Lady Rebels climb to top of Mountain West with win over Rebels

UNLV women’s basketball extended its winning streak to five games Wednesday, Jan. 8 taking down Colorado State, 70-61, to move into sole possession of first place in the Mountain West standings. 

Behind standout performances from guards Aaliyah Alexander and Kiara Jackson, the Lady Rebels overcame an early deficit and showed why they are one of the conference's most dangerous teams.

Alexander led the way with 21 points, 10 of which came in the fourth quarter when she took control of the offense. After Colorado State cut the UNLV lead to four early in the final period, Alexander responded with a personal 7-0 run, driving into the lane for three consecutive buckets to put the game out of reach.

“Yeah, they’re definitely looking for that from me, so I just had to trust that,” Alexander said. “And I know that they were calling my name with certain plays, so I just have to stay confident and finish.”

Jackson added 19 points, 14 of which came in the second half, and dished out four assists. She jump-started the Lady Rebels after halftime, hitting back-to-back threes and scoring 10 points in the third quarter to push UNLV’s lead to double digits.

“She just plays so hard,” Alexander said of Jackson. “When you see her going to work and going to battle, that just makes you want to work 10 times harder. So I just love playing with her.”

Colorado State’s defense, which entered the night allowing a Mountain West-best 58 points per game, struggled to contain UNLV’s balanced attack.

“They weren’t very disruptive defensively,” head coach Lindy La Rocque said. “We only had five turnovers and two of them were shot clock violations. They’re not super disruptive; they just make you make plays and make shots. I thought our team did a pretty good job of that, and we were able to score.”

UNLV had 54 points through three quarters against Colorado State’s stingy defense, with Alexander and Jackson leading the charge. Sophomore Amarachi Kimpson and freshman Meadow Roland each contributed nine points, supplementing the backcourt downpour.

The Lady Rebels forced 18 turnovers, converting them into 21 points, while committing only five of their own. The Rams managed just 10 field goals in the second half and were held to 61 points despite a hot start. Colorado State shot 11-of-16 in the first quarter and led 27-22 after one, but UNLV’s defense clamped down in the second, allowing just nine points to take a slim halftime lead.

Mountain West leading scorer Emma Ronsiek finished with 15 points for the visitors but was largely contained, shooting 7-of-14 from the field and unable to carry the Rams after their strong opening quarter.

Alexander credited the team’s scoring depth and defensive resilience as key factors in the victory, particularly as the Lady Rebels adjust to life without last year’s Mountain West Player of the Year, Desi-Rae Young.

“That’s what makes our team so dangerous,” Alexander said. “You don’t know who it’s going to be. Our team is very versatile, and we utilize everyone, so it’s just an exciting game to watch.”

The win sets the stage for another crucial matchup on Sunday, as UNLV faces New Mexico in a battle of undefeated conference teams. With a few days of rest ahead, La Rocque emphasized the importance of recovery after a grueling stretch of games.

“It was a long stretch. You kind of felt like you wanted two days off, but we only had one,” La Rocque said. “So it’s nice, now we’ll have an off day tomorrow. Because we’re not playing till Sunday now, we kind of get to play a little bit of catch-up with some rest here.

”And then, you know, another huge game on Sunday [between] two undefeated conference teams. So it’s going to be another grinder like this one was.”

Tip off against New Mexico is set for 1 p.m. Sunday at The Pit in Albuquerque, New Mexico.