Elite women’s teams come to measure Lady Rebels’ progress

Adam Candee

Friday, Nov. 26, 2004 | 9:22 a.m.

Lady Rebel Shootout Saturday, Sunday Cox Pavilion

The teams

UNLV (1-2)

Coach: Regina Miller (180-163, 14th year).

Leading scorer: Junior guard Sheena Moore, 20.0 ppg.

Texas-Arlington (2-0)

Coach: Donna Capps (56-61, 6th year).

Leading scorer: Senior forward Rola Ogunoye, 17.5 ppg.

North Carolina (3-0)

National rank: 5.

Coach: Sylvia Hatchell (657-262, 19th year)

Leading scorer: Freshman guard Ivory Latta, 15.0 ppg.

No. 24 Villanova (2-0) National rank: 24.

Coach: Harry Perretta (467-262, 26th year).

Leading scorer: Sophomore forward Liad Suez, 19.0 ppg.

The schedule

Saturday

Game 1: North Carolina vs. Villanova, 2 p.m.

Game 2: UNLV vs. Texas-Arlington, 4:30 p.m.

Sunday

Game 3: Texas-Arlington vs. North Carolina or Villanova, 1:30 p.m.

Game 4: UNLV vs. North Carolina or Villanova, 4 p.m.

In the past decade, the gold standard for collegiate women's basketball has been Connecticut.

Eighteen months ago, Villanova ended the Huskies' record 70-game winning streak. And North Carolina beat them just last weekend.

It is easy to see, then, why Lady Rebels coach Regina Miller's mind is working a bit of overtime because both the No. 5 Tar Heels and No. 24 Wildcats arrive this weekend in Las Vegas for the Lady Rebel Shootout at Cox Pavilion.

UNLV (1-2) opens its mini-tournament Saturday against Texas-Arlington before facing either North Carolina or Villanova on Sunday. The latter game will be the Lady Rebels' second contest against a national Top 25 foe in their first five.

UNLV lost its season opener against No. 18 Minnesota in Seattle.

Coming off a stunning 60-58 Sunday home loss to Central Florida, the Lady Rebels will likely get a boost against the tough competition from the return of starting junior guard/forward Nikki Hitchens. A Silverado High product, Hitchens injured her left knee (MCL) during practice in late October, but Miller said she is "optimistic" about Hitchens' return this weekend.

Miller added that just having Hitchens, who started all 34 games last season, back in practice this week is helping pick up the team from its botched home opener.

"I definitely think our team learned a lesson," Miller said. "They were extremely disappointed and I think we've learned from that.

"I think you'll see a different team on the court this weekend."

Part of that lesson is not taking any foe lightly after falling to Central Florida -- a team that went on to lose to Northern Arizona two nights later. Lumberjacks coach Laurie Kelly told the Arizona Daily Sun that Central Florida was a quality opponent because it had just beaten UNLV on its home floor.

Obviously, the Lady Rebels' No. 22 preseason ranking did not go without notice around the country.

"Everyone we play on our schedule will raise their level against us," Miller said. "People pay attention to that. We have that target on our back."

UNLV will be the hunters, certainly not the hunted, by Sunday. The Tar Heels are the preseason favorite to win the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Wildcats feature preseason All-Big East point guard Liad Suez.

For a Lady Rebels' team still shortened by the absence of senior forward Sherry McCracklin (Achilles) and senior center Amy Loftus (ankle), a return to the aggressive play that marked its first two games will be necessary to compete with either team.

Miller will definitely start three guards and may even start four as UNLV emphasizes speed and defense.

"When you look at who we are at the moment, definitely," Miller said. "That's truly who we are. We're not a halfcourt team."

"My philosophy has been to attack on defense and attack on offense."

Just coming up with a philosophy -- or at least a strategy to execute it -- has been a chore for Miller. She lost two starters before the season, and Loftus went down with an ankle sprain against South Carolina. On Sunday, junior guard Nejlah Clark left the game with a knee injury, furthering scrambling the lineup, though she may come back Saturday.

"It's been a different challenge for me," Miller said.

It gets no easier this weekend.