Bayno sure his Rebels will rise

Steve Carp

Wednesday, Jan. 22, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

Despite his team struggling through a three-game losing streak, UNLV coach Bill Bayno has never been more optimistic.

He expects his 11-5 Rebels to bounce back Saturday against Air Force after losing an emotion-packed 93-82 game Monday to Fresno State.

"We've got to play with the same emotion and intensity we did at Fresno," Bayno said Tuesday. "I've said before that you're going to have peaks and valleys every season and right now we're going through a tough stretch.

"But we have to stay together and keep moving forward. I knew this would be a rough stretch, playing on the road at Oklahoma State and Fresno and Air Force won't be easy, either. They're well-coached, disciplined and they're going to play very hard. But we played hard at Oklahoma State and we played hard at Fresno. That's what I'm looking for."

Bayno's basketball concerns are free throws and turnovers. The Rebels didn't make enough free throws Monday and committed too many miscues. It proved to be a lethal combination, especially on the road.

UNLV shot just 55 percent from the line, making only 16 of 29 tries. The Rebels really struggled in the second half, hitting just 40 percent from the stripe.

"We had a chance to get right back in it," Bayno said. "We were stuck on nine for a few possessions and we were getting to the line. Had we made a few of those, we'd have been right there.

"But guys aren't trying to miss up there, so I can't get mad at them."

Tony Lane in particular struggled Monday. Lane was just 3 for 9 from the stripe after starting the season strong at the line.

"Tony's just got to hang in there and stay positive," Bayno said. "He's a low-post player. He's going to get fouled. He just has to go to the line with a positive attitude and knock down his free throws."

The 18 turnovers didn't bother Bayno as much as where they came from. Off-guard Sunshine Smith led the way with six and center Keon Clark had three. Point guard Kevin James had four miscues, but because he's handling the ball so much, Bayno is a bit more tolerant of his mistakes.

"We can't have turnovers from our two, four and five guys," he said. "Sun's got to make better decisions with the ball. He's got to attack the basket and feed the post."

Bayno said his team has something to build on, even though it has lost two road games by double digits. In fairness to the Rebels, Monday's game was nip-and-tuck down the stretch.

"We're competing, and that's the important thing," he said. "The things we're struggling with are correctable. But the effort's there and I told them that if you play with great effort and you play together, good things are going to happen."

Hoop du jour

* NESBY ON MEND: Junior F Tyrone Nesby's left ankle was still sore Tuesday after he sprained it with 4:21 to play in the second half Monday against Fresno State. But the injury is not considered serious. Although he won't practice today, the Rebels' leading scorer is expected to play Saturday against Air Force. "He was limping on it this morning," coach Bill Bayno said Tuesday. "But we think it's going to be OK. He had treatment on it when we got home and they'll work on it again Wednesday. Hopefully, he'll be able to practice Thursday and by Saturday, he'll be 100 percent.

* FALCONS IN TUNEUP: Air Force hosts Southern Methodist tonight in Colorado Springs as the schools meet in their WAC crossover game. After defeating Hawaii in their conference opener, the Falcons have dropped four straight and are in a familiar position -- the WAC basement. SMU has been one of the surprise teams in the conference as the Mustangs are 11-4 overall and are tied with New Mexico for third in the Mountain Division at 3-2. It gives the cadets only two days to prepare for UNLV while the Rebels have all week to get ready for their first meeting with the Falcons since 1982.