Marion boosts UNLV to win

Steve Carp

Tuesday, Feb. 16, 1999 | 10:50 a.m.

First-place Rebels hand Tulsa first loss at home this season

TULSA, Okla. -- They were tired, some on the brink of exhaustion. But when you manage to win a game the way shorthanded UNLV did Monday night at the Reynolds Center, you find added strength, though a postgame pizza doesn't hurt when it comes to getting an energy boost.

And while it was all smiles in the visitors' locker room following the Rebels' courageous 54-53 win over Tulsa, at least someone was considerate enough to save one of those pizzas for Shawn Marion. The Rebels star probably deserves to have a pie named in his honor after winning the game with a key putback jump shot and three huge rebounds in the final 2:26.

UNLV's best player showed everyone -- his teammates, the sellout crowd of 8,310, the dozen NBA scouts, including league scouting director Marty Blake, and the Tulsa Golden Hurricane -- that talent does count for something.

And throw in an extra helping of tenacity as well.

"It was tough out there," Marion said of his changing role that came as the result of Kaspars Kambala's knee injury early in the first half. The 6-foot-7 Marion went from guarding 6-5 Marcus Hill to 6-10 Brandon Kurtz while teammate Kevin Simmons had to contend with Michael Ruffin, Tulsa's 6-8 rebounding and shot-blocking maniac.

And while Tulsa dominated the boards overall, Marion and Simmons got the key caroms at the end. Marion had eight rebounds to go with his 20 points and Simmons had five boards along with 11 points on a night where his shooting struggled (4 for 13).

"When Kas went out, we had to regroup," Marion said. "But as long as we play hard and we play together, we're all right."

Right enough to bounce back from a tough loss at Rice 48 hours before. Hard enough to remain atop the WAC Mountain Division at 8-2 (15-8 overall) with four games to play. And tough enough to give the Golden Hurricane their first loss in the new Reynolds Center, where Tulsa had won all six appearances before Monday night.

"This is a big win," Marion said. "It's their first loss and we were glad to give it to them."

Marion, the most talented player on the floor, simply would not let his team lose. There were times he shot it too quickly or forced things offensively, but with UNLV continuing to struggle from the perimeter (5 of 14 from 3-point land), it was Marion who came up big.

He dropped one over Ruffin from the left side with just under 4 1/2 minutes to play to pull UNLV within one, 50-49. And after Desmond Herod hit a huge 3-pointer with 3:26 to go to put UNLV up 52-50, Marion hustled after his own errant shot and got a big putback over two TU defenders to keep the Rebels ahead 54-51 with 2:26 remaining.

At the other end, Marion was just as huge. He skied over the 6-10 Kurtz with 23 seconds left to snag Marcus Hill's errant try from downtown. Five seconds later, Mark Dickel was fouled and had a chance to extend the lead, but missed the front end of a one-and-one.

Kurtz then blew a gimme layup with four seconds left, and it was Marion who got his hands on the ball to preserve what amounted to UNLV's biggest win of the 1998-99 season.

"Kevin and I had to play big against their big guys," Marion said. "I just tried to be around the ball and get there first."

Kurtz, who had 13 points and 11 rebounds, couldn't have asked for a much better look.

"It's one of those shots you hit 99 out of 100 times," he said. "That just happened to be the one time it didn't fall in."

And while Kurtz failed to deliver in the clutch for Tulsa, Herod didn't disappoint UNLV. The freshman from Brooklyn, N.Y., took only four shots, but the last one he attempted dropped through cleanly and gave the Rebels the lead to stay.

"I wasn't thinking about it," Herod said. "I just let it go."

And when it went down, so did the spirits of the raucous sellout crowd, who might have sensed their team's 13-game home win streak dating back to last year was about to go by the boards.

"I like a quiet gym," Herod said.

And it was deathly quiet in the Tulsa locker room. Coach Bill Self knew this one hurt in more ways than one.

"This was a crushing blow to us," he said. "We're going to have to find something special against a good Rice team on Saturday."

Tulsa, which fell to third place, is 6-5 with three games remaining. After Saturday, the 18-8 Golden Hurricane finishes up at SMU and TCU. Self's concern is making sure his team has a spot in next month's WAC tournament.

As for the Rebels, they may have lost their big man, but their small lineup continues to produce.

"It's a mismatch for us against the other team," Daniels said of the defensive pressure the three-guard lineup brings to the floor. "We're a lot quicker and we can make things happen."

UNLV made it happen as the Rebels imposed their will on a very good ballclub to stay at the top of the WAC Mountain with two weeks to go.

"It came down to who wanted it more," Daniels said. "When I was guarding the ball, I saw fear."

And Monday, fear gave way to courage.