LAS VEGAS — By the time conference play starts, the excuses are supposed to be gone.

On Saturday afternoon, UNLV didn’t just remove them. It erased the question entirely.

The Lady Rebels buried New Mexico early, stretched the game wide before pace could matter, and tied a single-game program record with 16 made three-pointers in an 89-71 win that looked nothing like a team still searching for offensive certainty.

The game was decided in the first quarter.

New Mexico scored the first six points, exactly the start a tempo team wants: quick pressure, early movement, a chance to pull the game into volume. UNLV responded by ripping control away. A 23-2 run followed, built on spacing, shot discipline, and stops that never allowed the Lobos to stack possessions.

By the end of the quarter, UNLV led 31-13. The scoreboard had already shrunk.

This was the scenario UNLV needed. The Lady Rebels don’t want chaos. They want leverage. They want every possession to matter more than the last, and from that point on, New Mexico never found a way to change the math.

UNLV continued to punish rotations in the second quarter, knocking down perimeter shots without forcing the issue. The ball moved cleanly. The looks stayed on time. By halftime, UNLV had hit 11 three-pointers and built a 55-32 lead, turning New Mexico’s pace into a liability instead of an advantage.

The Lobos showed more life after the break, scoring 21 points in the third quarter and finding success inside. But even then, the game never tilted. Every push was answered. Every possession ended cleanly. UNLV extended the lead to as many as 26 midway through the period, a margin that reflected not just shooting, but control.

This was the clearest version of UNLV’s offensive identity all season.

Destiny Leo delivered the night UNLV has been searching for from the perimeter, scoring a season-high 20 points on 6-of-8 shooting from three in just 19 minutes. Meadow Roland added 18 points and five assists, stretching the floor while still anchoring the interior. Shelbee Brown controlled the glass with 16 points and 14 rebounds, and Aaliyah Alexander finished with 13 points and five assists, steadying possessions rather than forcing creation.

UNLV shot 51.7 percent from the field and 57.1 percent from beyond the arc. The Lady Rebels also recorded a season-high 23 assists, a number that mattered more than any shooting percentage. It meant the offense never stalled into desperation. It meant spacing held. It meant the ball found the right hands.

New Mexico, which thrives on volume and second chances, never found either in time. The Lobos shot just 31.8 percent from three and were forced to play long possessions without the payoff that usually fuels their pressure. Cacia Antonio led New Mexico with 22 points, and Destinee Hooks added 13, but the damage had already been done.

This game was supposed to test whether UNLV could survive pace without losing efficiency.

Instead, UNLV flipped the script.

They didn’t survive it.
They controlled it.

UNLV improved to 2-0 in Mountain West play and will have an extended break before hosting Fresno State on Dec. 31. More importantly, the Lady Rebels showed what conference play demands. Not just defense, not just discipline, but offense that finally turns control into separation.