UNLV has lessons to learn after loss

Steve Addy

Monday, Dec. 10, 2001 | 9:53 a.m.

Like a barber cutting with hedge clippers, the Rebels have much to learn about subtlety and nuance.

As shown in a 74-68 loss Saturday at Alabama-Birmingham, the Rebels still haven't grasped the difference between defending aggressively and hacking away clumsily.

They haven't figured out where well-meaning assertiveness ends and bullheadedness begins.

And they haven't realized that merely looking busy is no substitute for actual accomplishment.

Coach Charlie Spoonhour has repeatedly preached those distinctions, but through six games, the Rebels have yet to apply the lessons. They are making the same mistakes in every game, and if not for a soft home schedule, they wouldn't have a 3-3 record.

Spoonhour has been fairly patient, as his players get accustomed to his demands and he grows familiar with their abilities and limitations. But the coach was upset after another road loss that wasn't as close as the final score. UNLV trailed by 11 with 50 seconds left.

The Rebels' next chance for the light to blink on is Saturday night at Loyola Marymount.

"We have to play with basic common sense," Spoonhour said. "The mistakes we are making are obviously correctable. Either we'll get better, or we'll have a repetition of this."

The Rebels' shortcomings were in all of the customary areas: fouls (27, producing 34 UAB free throws), turnovers (18), hurried shots that could've counted as turnovers and generally poor decision-making.

All of those problems came to the fore during a 16-2 burst that put UAB ahead by 14 with 9:50 to go, and the Rebels couldn't get closer than the final score.

"We had a bunch of mistakes in that time frame," Spoonhour said. "I'm frustrated with the decisions we make. We do too much 1-on-1 stuff. We are trying to show people what we can do. But it doesn't work, and it's very disconcerting when we do that.

"We have to make better decisions. We are going down the floor 4-on-2 and we throw the ball away. Then they get a 3 on the other end. It's a five-point swing and those are the things that kill you."

The loss pointed out the importance of solid point guard play, which UNLV isn't getting. Marcus Banks is struggling in transition, and many of his shots in the halfcourt have come too early, before the defense has been probed for something better.

Dalron Johnson led the Rebels with 17 points, but shot 6-of-16 with five turnovers.

Defensively, the Rebels were just as sloppy, outfouling UAB 27-15. In their three losses, they've committed 68 fouls to their opponents' 46, leading to twice as many free-throw attempts for the opponents (82 to UNLV's 41).

"Our interpretation of playing hard at times is just to foul," Spoonhour said. "But you can't reach, grab and foul if you expect to win. You can't let that become your mentality, but that's what we've been doing."

Among UNLV's few positives were Lafonte Johnson's 12 points (on 4-of-8 3-pointers) and the emergence of junior swingman Lamar Bigby in his first significant playing time. He scored the Rebels' final 10 points of the first half on two 3-pointers and two put-backs. He also had six rebounds in 15 minutes.

"Bigby gave us a great lift. (UAB) decided they would guard him a little bit in the second half and he couldn't get the same open looks," Spoonhour said.