Crunch-time efficiency eludes UNLV

Steve Addy

Monday, Dec. 4, 2000 | 10:52 a.m.

Well, if it's any consolation, at least the Rebels aren't getting blown out by 40 anymore.

But now they have a fresh problem on their hands.

The Rebels have shown the ability to compete with any opponent on their schedule, and they don't fall apart when they get 10 points down. That's incremental progress, because last season they were not a comeback club. Once they were down 10, it usually became 20 or 30 or worse.

But now that UNLV can hang around to the end, it has run square into a wall. Instead of making crucial plays that win close games, the Rebels have absorbed three narrow, demoralizing defeats.

Like previous setbacks to Illinois and Louisville, the Rebels were outplayed with the game on the line Saturday in a 77-69 overtime loss to Oklahoma State. The losses have come by a total of 14 points and two have been in OT.

After fighting for their first lead in the final seconds of regulation, the Rebels let OSU tie it, and the Cowboys took command by scoring the first eight points in overtime. UNLV's commendable 13-point rally was undone because it couldn't produce when it mattered most.

The Rebels didn't start well either, committing 15 first-half turnovers, but they had recovered nicely from that train wreck when Danny Brotherson's free throws gave them a 62-60 lead with 7.9 seconds left.

But then things broke down for UNLV. Brotherson was called for a reach-in foul against OSU point guard Victor Williams near midcourt, and Williams hit both free throws to force overtime.

Brotherson and coach Bill Bayno both felt there was no contact, but Bayno said, "With the way (the officials) were calling it, maybe we should have dropped back and made them shoot it over us."

If the losses in Maui taught the Rebels anything about late-game composure -- a big reason for playing tough teams in the first place -- it was not apparent in Saturday's overtime.

UNLV seemed to sag after not winning in regulation, and the Cowboys exploited that before a partisan crowd of 6,000 at the Myriad Center in Oklahoma City.

Aside from learning to win close games, the Rebels are still facing an old predicament: how to win when Kaspars Kambala can't carry them. The senior center never recovered from a bad start Saturday, and UNLV essentially had to abandon him in the offense for long stretches.

Though Kambala was OSU's defensive focus, he often thrives against similar schemes. But he committed five turnovers in the first half and shot 1-of-6. He had four points in regulation and five in OT before fouling out with 3.9 seconds to play, his third DQ of the season.

Center Fredrik Jonzen guarded Kambala most of the way, with help from Jason Keep and Andre Williams.

"We've played these guys three years in a row and we know what kind of player (Kambala) is," Jonzen said. "We double-teamed him every time in the post -- and he really only has one move."

"Our big thing was to keep Kambala from scoring," Williams said. "We wanted to seal him off and make him feel uncomfortable, make him do something else with the ball."

Bayno didn't lay all of the blame at Kambala's feet, but said, "We need Kas. They doubled him early and he had turnovers. He lost some confidence because of that. It took away from his aggressiveness."