The UNLV women’s basketball team stands to lose three of its key young players after finishing a season without an NCAA Tournament appearance for the first time since 2021.

Sophomores Amarachi Kimpson, McKinna Brackens and Macy Spencer announced they were entering the transfer portal via social media after the Lady Rebels’ season recently ended with an 86-84 loss to Florida in the second round of the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament.

Kimpson, a 5-foot-8-inch guard, was UNLV’s leading scorer this season at 14.5 points per game. She was an All-Mountain West selection this year after being named the conference’s freshman and sixth player of the year last season.

“I am eternally grateful to UNLV for all the love and support,” she wrote. “The opportunity to play and be part of this amazing community while winning back-to-back conference championships has been amazing.”

The Brackens, a 6-1 forward, averaged 9.8 points while starting all 34 games this season. Her 5.7 rebounds ranked third on the team behind graduating senior Alyssa Brown and Meadow Roland, the Mountain West’s freshman and sixth player of the year.

“I thank God for blessing me with the ability to play the game of basketball and for all the joy that I have had the privilege to witness,” Brackens wrote. “With that being said, I am excited to see what the Lord has in store for me as I have decided to enter the transfer portal with 2 years of eligibility remaining.”

Spencer, a 5-9 guard, averaged 4.1 points in 10.8 minutes per game.

“I would like to thank the UNLV family for the last two years and for the opportunity to grow as a person and a player. The relationships and experiences I had during my time here, as well as the success we were able to achieve, will always hold a place in my heart,” she wrote.

All three of the portal entries are from Texas, with Kimpson hailing from Little Elm, Spencer from Katy and Brackens from Fairfield.

They also all shined in the Lady Rebels’ final win of the season, a 63-46 victory over Hawaii, that led coach Lindy La Rocque to say the future of the program “looks pretty bright.”

Roland had 16 points in the win, while Kimpson added 14 and Spencer scored 10. Brackens had a game-high 12 rebounds.

Contact Callie Fin at [email protected]. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.