Lady Rebels eye rematch with WNIT semifinalist

Friday, Dec. 17, 2004 | 9:43 a.m.

SUN WIRE REPORTS

The eight-team Duel in the Desert women's college basketball tournament starts Saturday at UNLV's Cox Pavilion and features a possible rematch of the WNIT semifinal in March between UNLV and Iowa State that sent the Lady Rebels to the tournament championship game.

UNLV (3-4) makes its tournament debut in Saturday's 5 p.m. game against Northern Arizona (6-2). Western Michigan meets Virginia Tech at noon in the first game, followed by Arkansas State against 12th-ranked Texas Tech at 2:30. Eastern Kentucky plays Iowa State in Saturday's finale at 7:30.

The Lady Rebels, looking to string together consecutive victories for the first time this season, will face either Eastern Kentucky or Iowa State on Sunday, at 5 p.m. if they've lost Saturday's game or at 7:30 if they've won Saturday's game.

It was a surprising 59-55 victory at Iowa State in front of 7,305 people in March that advanced UNLV to the championship game of the WNIT.

This year's Lady Rebels team is being led by junior point guard Sheena Moore, whose 18.5-point scoring average tops the team.

Texas Tech comes into the Duel in the Desert as the only ranked team in the field. The Lady Raiders are coming off a 48-point victory against Mississippi on Sunday that raised their record to 5-1.

The Lady Raiders are led by two Naismith Award candidates, junior guard Erin Grant and sophomore Alesha Robertson.