UNLV outlasts Air Force to reach Mountain West title game

UNLV women’s basketball coach Lindy La Rocque’s message to junior Essence Booker between the third and fourth quarters was simple.

“I said, ‘Go win this game for us,’” La Rocque recalled. “She did that.”

Booker carried the Lady Rebels down the home stretch. She scored nine of her 17 points in the fourth quarter.

Her performance, paired with a strong outing from sophomore Desi-Rae Young, propelled No. 1-seeded UNLV to a 61-50 win over No. 5 Air Force in the Mountain West tournament semifinals Tuesday at the Thomas &Mack Center.

The win sends the Lady Rebels (25-6) into the Mountain West championship game for the first time since 2002. They will play No. 6 Colorado State at 7 p.m. Wednesday, looking for their first NCAA Tournament berth in 20 years.

The only thing Booker didn’t do was remember La Rocque’s message for her. When asked what was discussed, Booker said she thought the message was to be aggressive and keep her head up.

“I guess it just goes to show the kids cannot remember anything that I tell them,” La Rocque said.

Continuing its quest for its first Mountain West tournament title in program history, UNLV leaned on its stars to beat a gritty Air Force team.

The Lady Rebels committed 21 turnovers. They shot just 2-for-10 from 3-point range. Besides Young, Booker and sophomore Nneka Obiazor, no UNLV player scored in double figures.

For a team which has leaned on its depth to reach this point, La Rocque only had one option — put the weight on Booker and Young’s shoulders.

“Ride with the dogs which brought you here,” La Rocque said.

While Booker took some time to heat up, Young was on her game almost immediately. Recently selected as the Mountain West Player of the Year, she was perfect from the field, scoring 16 points on a 5-for-5 night from the floor. Young also had two thunderous blocks.

Despite her scoring, Young was proudest of her 12 rebounds, something which was her focus ahead of the Mountain West tournament.

“I can finish in the paint,” Young said. “Getting rebounds is something we’ve all been stressing about.”

Foul trouble was the only thing which was able to contain Young. She picked up her third personal foul early in the third quarter and ended up playing only 24 minutes against the Falcons (18-13).

With Young on the bench, Booker took over. She slashed to the rim, hit a step-back 3-pointer from the right wing and got to her midrange spots. Booker also fought her way to the free-throw line. She finished with 17 points and four assists in 31 minutes.

The Lady Rebels haven’t won a conference tournament since 1994 when they claimed the Big West tournament championship.

“No one is satisfied just to be in the game, especially our players,” La Rocque said. “They’re greedy. We’re from Vegas.”

Contact reporter Andy Yamashita at ayamashita@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ANYamashita on Twitter.