Rout offers easy transition for duo.

THE NUMBERS: UNLV equalled its season-high with 22 assists Wednesday. The Rebels also had 22 vs. Loyola Marymount. ... The 22 turnovers committed by Chicago State was an opponent season-high and t

Thursday, Dec. 18, 1997 | 12:37 p.m.

Nobody was expecting any miracles Wednesday, and none materialized.

The long-awaited UNLV debuts of Brian Keefe and Issiah Epps produced expected results. Both handled themselves well on the court. They played hard. They were lost and confused at times, trying to get in sync with their new teammates. But they both had their moments of brilliance.

And when it was all said and done, they had fun.

Given there was no pressure on either to produce in the Rebels' lopsided 86-49 win over Chicago State, it was thumbs-up for the 6-foot-4 Keefe and the 6-10 Epps.

"I always feel at home on the court," said Keefe, who logged 30 minutes after sitting out the last year and a half following his transfer from Boston College. "I was pretty comfortable shooting it. The toughest thing is knowing where to move, where to spot up."

Keefe finished with 12 points on 4-of-10 shooting. He defended well, forced a couple of turnovers, had three assists and appeared ready to give the 4-3 Rebels a more versatile look at the off-guard spot.

Epps, who has had only two practices with the team as he was forced to the sidelines as a partial qualifier, still is trying to shake off the rust of being away from competitive basketball for nearly two years. His debut amounted to 20 minutes. He finished with six points and six rebounds.

"Defensively, I was there," he said. "I felt real comfortable. But my offense needs some work.

"I think I was rushing things. I was trying so hard to get that first basket."

But nowhere was the rust more evident than at the foul line. Epps was 0 for 7 at the stripe, but he said he can't remember the last time he visited that part of the court.

Coach Bill Bayno was encouraged by the two newcomers.

"They played better than I thought," he said. "I know what it's like to sit out a year and not play. It's hard. But they fought and competed and with each game, they'll get better."

Keefe managed to hit his first shot, a 3-pointer, and even though he was just 4-of-10, he felt comfortable.

It was the first time he had been cheered in the Thomas & Mack. When he played for UC Irvine (prior to transferring to Boston College) he was a constant target of the fans' derision. Wednesday, he was the new hero.

"You can't beat this crowd," he said.

Hoop du jour

* NO WARM-UPS: It had little, if anything, to do with the outcome. But following the National Anthem, Chicago State elected to remain in its locker room rather than return to the court to finish warming up for the game. It was the first time anyone could remember that happening. The Cougars did show up in time for the pregame introductions, then headed back into the tunnel for the UNLV fireworks and laser show, which is not unusual. Many teams elect to pass on watching the Rebels' intros.