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The first half couldn’t have been much tougher for the UNLV Lady Rebels but the championship grit the team has built up over the past two seasons carried the team to yet another title.
UNLV shut down San Diego State when it mattered most to come away with a, 66-49, win in the Mountain West Championship title game Wednesday, March 13 from the Thomas & Mack Center. This championship-clinching win secures a three-game sweep of the Aztecs this season including a 59-point drubbing
“I am extremely proud and happy for our group,” head coach Lindy La Rocque said. “Winning is hard. Winning championships is really hard, especially kind of when you are expected to. This group handles it with grace, with commitment and willingness to do whatever it takes.”
That makes three consecutive Mountain West regular season and tournament titles for head coach Lindy La Rocque and her Lady Rebels. It’s just the third three-peat in conference history. Over the last three years, the program has compiled an overall record of 87-12 and will now be headed to its third straight NCAA Tournament.
“I think it's a testament to the people that we have here, the players that we have [and[ the staff that we have,” La Rocque said. “We're in a fortunate position where our players, our staff, we haven't felt a lot of losing. We want to keep it that way.”
Before conference tournament play began for UNLV, the program entered as the 21st ranked team in the country and have since moved up to No. 19 in the coaching polls. When the NCAA Tournament begins, the program will be riding a 15-game win streak to go along with its 30-2 overall record.
“We expect to win games,” senior center Desi-Rae Young said. “That's what we want to do. This is our third time here, and we expected to be here for a third time, so winning games is our highest expectation.”
Despite its recent success, UNLV has gone 0-2 in the NCAA Tournament over the last two seasons and will be looking for the program’s first win in the Big Dance since 1991.
“While it's expected, you still have to celebrate it,” La Rocque said. “We'll take a couple of days off, but [...] we want more in a kind of ‘we're not just happy to be here’ type of feeling but we’ve got to work.”
Though it wasn’t the start of the third quarter, UNLV used the 10-minute session after halftime to gain control of the contest, taking the lead for good. It was a 12-0 run about midway through the third that proved to be the difference ultimately.
That 12-0 run was capped by a made three-pointer from fifth-year guard Ashley Scoggin on her way to 13 points on the night.
“I thought Ashley hit some huge shots,” La Rocque said. “Really huge shots. And great execution, a couple of them were some sets.”
UNLV closed the game making six of its last 11 three-pointers after going the entire first half without one. Junior forward Alyssa Brown drilled the game’s first three-pointer early in the third quarter.
In the first quarter, the Lady Rebels faced their first deficit of the tournament since the opening quarter of the quarterfinals. A game where the team would only trail for 46 seconds compared to being down more than nine total minutes in this one.
A supreme defensive effort in the second quarter made up for the slow offensive start by holding the San Diego State offense without a point for nearly seven minutes of the 10-minute period. UNLV used a 6-0 run to close the frame and win the defensively-minded quarter, 10-8 in a game that featured seven ties and four lead changes.
Young led the way on both ends with a game-high 18 points to go along with 10 rebounds for her 13th double-double of the year. She also racked up a Mountain West title game record six steals.
“I told her at halftime, we're going to you,” La Rocque said. “You got us here and you're going to take us home. She made some huge plays and some rebounds and some tough finishes.”
Brown added 11 points with two made threes, nine rebounds and four assists. After the game, she was named the Tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
“I couldn't hear anything after my name was called but my heart was in my ears,” she said. “I’m glad the girls grabbed me because the water works would’ve been worse than what it was.”
Guard Kiara Jackson paced the offense with 14 points and a team-high seven assists.
“She was really frustrated yesterday, but our team won, and that was most important,” La Rocque said. “This is Kiara's team. She's our point guard. I knew she was going to lead us to a championship today.”