Rebels shoot down Cowboys in surprisingly easy WAC win

Steve Carp

Friday, Jan. 29, 1999 | 10:54 a.m.

They still don't get it.

How many more big shots will Mark Dickel have to hit before opposing teams figure out the UNLV junior point guard is capable of burning them and giving the Rebels another way to run their offense through their talented front line?

Wyoming figured it would sag off Dickel and dare the New Zealander to beat them from the perimeter. Naturally, it backfired on the Cowboys as Dickel dropped in a pair of 3-pointers in less than three minutes to virtually take Steve McClain's team out of the game Thursday at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Throw in Kaspars Kambala's blanket coverage inside on star center Ugo Udezue and the fact Wyoming couldn't buy an outside bucket with counterfeit money, and it's little wonder the Rebels laughed their way to an easy 96-75 victory with 13,398 along for the ride through the fun house.

But it was Dickel who enjoyed the last laugh, as he should. Not all of his critics have been silenced, but he may be getting opposing coaches to wise up a little. As long as he keeps knocking down 3-pointers, he's going to make a lot of smart guys look stupid.

"I've got to prove them wrong," Dickel said, holding a bag of ice to help ease the pain from a blow to the back of his head he took, courtesy of teammate Issiah Epps' knee. "I've got complete confidence in my ability to shoot the ball.

"I work with Coach (Dave) Rice every day. I'm always trying to improve my shooting."

McClain's convinced.

"There's no question those were big shots," McClain said of Dickel's pair of threes which put UNLV up 20-6 just 6:45 in against a Wyoming team that could not get its best player going offensively and could not make perimeter shots.

"We were doing what most people do -- sag off and help inside. And he made us pay."

Dickel performed his primary duty -- getting the ball to his teammates -- as well, finishing with 10 assists and only one turnover.

Kambala also made the Cowboys pay by banging Udezue in the post and challenging the 6-foot-8 Nigerian sophomore. Udezue wasn't getting his normal number of touches and he wound up in early foul trouble, compounding his frustration.

"I tried not to let him catch it and get a clean look," Kambala said. "I was pushing him off the block and it worked. I think everyone gets frustrated when they can't get going (offensively)."

Meanwhile, the Rebels were pushing their transition game into overdrive and everyone seemed to be hitting.

Brian Keefe bounced back from his bout with the flu last Saturday to score 16 points, equaling his season high. Kevin Simmons was looking to score and he had 19, while Shawn Marion got off to a quick start and finished with 15.

"I knew I'd get some open looks because they like to play up-and-down and in a game like that, you're going to get shots in transition," Keefe said.

"What's nice is how we're playing so unselfishly. Everyone's looking for each other and whoever has the hot hand keeps getting the ball. It's a fun way to play."

With the Rebels denying on defense and running on offense, everyone was getting into the act.

At one point late in the first half it was 48-23. The Cowboys were 0-for-12 from 3-point land and were doing an impressive imitation of Mario Diaz, Channel 13's bricklaying sportscaster, whose Saturn Shootout performance could have gotten him playing time for the brown and gold.

Wyoming, which dropped to 2-4 in the Mountain Division, 11-6 overall, finished the game shooting just 13 percent from long distance, hitting only 3 of 23 tries from the arc.

"I thought we came out a little intimidated," McClain said. "We're starting three freshmen against a very good team that's tough at home. They're not a team you want to dig a hole against. We just never settled down, and I've been fighting that with a young team."

Credit Kambala's lockdown on Udezue for giving the Cowboys that unsettled feeling.

Ironically, Kambala wasn't faring any better at the offensive end than the guy he was shutting down. He had just two points at intermission thanks to three fouls which limited his court time. He would eventually foul out, but Kambala managed to finish with 12 points to Udezue's eight.

On this night, Bayno gladly was willing to trade offense for defense from his sophomore center.

"We started the game focused and we played hard," he said of the win that kept the Rebels atop the WAC Mountain Division at 5-1, 12-7 overall. "When we're playing great defense and working together, the offense takes care of itself."

It did Thursday to the tune of 55 percent shooting from the floor and 41 percent from long distance. The nine 3-pointers were a season high for UNLV, which faces a tougher test Saturday against a defensive-minded Colorado State team that allows just 63 points a game.