Lady Rebels hope to take down SEC foe in WBIT 2nd round
LADY REBELS GAME DAY
Who: Florida at UNLV
What: Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament second round
When: 2 p.m. Sunday
Where: Cox Pavilion
TV: ESPN+ (streaming)
About the Lady Rebels (26-7): No. 2-seeded UNLV advanced to the WBIT second round with a 63-46 win over Hawaii in the first round Thursday. It marked UNLV’s first postseason win since 2004 when the Lady Rebels reached the WNIT final.
The Lady Rebels were led by a group of underclassmen Thursday, including freshman forward Meadow Roland with 16 points. Sophomore guard Amarachi Kimpson added 14, and sophomore guard Macy Spencer scored 10. Sophomore forward McKinna Brackens had a game-high 12 rebounds.
Kimpson is the team’s leading scorer at 14.2 points per game, while senior point guard Kiara Jackson averages a team-high 4.9 assists and is the second-leading scorer (12.5). Senior forward Alyssa Brown tops the team with 7.8 rebounds per game.
About the Gators (17-17): No. 3 seed Florida had four players score in double figures in an 83-71 victory over Northern Iowa in the first round Thursday.
Senior guard Jeriah Warren led with a career-high 28 points, shooting 10-for-16 from the field and 4-for-8 from beyond the 3-point line. Junior forward Alexia Gassett added 13 points, senior center Ra Shaya Kyle scored 12, and sophomore guard Laila Reynolds added 11.
Florida outrebounded Northern Iowa 40-30, with Kyle and freshman guard Me’Arah O’Neal each grabbing seven. Florida also forced 19 turnovers, translating to 20 points.
The Gators are 0-2 all-time against UNLV, with losses in Las Vegas in 2018 and and 1989.
Contact Callie Fin at cfin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.