40 point effort pleased Reese, but loss didn’t

Steve Carp

Monday, Jan. 12, 1998 | 5:37 a.m.

It was as if an incendiary bomb had gone off inside the Thomas & Mack Center. And once Jarmica Reese caught fire, there was no extinguishing his flame.

The former Chaparral High star put on one of the great scoring exhibitions ever seen in the Mack Saturday, piecing together a personal 21-point first-half run as part of a career-high 40-point effort for Air Force against UNLV.

Reese didn't slow down in the second half, adding 19 more points while trying to keep his team in it. But when the smoke had finally cleared, he was on the verge of tears. The phenomenal effort had gone for naught as the Rebels survived his one-man onslaught to prevail 88-77.

"Forty is 40, but a loss is a loss," a subdued Reese said in the empty Falcons locker room after receiving a hero's welcome from the many family and friends who were among the announced crowd of 15,032. "I didn't accomplish my goal."

While Rebels' center Keon Clark (playing his first home game since an NCAA-imposed suspension) was outstanding in his own homecoming of sorts with 28 points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots, this night will be remembered for a local kid who came home and made good.

Very good.

"I was here last year, so I was loose this time," Reese said, trying to explain his offensive outburst. "I wasn't even aware of how many I had. I was just playing."

His 21 in a row during the first half came fast and furious. He had been held in check the first 11-plus minutes and was having trouble getting open looks. Air Force began the game 0 for 8 from the field.

But with 8:54 to play, Reese was the recipient of a long pass off a turnover for an easy two-hand dunk. Twelve seconds later, he scored on an identical play as the Rebels coughed it up again.

Then he hit a 3-pointer and followed with another dunk off yet another UNLV turnover, one of 11 first-half miscues by Bill Bayno's team. Another turnover led to a layup and he added another layup, another trey and another layin to give him 18 points in a row.

With 3:01 to play in the half, Reese nailed a 3-pointer from the right corner, his 21st straight point. He finally missed a trey with 2:02 to go but his 21 points came in a short 5:53 span.

His father, Jackie, could only marvel at what his son was doing.

"It's almost unreal," the elder Reese said. "He's really ready. He's got a lot of confidence and he came into the game really relaxed.

"I'm just so happy for him."

So was Air Force coach Reggie Minton.

"He's a competitor. That's why he can get 40," Minton said. "It was so special to watch him, especially having his career performance in front of his home crowd."

Line Reese, Minton had no idea of the exclusive first-half run.

"I didn't know he had 21 in a row," Minton said. "I'd like to see if the NCAA keeps records on something like that."

What is known is with his 40-point performance, Reese became the first collegiate player since J.R. Rider had 44 against Nevada-Reno in 1993 to score 40 in the Thomas & Mack. He also set a T&M record with 32 field goal attempts. He became only the fourth Air Force player to score 40 or more points in a game.

However, for all his heroics, the Falcons couldn't overtake the Rebels. UNLV never trailed and won its third straight to improve to 8-5 and begin WAC play on an up note. The loss dropped Air Force to 7-5 overall, 0-2 in the WAC.

"I took a couple of bad shots in the second half," Reese said. "I wasn't thinking about any records. I was just trying to help my team win. Basically, that's all I was thinking about."

Reese said there's no joy in losing, even on a career night.

"Forty points ain't nothing if you don't win," he said. "Against Navy, I scored 10 and I was happy because we won. I can score zero and if we win, I'd be happy."

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