Lady Rebels ready for friendly confines in Mountain West home opener

The UNLV women's basketball team had a special guest Monday.

Sequoia Holmes, a Lady Rebels alumna and former WNBA player, participated in practice as a scout player. She didn't go easy on the current players.

Holmes torched UNLV with fadeaway jumpers and 3-pointers.

"She was very aggressive and feisty," sophomore guard Brooke Johnson said. "That's what we needed to see."

The Lady Rebels will face a Colorado State team that features multiple players with similar skill sets as Holmes at 7 p.m. today at Cox Pavilion.

Colorado State was picked by the media to finish first in the Mountain West, and the Rams have backed up that prediction by starting the season 11-1. They are led by athletic guard Keyora Wharry and 3-point specialist Jamie Patrick.

"Sequoia is very good," Johnson said. "She's so versatile. She definitely embodies both of the crafty, create space for herself, but could also shoot the 3. That's what Keyora and Jamie Patrick do well."

Holmes, a Mojave High School graduate, played at UNLV from 2004 to 2008 and played two seasons in the WNBA with the Houston Comets and Phoenix Mercury. Now playing overseas, she texted UNLV coach Kathy Olivier to offer her assistance during practice while she's in town for the holidays.

"We've been on the road and texted her back, 'We need you today,'" Olivier said. "She's one of the best. She makes our team better. Having her is a big deal."

UNLV (7-5, 0-1) will play its first home game since Nov. 29 when the team fell to Drake in the Lady Rebel Round-Up at Cox Pavilion. The Lady Rebels traveled to California and Texas during their six-game trip and went 2-4.

"It was a grind, especially the Texas trip," senior forward Amie Callaway said. "I'm looking forward to playing in front of our fans again."

The Lady Rebels dropped their conference opener at Fresno State, where they struggled to finish layups and keep the ball.

"Missing the bunnies like layups and free throws killed us," Olivier said. "We're getting the steals on defense, but not finishing on the other end. We have work to do on offense. We gotta cut down the turnovers."

The Lady Rebels are one of the Mountain West's top rebounding teams (46.8 per game) and get 9.6 steals a game. Dakota Gonzalez (12.3), Nikki Wheatley (10.3), Aley Rohde (10.4) and Johnson (14.4) average double-digit points for UNLV.

— Contact Gilbert Manzano at gmanzano@reviewjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter: @gmanzano24