Lady Rebels aiming to halt Denver win streak

Lady Rebels head coach Regina Miller received a glimpse last weekend of where she would like to take the UNLV women's basketball program.

In a 91-55 loss to sixth-ranked Colorado State in Fort Collins, a raucous crowd of 5,738 made life unbearable for the Lady Rebels.

"It was very loud for the first five and a half minutes ... and (the fans) really made a difference," Miller said, reflecting on the Rams' 14-0 run to start the game. "They cheered everything that Colorado State did, from passing, to diving on the floor, to making a three-point shot, to a layup.

"If we can build the type of fan energy and support that Colorado State has -- and it can be done here -- that's our overall goal."

Toward that end, Miller said she hopes to build on the positive crowd support the Lady Rebels received during a pair of home games two weeks ago when UNLV returns to Lied Gymnasium tonight for a 7:35 non-conference game against the University of Denver.

"We're very happy to be home after playing most of our season thus far on the road," Miller said. "The last couple of outings that we had at home, I thought our fan support was tremendous and I would love to see the same -- and more -- back in the gym supporting us this week."

The Lady Rebels will play five of their last seven conference games at home to conclude the regular season.

UNLV (11-7 overall, 3-4 in the WAC) is coming off a two-game Western Athletic Conference road swing that saw the Lady Rebels defeat Wyoming in Laramie before losing to Colorado State.

"I would have been elated with a two-game win streak, but I'm happy with the split," Miller said of the trip.

In Denver, the Lady Rebels will see a team that is riding a six-game winning streak into Las Vegas. The Pioneers, an independent team playing their first season at the Division I level, are 9-12 after losing 12 of their first 15 games.

"I have some concerns around them coming off a six-game win streak," Miller said. "They've proven that they play well at home but not necessarily on the road, and I don't think the Lady Rebels should give them the opportunity to start to play well on the road (tonight)."

The Lady Rebels continue to be led by freshman guard/forward Linda Froehlich, whose 23.3 scoring average is tops not only in the WAC, but best among all freshmen in the nation. Froehlich also leads UNLV in rebounding and steals.

The Pioneers are led by 6-3 sophomore center Michaela Pavlickova (13 points, 7.8 rebounds a game).

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