on UNLVRebels.com.
UNLV Game Notes
♦ Saturday is a homecoming for senior forward Rodjanae Wade, the league’s top rebounder, as she graduated from Edison High School in Fresno. Wade also ranks seventh in the nation in double-doubles with a conference-best 13.
♦ This is the second meeting of the season for the two teams, but the first game was over two months ago, as the teams played in the first conference game of the season back on Dec. 3.
♦ Fresno State held a 17-point lead in that game but UNLV rallied all the way back to close within two in the final minute before falling 72-66.
♦ UNLV was just 2-5 after that loss but have completely turned around its season over the past six weeks, having won nine of its past 11 games coming into Saturday’s game.
♦ It’s offense against defense Saturday, as Fresno State ranks first in the MW in scoring offense, scoring margin and second in field goal percentage, while UNLV is first in scoring defense, field goal percentage defense and rebound margin, as well as second in the nation in three-point field goal defense at 23.4%.
♦ The Lady Rebels’ 8-3 start to MW play has them alone in third place, one game behind San Jose State, and it’s tied for the second-best MW start in school history, along with the 2001-02 squad.
♦ 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.