Lady Rebels hope to extend season with NIT berth

UNLV had hoped to spend Thursday preparing for Friday’s Mountain West women’s basketball tournament championship game.

Instead, for the second year in a row, the Lady Rebels lost to Fresno State in the semifinals, falling 53-51 Wednesday night at the Thomas & Mack Center.

No. 7-seeded Fresno State (18-14) will meet No. 4 Boise State (24-7) at noon Friday for the conference’s NCAA Tournament automatic bid.

“It’s just hard when you work so hard, and all of a sudden it’s like, ‘OK, season’s over.’ It’s such a weird feeling?” UNLV coach Kathy Olivier said.

But there’s a good chance the season won’t be over for the Lady Rebels (22-9), who are hoping for a berth into the National Invitation…