WBB Preview: Aggies Hit Vegas For UNLV Clash

After losing their footing against Nevada, the Aggies will have their hands full with a UNLV team that is still very much a titan of the Mountain West. 

UNLV’s three-year reign atop the league was disrupted last year, and the Lady Rebels have yet to retake undisputed control of the conference. But UNLV’s loosening grip on the crown is more about the rise to power of Colorado State, San Diego State, New Mexico and Boise State, rather than a sign of the downfall of the Rebels.

UNLV is currently 9-5 overall, which is somehow only good enough for the fifth-best overall record in the conference. The Rams hold the best record at 13-2, with the Aztecs right behind them at 10-3. Both are unbeaten in conference play.

That’s where UNLV comes in. The Rebels are the third unbeaten team and are knotted up in a three-way tie in the early stages of conference play.

They nearly lost their undefeated conference record before they even got it when they narrowly escaped Grand Canyon in their first conference game of the year by a score of 61-60. They got back on track and earned an impressive 18-point win over New Mexico, then picked up wins over Fresno State and Air Force. They took care of the Bulldogs without much resistance, but the Falcons made it close. The teams moved in near lockstep during the second half. Each team had 11 points in the third, and Air Force outscored the Rebels by a point in the fourth quarter. UNLV had to rely on a narrow lead it built in the first half to escape with a 64-58 victory.

Nothing about Colorado State’s success or a couple of close calls changes the fact that UNLV is 4-0 in conference play and very dangerous. The Rebels were picked to finish first in the conference and had two 2025-26 preseason All-MWC nods: Aaliyah Alexander and Meadow Roland.

Lindy La Rocque is in her sixth year coaching UNLV and has a 137-35 record to show for it. In five seasons, she has four regular season titles and three tournament titles. The only season she didn’t win any sort of championship was her first year at the helm when she went 15-9 (13-5).

Besides the overall state of each program, which obviously favors UNLV, another trend to note is Utah State’s performance on the road. The Aggies are 1-6 away from home. Combined with a 1-14 road campaign last season, the Aggies have won just two road games in 22 tries during the Wes Brooks era.

Utah State also has some unanswered questions without Aaliyah Gayles. They couldn’t finish the job when she went down against Colorado State but kept it close and lost that game 55-46. They went on to take care of business against San Jose State with a resounding 74-61 win without their star player, but things looked dire in Reno.

Marina Asensio has stepped up with Gayles out of the lineup. She nabbed 10 points, a rebound, three assists and two steals against Colorado State, then seven points, six rebounds, nine assists and three steals against San Jose State. She led the team in assists in both cases and in points against the Rams, but her ability to step up was on display more than ever against Nevada.

She scored half of the team’s points, but also on display was the sizable deficit that can come from having a star player on the bench. The Aggies enjoyed 20 points from Asensio, but it accounted for 20 of the 24 points from the starting lineup and half of the team’s 40 points.

Asensio’s season high was just about the only contribution the Aggies got on the offensive end. Exacerbating the problem was a bad game from Utah State’s trio of returners. Sophie Sene, Jamisyn Heaton and Elise Livingston, who are currently averaging about 22 points per game, combined for two points without a single field goal. They missed 13 shots and seven threes. They also had seven turnovers and committed nine fouls.

The uncharacteristically absent performance left Asensio with too much to do. Karyn Sanford pitched in and added 10 points, but there wasn’t enough help outside of that for the Aggies to keep it close, and they fell by 18 points.

With her two assists, both feeds to Rachel Wilson for layups, Asensio accounted for 24 of 40 points, 60 percent of Utah State’s offensive production. Between her and Sanford, the two accounted for 32 points, 80 percent of Utah State’s 40. It’s not often that a team gets hit by an off-night trifecta, and Gayles is expected to return before the end of the season, but it’s still a problem Utah State needs to work through.

Unfortunately for the Aggies, searching its roster for points is not something UNLV has to do right now. The Rebels have two players scoring 13 points a night and three players averaging double digits. A fourth, Shelbee Brown, isn’t far off with a 9.1 average.

Leading the team is Jasmyn Lott with 13.6 points per game, while Roland posts a similar figure and adds 13.5. Alexander is at 10.9. Behind those four is a familiar name in the Mountain West. Mariah Elohim, who was a Fresno State standout last year, is coming off the bench and rounds out the top five in scoring with 7.6 points per game.

It is often the story with La Rocque’s Rebels, but the length and athleticism of the rotation and the versatility and depth of the roster are a lot to handle. UNLV is an elite program with a massive head start on Utah State. Utah State, like most teams in the conference, will struggle to find answers for every single one of UNLV’s different threats. The Aggies need to get back on track more than they need a win right now. Downing a titan would be a nice bonus, but Utah State needs answers, and that doesn’t necessarily require a victory. Utah State had a great start to the season and still sits right around .500 across the board with a 6-7 (2-2) record.

But, the Aggies are at a pivotal point in the season. The timetable for Gayles’ return is uncertain, and they have a pair of tough tests ahead. If they survive and figure some things out, they could be in great position. After they finish their tour of the Silver State against UNLV, they have another tough matchup as they host San Diego State. Their schedule lets up a bit after that and they get a five-game stretch with two games against a team below them in the NET rankings and a home game against Boise State as the toughest game of the slate. Then, they just have to get through a trip to the Pit before a rematch against Air Force.

A good showing against UNLV is good enough to beat plenty of teams in the conference. If the Aggies can rally behind another big night from Asensio, get their trio of returners back on track, and get meaningful contributions from players like Sanford and Wilson, they'll have to feel good about that regardless of the scoreboard.

They didn’t prove it against Nevada, but even without Gayles, this team is good enough to win games. It might not manifest itself against a UNLV-caliber team, but if the Aggies can play their game and come close to their ceiling, the winning will start to take care of itself as the schedule thins out.