The official season opener for the Chico State women's basketball team is less than two weeks away, but the Wildcats still have a little unfinished business to attend to. This Wednesday the 'Cats' wrap up their two-game exhibition slate in Las Vegas against the team's second straight Division I opponent, taking on the Lady Rebels of the University of Nevada Las Vegas. Tipoff at Cox Pavilion is set for 6:30 p.m.
 
The game will be broadcast locally beginning at 6:15 p.m. on KPAY Newstalk 93.9 FM, with Mike Baca's play-by-play simulcast on the Internet. Live Stats will also be available online, with links available on the Wildcat Athletics website homepage and the women's basketball schedule page. There is no online video offered for Wednesday's game.
 
The newest edition of the Wildcats saw its first action of the 2022–23 season last Saturday, taking on the University of San Francisco in an exhibition game. Chico State dropped a 104-80 decision to the Division I Dons, but the 'Cats boasted four double-digit scorers (Zhane Duckett, Myli Martinez, Haley Ison, and Brandy Huffhines) while draining eight 3-point baskets in the contest.
 
Wednesday's exhibition game with the Wildcats marks the first time UNLV has taken the floor this fall. The Rebels are coming off a sensational 2021–22 campaign, posting an overall record of 26­–7, winning the Mountain West regular season and conference tournament titles, and appearing in the NCAA Championship Tournament.
 
UNLV returns nine players from last season's team, including four of its five starters. Senior guard Essence Booker averaged 15.5 points a game in 2021–22, with junior center Desi-Rae Young contributing 15.2 points and a team-high 8.5 rebounds a contest. Junior forward Nneka Obiazor came off the bench for the Rebels to average 11.2 points a game, while sophomore guard Alyssa Durazo-Frescas was the team's top 3-point threat, hitting 66 treys and shooting 44 percent from beyond the arc.
 
UNLV is the favorite to repeat as conference champions, according to the 2022–23 Mountain West preseason poll.
 
Though Wednesday's game is an exhibition, Chico State and UNLV have actually met twice in games that counted—though the last time was over 46 years ago, when the Rebels. defeated the Wildcats 85-61 March 11, 1976 during the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) West Regionals at San Jose State.