Back from injuries, Mottola gives Utes much-needed lift

Steve Addy

Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2000 | 10:49 a.m.

SALT LAKE CITY -- All along, UNLV didn't buy the party line on Hanno Mottola's injuries.

Though Utah's leading scorer missed the Utes' last three games with injuries to his right thumb and left elbow, the Rebels always assumed he would suit up when they got to town Monday night.

"(Utah coach Rick) Majerus likes to play games," Rebels forward Danny Brotherson said. "What they did was let him rest for a couple of weeks. But this was a big game for them. Why wouldn't he play? We planned on him playing. It's not like we were surprised when he came in."

But just because the Rebels game-planned for Mottola, it doesn't mean they could stop him. With 20 points in 19 minutes, Mottola's comeback ignited Utah's 96-52 rout over UNLV at the Huntsman Center. He made 5-of-7 field goals and all nine of his free throws in a near-flawless return.

"I felt kind of awkward at first, just running around out there," Mottola said. "But after I set up in the low post, I was able to do some damage there."

With a brace on his thumb and a pad on his elbow, the 6-foot-10 Finnish forward didn't look like somebody who had not played since Feb. 5. From the moment he entered to a standing ovation 5:58 into the game, Mottola showed the fluid inside moves that have made him Utah's top scorer (17.5 per game) and an NBA prospect.

Mottola scored eight points in roughly four minutes, swishing a jump-hook over Kaspars Kambala, then two foul shots after a spin move that drew a Sylvester Dotson foul. He hit a neat fadeaway over Ike Epps, then two more free throws.

Late in the half, Mottola scored seven more points in barely a minute. He drove up the lane for two straight layups, turning the latter into a three-point play, then hit two free throws after being fouled by Dalron Johnson.

None of UNLV's big men had any success against Mottola. He even nailed a 3-pointer early in the second half, pushing Utah's lead to 56-27.

"He definitely gave us a big lift," Utes forward Alex Jensen said. "To his credit, he's kept himself in shape, so he was able to be aggressive right away. That's hard to do when you've sat as much as he has. He hasn't lost a step of his conditioning."

UNLV's Trevor Diggs said, "They kept saying he wasn't going to play. Of course he was going to play. When he came in, he gave them a big boost."

Mottola's return was especially timely, because Utes starting center Nate Althoff left the game after only two minutes after banging knees with Mark Dickel under the basket. Althoff returned, but was only needed for 12 minutes because of the blowout.

* BENCH FRACAS: In the final seconds, there was a ruckus behind the UNLV bench. Some fans took exception to a foul by Dickel while Utes guard Seth Black was dribbling out the clock. With the game still going on, Majerus left his bench to help calm the situation, which quickly defused.

* GILLIAM ARRIVES: After making the winning layup for the Utah Jazz against Atlanta on Monday, former Rebels star Armen Gilliam hurried to the Huntsman Center to see his old college team get stomped. "They had an off-night," he understated.

* RPI TO TUMBLE: UNLV's RPI ranking might not dip too far after the loss to Utah, but the Rebels will probably be penalized big-time even if they beat Florida Atlantic tonight. UNLV was rated 45th going into Monday's game, while coach Sidney Green's team is 317th out of 318 schools in Division I-A. Florida Atlantic has lost 22 straight.