Lindy La Rocque is preparing for a fight as her team enters the Mountain West tournament.
The fifth-year UNLV women’s basketball coach, who led the Lady Rebels to a fourth straight regular-season title last month, knows her squad has changed since last season.
And so has the rest of the league.
“I think this team is so different, and we rely on some of that past experience to continue to motivate us and keep us hungry,” La Rocque said. “But I think they’ll be the first ones to tell you this conference season has been different than any other. … We’ve got our work cut out for us. There is no easy game at home or on the road.”
La Rocque was talking about the Lady Rebels’ last four games of the regular season, but the sentiment rings true as her top-seeded team looks to win a fourth straight Mountain West tournament title and secure another NCAA Tournament berth.
UNLV (24-6) will play No. 8 Boise State in the quarterfinals at noon Monday at Cox Pavilion.
Tough road ahead?
The Lady Rebels went 16-2 in conference play this season. They were undefeated at home against league opponents, with their only losses coming on the road against No. 4 seed San Diego State and No. 2 seed Wyoming.
Senior point guard Kiara Jackson called UNLV’s 59-58 loss to the Aztecs on Jan. 25 a “fluke” after the team avenged the defeat with a 75-65 home win over San Diego State on Feb. 12.
Wyoming, however, has proven to be a difficult opponent for the Lady Rebels. The Cowgirls handed UNLV a 71-66 road loss March 5 in both teams’ regular-season finales. The Lady Rebels were also pushed to the limit in their 72-71 overtime win over Wyoming on Jan. 19 at Cox Pavilion.
The two teams seem likely to meet in Wednesday’s championship game. UNLV’s goal is to cut down the nets and then try to snap its streak of three straight first-round NCAA Tournament exits.
The Lady Rebels should be better prepared this year after a daunting non-conference schedule that included Arizona, Oklahoma, Baylor and Northwestern. Senior forward Alyssa Brown credited La Rocque for challenging the team after UNLV clinched the Mountain West regular-season title Feb. 26.
“She puts us in uncomfortable situations,” Brown said. “And I think looking back, I’m grateful she did.”
Athletic director Erick Harper said he believes the Lady Rebels deserve an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament even if they lose in the Mountain West tournament.
La Rocque is proud of her team’s season, but said personal opinions “don’t cast any votes.”
“I do think we have a better (non-conference) resume than we’ve ever had. And again, our conference is better than it’s ever been,” La Rocque said. “In a worst-case scenario, I do think we’re very worthy of an at-large bid. I never like to leave those decisions to someone else and control our own destiny, but I do think we’ve put ourselves in a position to where we should be playing in the postseason no matter what.”
Conference accolades
The Lady Rebels earned a number of Mountain West awards Sunday.
La Rocque was named the conference’s coach of the year for the third time in five seasons. Forward Meadow Roland was named the Mountain West’s freshman and sixth player of the year after averaging 11.4 points per game in conference play.
Jackson and sophomore guard Amarachi Kimpson, who was the freshman and sixth player of the year last season, were on the All-Mountain West team. Brown was named to the All-Defensive team.
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