The UNLV Lady Rebels continued their dominance of the Mountain West Conference with complete perfection.
Local fans poured into the Thomas & Mack in hopes of cheering their 21st ranked Lady Rebels to victory, and the team gave fans exactly what they wanted.
UNLV defeated Wyoming 71-60, becoming Back-to-Back MWC Champions. The Cowgirls attempt to upset the defending Champs, didn’t come easy thanks to the hometown Superstars Essence Booker and Desi-Rae Young.
Desi-Rae Young earned her 17th double-double scoring 28 points and snatching down 17 rebounds, as she was also named the MVP of the tournament. Teammate Essence Booker added 19 points and four rebounds to carry UNLV.
The Lady Rebels were undefeated against MWC teams with a perfect record of 21-0, to become the second team to ever do so since Colorado State in 2015.
The win was the 22nd consecutive victory for UNLV, and gives the team an automatic entry into the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year under Head Coach Lindy LaRocque.
According to unlvrebels.com Lindy La Rocque has quickly proven to be one of the most impactful head coaches in college sports as she crafted a championship-winning team in just two seasons at UNLV.
As the 13th seed in last year’s tournament, the team suffered a heartbreaking first round defeat to Arizona to end their season.
According to Desi-Rae Young, “This time around the Ladies have a different swag and are looking for revenge. I think this year, we are going to come out 10 times stronger, People should be mad that they are playing against us. People should be fearful of us because we are coming in with an aggression that we didn’t have that much last year. We want it this year.”
The team will have a few more days to soak in the win, as they await the excitement of Selection Sunday.
The Lady Rebels have extended an open invitation for the public to join them for Free Selection Sunday Watch Party.
It’s happening this Sunday March 12th beginning at 4pm at the Strip Pavilion inside the Thomas & Mack.
