Historic season for UNLV women ends in tourney loss to Michigan

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Friday, March 17, 2023 | 3:20 p.m.

The UNLV women’s basketball team finally met its match on Friday.

After a historic season that saw the Scarlet and Gray win 22 straight games, go undefeated in the Mountain West and rack up a program-best 31 victories, they finally ran into an opponent that was just plain better, as No. 6 Michigan handed them a season-ending loss, 71-59, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

It was an abrupt finish to the season for 11^th-seeded UNLV, which no doubt had hopes of making a Cinderella run, but Michigan was not going to let that happen. The Wolverines used a size advantage across the board to disrupt UNLV’s usually-lethal offense, and the game was out of reach for the entirety of the fourth quarter.

UNLV wraps its record-setting campaign with a 31-3 record.

Immediately after the game, head coach Lindy La Rocque said her players were still processing the loss — their first since Dec. 18.

“I couldn’t be more proud of the season that we’ve had,” La Rocque said. “We don’t know what this feels like because we haven’t had to since December. And for good reason — we’ve got a heck of a team as well. I’m really proud of our fight.”

Michigan imposed its will early, closing the first quarter on a 12-2 run to open a 17-9 lead. The Wolverines took a 28-20 advantage into halftime, and after UNLV cut the deficit to three points early in the third, Michigan unleashed a 17-3 run that all but decided the outcome.

Senior point guard Essence Booker led UNLV with 16 points on 7-of-21 shooting. Senior shooting guard Justice Ethridge chipped in 11.

Booker felt UNLV dug itself too deep a hole by failing to execute in the first half.

“That first half, we kind of beat ourselves up,” Booker said. “I felt like we played our worst basketball. It looked like a practice that we came to out of vacation.”

UNLV shot just 28.6% in the first half and got little production from star center Desi-Rae Young, who posted one point and five rebounds before the half.

Michigan’s superior size in the paint limited Young’s effectiveness. She came into the contest averaging 18.2 points and 10.2 rebounds while shooting 59.7% from the field, but Michigan sent multiple defenders at her and changed up the gameplan often enough to keep Young guessing.

Young finished with 11 points and eight rebounds; it was her lowest point total since scoring 11 at Colorado State on Jan. 21.

She credited Michigan’s depth and size for limiting her production.

“It was tough,” Young said. “They’re a great team down there.”

Without Young to lean on, the pressure shifted to UNLV’s perimeter players. A team-wide shooting slump resulted in a 7-of-25 showing from 3-point range, including 2-of-10 in the fourth quarter as they attempted to make up a double-digit deficit.

La Rocque pointed to Michigan’s frontcourt depth as the main impediment.

“They’re big and physical. They obviously keyed in on Desi and post play is a big part of their game, so it wasn’t something they hadn’t done [before]. They have some big bodies and they bring in one after another after another.

“They’re physical down there,” she continued. “[Young] didn’t walk down the court once without getting hit. That takes a toll on the player.”

Michigan was led by the trio of Maddie Nolan (18 points), Emily Kiser (18) and Leigha Brown (17). The Wolverines shot 44.1% on the day and used their size to build a 13-5 advantage in second-chance points.

With UNLV’s season coming to an end, it’s also the finale for Booker and Ethridge, as well as senior center Keyana Wilfred. Young is set to return in 2023-24, and a stable of young guards should keep the team in postseason contention for as long as La Rocque remains in charge.

Booker said she’ll remember her senior year fondly, despite the final result.

“I shed a few tears,” Booker said after the game. “But I am going to hold my head high because I’m proud of what we’ve done, and this loss doesn’t dictate all the things that we’ve done. We’ve made history in our program. I’m going to hold my head high and pick up my teammates and continue to do that, even if it was my last game today.”

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.