Kelly, Rebels rally to put down Pepperdine 69-64

Steve Addy

Friday, Dec. 22, 2000 | 11:28 a.m.

First the fans went, "Boooooo!" Then they went, "Louuuuu!" Then the Rebels had them dancing in the aisles.

After falling behind 20-6, the Rebels rallied behind Lou Kelly, then showed serious grit in the second half to gain a much-deserved 69-64 victory over Pepperdine on Friday night.

There was nothing pretty about the win, which boosted UNLV to 5-5, but that's the way it is going to be for these Rebels from now on. Especially with center Kaspars Kambala struggling, they simply aren't talented enough to win without maximum effort and chemistry.

For the first 11 minutes, the Rebels had neither. Pepperdine (6-5) breezed to a 20-6 lead while UNLV missed open shots and had six turnovers. Boos rained down from the crowd of nearly 10,000 at the Thomas & Mack Center.

But that's when Kelly took over, finally showing the ability that made him such a highly-touted recruit last season before he broke his foot. Kelly came off the bench and scored 12 points in 11 minutes in the first half, helping the Rebels pull within 29-27.

Pepperdine bumped its lead back to seven midway through the second half, but the Rebels did not quit. They tied it 46-46 after back-to-back bank shots by Jermaine Lewis, then took a lead on a 3-pointer by Vince Booker.

A three-point play by Danny Brotherson with 5:52 to go put the Rebels ahead for good, but they needed free throws to keep the lead. They nailed 10-of-10 in the final 4:11, with Booker making four in the final minute.

Kelly led UNLV with 14 points and Booker had 11, both career highs. Brotherson and Kambala scored 11 each, the latter scoring 10 after being benched to start the second half.

Brandon Armstrong and Kelvin Gibbs scored 16 each for Pepperdine.

After an investigation, UNLV determined that Kambala paid for his meal and that no violation of NCAA rules occurred, Rebels compliance officer Eric Toliver said Friday.

Chapman has been disassociated as a UNLV booster in the aftermath of NCAA sanctions against the program, most of which stemmed from Chapman giving improper benefits to ex-recruit Lamar Odom.

"We can't control David Chapman, but we can sure control our student-athletes," Toliver said. "Today I issued a directive to the team that they can't have contact with Chapman, by phone or face-to-face. It's like a restraining order -- I don't want them within 500 feet of the guy."

Toliver said his investigation included a three-hour interview with Kambala and interviews with restaurant personnel.

"If I had a shred of doubt about a violation occurring, Kambala wouldn't be playing," Toliver said. "He would be in street clothes."

Kambala apologized for the appearance of impropriety.

"I want it to be clear that I didn't break any NCAA rules," he said. "But at the same time I apologize if I caused any concern."