UNLV learned plenty from getting whipped in NCAA Tournament

Steve Addy

Monday, March 18, 2002 | 8:58 a.m.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- The Lady Rebels came to Tobacco Road and got smoked. But at least they learned what they must acquire to stick around longer in an NCAA Tournament.

More strength. More toughness. More hunger.

In each of those traits, UNLV was overwhelmed in a 71-54 loss to Minnesota on Saturday at the University of North Carolina, quickly ending its first NCAA Tournament appearance in eight years. The Lady Rebels fell behind 21-9 after seven minutes and could never get the deficit under 10.

"I'll give (the players) this tape over the summer, and this is what they'll have to study from," coach Regina Miller said. "Our plateau was not good enough to get us past the first round of the tournament. Our next step is to move beyond that plateau. We're not far off, but we're not there yet.

"We need to rededicate ourselves. We have to get back in the weight room, get stronger and maintain it throughout the season. We need to get bigger. We can't let teams push us around. You could see (Minnesota's aggressiveness) from the very beginning, and we haven't responded well in physical games all season."

UNLV's 23-8 season and the All-American career of senior Linda Frohlich ended quite ingloriously. The Lady Rebels' all-time scoring and rebounding leader was well-defended in her 111th game, shooting 4 of 14 and scoring nine points, her second-fewest of the season. She missed all six second-half shots.

"I think I need another year," said Frohlich, a 6-foot-2 forward from Oldendorf, Germany. "Every year we were one step better, and I think the team needed this experience. But it's too bad it's (the last game) for four of us, and we can't come back and relive it or do it better next time. But that's life."

Frohlich won't get a do-over, but the Lady Rebels hope their tournament berth wasn't a one-time thing. Miller's goal has been to build a program that can withstand player losses, and UNLV's win totals in her tenure (17, 17, 19, 23) reflect that. But Frohlich was the Lady Rebels' best player all four years, and continuing the resurgence without her will be Miller's greatest challenge.

The team will also lose sometimes-starters Kinesha Davis and Erin Johansson and backup forward Courtney Swanson. With Frohlich, they comprised Miller's first recruiting class in 1998, when she took over a team that had won only 12 games in three years.

"They came to a program that was down," Miller said. "They've been tremendous in re-instilling pride in Lady Rebel basketball. From where they began to where they are now -- improving on wins every year, improving on the postseason -- that's a good foundation for everyone coming behind them."

The cupboard won't be bare next season. Scoring guard Constance Jinks will be a senior, following an all-Mountain West season in which she averaged 17 points and was MWC player of the week four times. Three others who started at least 15 games will be back -- point guard Julia Gray, forward Dishawn McCracklin and center Petra Glaser.

After four years of reliance on Frohlich, the team leadership will switch to Jinks, a 5-7 Chicago native who was held to 10 points on 5 of 19 field goals Saturday. She scored 36 and 19 in the last two games of the MWC tournament.

"(Frohlich) taught me a lot, and now it's like I'll be teaching," Jinks said. "What she's given me, I'll have to give to my teammates because I'll be the leader next year. But it's going to be hard to fill her shoes."

Freshman forward Sherry McCracklin (Dishawn's sister) gave a glimpse of her future Saturday with a career- and team-high 11 points and 12 rebounds. In 19 minutes off the bench, she battled hard to stem Minnesota's ferocious offensive rebounding. Five early put-backs keyed a six-minute 18-5 run by the Gophers.

To shore up the rebounding, Miller said she intends to sign "a big banger" in the spring. In addition to transfer guard InFini Robinson from Michigan, who sat out this season, UNLV has signed three recruits: 5-7 guard Sheena Moore from Lansing, Mich.; 5-11 guard Nejlah Clark from Detroit; and 6-2 forward Evelien Callens who plays on Belgium's national team.