Rebels hit high gear

THE NUMBERS: San Diego State, which normally shoots 46 percent from the field, was limited to just 34 percent Thursday. Only Jason Richey made it into double figures for the Aztecs, scoring

Friday, Jan. 10, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

For once, there was no war to be waged.

It was a skirmish at times. But a war? Not Thursday night.

In what was more like a police action, UNLV policed the boards and defended the basket with zeal. And in doing so, the Rebels frustrated a good San Diego State team into a poor shooting night, paving the way for an impressive 79-59 win in front of 13,887 at the Thomas & Mack Center.

The win, UNLV's first at home in the WAC, extends the team's winning streak to seven, keeps Bill Bayno's team undefeated in conference play at 3-0 and advances the Rebels' overall record to an impressive 11-2. Remember, this is a team that won only 10 games all of last year.

Obviously, it's not the same team, which is why it is 11-2. With Tyrone Nesby continuing to get better and lead this team offensively, and Keon Clark doing his usual damage inside and Warren Rosegreen owning the glass, UNLV's confidence is building with each game.

"This team believes," said Nesby, who posted an impressive double-double with 24 points and 13 rebounds. "We're getting everyone involved and everyone's contributing."

Bayno said the willingness of the players to be unselfish and sacrifice individual glory for the greater good is paying huge dividends.

"We're continuing to get better day in and day out," Bayno said. "We're looking for each other and we're working hard as a team defensively, five guys swarming the ball. That's what it takes to be successful."

You could tell early the Rebels had it in gear.

Less than four minutes had elapsed and four UNLV players already were in the scorebook. They were patient in the half-court offense and they had good spacing on the floor, forcing San Diego State to make a defensive decision whether to collapse inside on Clark, Rosegreen and Tony Lane or cover the perimeter and hope UNLV didn't pound inside.

Fred Trenkle opted for the former and his team paid dearly, as Nesby and Sunshine Smith found the range from downtown. The Aztecs were down 27-11 in the first half.

"We're playing down here," Trenkle said, holding his hand at his waist, "and they're playing up here," he added, elevating his hand above his head. "It was pick your poison.

"We tried to take the inside away but Clark is so dominating and they were hitting their shots. There wasn't much we could do."

And the Rebels didn't let up. Their 33-24 halftime lead ballooned to 44-28 before the Aztecs regrouped and used Jason Richey's 3-point shooting to get back in it. Richey, who was 4 of 7 from 3-point land, sparked a 13-0 run that pulled the Aztecs within three. And when Richey came up with a loose ball off a Tye Fields missed free throw, San Diego State had a chance to pull even.

The Aztecs never got closer. With Lane and Rosegreen working inside, the Rebels answered with a 9-2 minirun to go up 53-43, then blew it open with a 10-2 spurt that included a spectacular two-handed windmill jam by Rosegreen making it 63-47.

"When they came back, Coach said, 'We let them get close, now let's bury them,'" Nesby said. "We weren't going to let this one slip away, not after what we did Monday (against TCU)."

Bayno said: "We haven't had a chance to bury someone. It's the first time all year we've done it. Maybe it's a sign we're maturing and that we're going to get that killer instinct."

But it's the Rebels' unselfish play that is sparking the team's success. Only three players -- Nesby with 24, Sunshine Smith with 19 and Clark with 13 -- were in double figures Thursday. Yet everyone is contributing in varying degrees. Damian Smith, for instance, was just 1 for 4 from the field. But defensively, he came up big and gave Bayno a solid 20 minutes.

Rosegreen was a fiend on the boards, finishing with 11 and earning Trenkle's high praise.

"I love Warren Rosegreen. He's a warrior," the SDSU coach said. "He's a poor man's (Dennis) Rodman, and I say that with the utmost respect.

"They annihilated us on the boards and we didn't make shots. That's what did us in."

That and great defense. UNLV forced two 35-second shot-clock violations in the first half and other than Richey getting hot for a couple of minutes, the Aztecs were out of sync offensively all night.

"When we're rebounding the ball and playing defense the way we can, we can do a lot of good things," Bayno said. "The guys know that and they're doing what it takes to win ballgames."

Hoop du jour

* KEEFE ARRIVES: Brian Keefe, the newest Rebel, made it to town in time to catch the waning moments of the second half Thursday after his flight from Boston was delayed due to weather problems. Keefe, a 6-foot-4 shooting guard who played at UC Irvine and averaged 16.4 points last season before transferring to Boston College, has been accepted at UNLV. He will enroll full time and be in class Monday when the spring semester begins. He won't be eligible to play until after the fall '97 semester concludes.

* ALOHA HAWAII: UNLV's brief homestand concludes at 7:35 p.m. Saturday when Hawaii, fresh off its first road game of the year -- a 73-68 loss at Air Force Thursday -- comes to the T&M. The Rainbows, who started the season 9-2 at home and beat 14th-ranked New Mexico in their WAC opener, are led by 6-foot-5 junior guard Alika Smith at 17.5 points per game and 6-3 junior guard Anthony Carter at 16.8 per. Hawaii will be making its first appearance in Las Vegas since 1981, when the Rebels posted a 92-64 win at the Convention Center. The schools last met in 1983 with UNLV holding a 15-5 lead in the series. The Rebels have won three straight.