UNLV upped its winning streak to 15 games with a pair of hard-fought wins last week and for the first-time in 29 years are ranked in the top-25 of the latest Associated Press women’s basketball poll.
The NCAA.com Team of the Week, UNLV jumped into the top-25 at No. 23 on Monday. It's the first time the Lady Rebels have been ranked since the Jan. 18, 1994, poll and the program's highest ranking since March 9, 1993. It's also the first time a Mountain West Conference (MWC) team has been ranked since Colorado State finished the 2016 season ranked 22nd.
UNLV started last week by holding off Fresno State at home, 64-63, on Feb. 9 as sophomore guard Alyssa Durazo-Frescas buried a 3-pointer from the left corner with 12.7 seconds to play to put UNLV on top to stay. Junior center Desi-Rae Young scored a game-high 22 points and carried the Lady Rebels throughout much of the contest and it was her assist to Durazo-Frescas that helped decide the contest.
On Saturday, the Lady Rebels claimed a share of the MWC regular-season championship for the second straight season after defeating Boise State, 76-63. Young finished with a game-high 24 points to lead the way for UNLV and Essence Booker dropped 22 points as both players grabbed nine rebounds apiece.
📊 RANKINGS: See the latest women's basketball AP poll
UNLV currently sits at 24-2 overall, its best record since finishing 28-3 in 1989-90, and is undefeated in conference play at 14-0 heading into its final four regular-season games.
The Lady Rebels return to Las Vegas to face San Jose State at the Thomas & Mack Center on Thursday, Feb. 16. UNLV is one win away from claiming the conference regular-season title and No. 1-seed for MWC tournament.
