Brotherson rewards fan club

Steve Addy

Friday, Feb. 11, 2000 | 9:46 a.m.

Danny Brotherson broke Ritchie McKay's heart again, and each time the referees might have helped.

As part of a terrific game by UNLV's bench, Brotherson scored 15 points and played good defense on the perimeter Thursday night to help the Rebels turn back pesky Colorado State 74-63.

In front of his fan club in Section 109 at the Thomas & Mack Center, Brotherson made the basket that finally turned the game UNLV's way, a tip-in of Mark Dickel's miss with 1:01 to play. That gave the Rebels a 68-63 lead, sent CSU into desperation mode and put UNLV in control for good.

Brotherson appeared to tip the ball when it was still over the basket, but the officials didn't call offensive interference, despite the protests of Rams coach McKay.

"They (the referees) missed it. Period," McKay said. "It's sad that a call was not made down the stretch when it should've been. That's disappointing for our young people and myself. Maybe (the referees) were working too many games."

Brotherson felt his basket was correctly called, but conceded, "We got a few breaks tonight."

Rebels coach Bill Bayno defended the non-call, saying, "Danny was over the rim, but I felt the ball was off it. It's hard to tell."

It was the second time in two weeks McKay was left shaking his head by Brotherson and the refs. In UNLV's 78-75 victory at Fort Collins on Jan. 29, Brotherson had the Rebels' last four points on a tip-in and baseline layup, then played tight defense on the failed last-second 3-point try by Andy Birley. McKay felt Birley was fouled, but didn't get the whistle then either.

Brotherson's performance Thursday night gave his fans plenty to cheer about. In Section 109, 10 fans showed up wearing white shirts with large black letters on the front, each taking a letter in Brotherson's last name. They often stood in unison, forming a human "BROTHERSON" billboard.

"Those guys are from the dorms," Brotherson said. "I knew beforehand that they were going to do it. I saw them when they first walked down to their seats.

"It's cool. It's gratifying to know I have a fan club out there."

No word on whether McKay will apply for membership.

* BAD TIMING: Kaspars Kambala picked a lousy time to have a bad game, because scouts from the Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks were at the game specifically to watch him. Kambala, who is planning to return to the Rebels next season, had a season-low six points on 1-of-5 shooting.

* NOT-SO-GOODWYN: Colorado State forward Ceedric Goodwyn was held out of the starting lineup, breaking his streak of 48 straight starts. It wasn't a disciplinary move, he simply hasn't been up to snuff lately. He is averaging 17.7 points, but 14.1 over his last seven games. The Rebels held him to 12. Goodwyn's only previous non-start at CSU was on Nov. 25, 1998 vs. Texas Pan-Am.

* REBEL NOTES: Stardust performer Wayne Newton sang the national anthem. ... Trevor Diggs hit 3-of-4 3-point shots, but only 2-of-9 2-pointers. ... Ike Epps' 13-minute stint was his longest of the season.