No. 19 LADY REBELS THREE-PEAT AS MOUNTAIN WEST CHAMPIONS
UNLV became the first team in Mountain West history to win both the regular season and tournament championship in three consecutive seasons with a 66-49 win over San Diego State
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Desi-Rae Young recorded her 48th career double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds to lead No. 19 UNLV to its 15th straight win and its third consecutive NCAA Tournament with a 66-49 win over San Diego State on Wednesday evening in the Mountain West Conference Tournament Championship game. The Lady Rebels (30-2) earned three wins over the Aztecs (22-13) this season.
Young shot 9-for-17 from the field for her 18 points and had a career-high six steals. Kiara Jackson put up 14 points and dished a team-high seven assists while Ashley Scogging drained 13 points including three big three-pointers in the second half. Alyssa Brown, the tournament MVP, scored 11 points, brought down nine rebounds and dished four assists.
The Aztecs were led by Abby Prohaska with 13 points and five rebounds. Jada Lewis tallied nine points and Adryana Quezada added eight points, respectively.
SECOND HALF PUSH: The Lady Rebels were held to just 20 points for the second time this season in the first two quarters, which both times happened against the Aztecs. After the break, UNLV came out eager to get going. The Lady Rebels started the third quarter on a 14-4 run to take a double-digit lead, 34-24. San Diego State continued to fight and cut the deficit to five, heading into the final 10 minutes of play. As the fourth quarter starter, the Lady Rebels were getting buckets to sink and went on an 11-point scoring run to extend the lead to 53-37. The Aztecs broke up the run with a three-pointer, but Kiara Jackson and Desi-Rae Young hit back-to-back shots to still hold a double-figure lead, 57-40. A three-point play by Jackson with under five minutes sealed the deal for the Lady Rebels as they held onto the 17-point lead to complete the three-peat.
OTHER NOTES:
- Alyssa Brown’s MW Tournament MVP nod is the first of her career.
- Amarachi Kimpson and Desi-Rae Young joined Brown on the MW All-Tournament team.
- With the win, the Lady Rebels are one of two teams (South Carolina) to collect back-to-back seasons with 30 or more wins.
- It is the first time in program history that UNLV has had two seasons with 30 wins.
- It was a party in the paint for the Lady Rebels as they scored 38 of their 66 points in the paint.
- UNLV out-rebounded San Diego State 34-33.
- There were four lead changes and seven times the two squads were tied.
UP NEXT: The Lady Rebels will await their name to be called on NCAA Selection Sunday, March 17, to see who they will face first in the NCAA Tournament.