UNLV defense pulls a disappearing act

Steve Addy

Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2001 | 10:33 a.m.

As if waiting for the most dramatic moment, Kevin Bradley's magic act provided a grand finale for Utah on Monday night.

Quite frankly, the Rebels would have preferred Lance Burton.

Then again, their defense had been an illusion all night long, so UNLV's 85-77 loss to Utah at the Thomas & Mack Center wasn't solely a product of Bradley's levitation in the final minutes.

He scored 14 points in only 17 minutes, yes, but the Rebels also allowed Utah to shoot 60 percent (33-of-55), so the defeat was ultimately no surprise.

Bradley, a 6-foot guard who rejected UNLV's scholarship last spring, blunted a Rebels rally with eight straight Utah points in the last four minutes. His 3-pointer from the left corner (with the shot clock down to :02) put the Utes ahead 81-72 with 1:52 left.

"I think people see now why we (recruited) Bradley," UNLV coach Max Good said.

"He didn't do much in the first half (two points), but we knew he was capable," Trevor Diggs said. "He made a lot of nice plays at the end."

Three, to be exact. Bradley broke down UNLV's halfcourt defense for a layup with 3:57 left, giving Utah a 77-69 lead. Kaspars Kambala came back with a three-point play to boost the Rebels within five, the smallest gap of the half, but they would get no closer.

Bradley was fouled far from the basket and hit a free throw with 2:37 to go.

Then he made his 3-pointer, and answered Diggs' triple with a duck-under layup with 1:14 left. The Rebels didn't have another rally in them.

"I think (Bradley) puts out a little extra effort when he plays us, since it came down to Utah and UNLV on his (recruiting) visits," Dalron Johnson said. "I play against him in the summer league in California, and he's a real competitor."

But, hey, if it wasn't Bradley, it could have been any of the Utes on Monday night. They shot 72 percent for the first 12 minutes and never dipped below 60, so the Rebels couldn't blame it all on Bradley. Their defense bore no resemblance to the smothering attack that held BYU to nine baskets in the final 31 minutes Saturday.

Utah power forward Phil Cullen made four 3-pointers among his 19 points, while center Chris Burgess was strong around the basket with 15 points and nine rebounds.

In his last three games against the Rebels, Cullen has averaged 16.3 points and hit 11-of-13 3-pointers. Late in the first half, he made back-to-back triples to spark a 12-0 run that handed the Utes a 40-30 lead. UNLV never led again.

"I did a terrible job at the end of the first half," Good said. "I should have had a couple of fresh guys in there, but I didn't. I played some guys too many minutes and it took its toll, trying to chase people around Utah's screens.

"We slowed down Cullen a little in the second half, but then Bradley hurt us. We never got them stopped. But I don't think it was our defensive effort. They give us serious matchup problems, more than any team in the league."

Kambala led UNLV with 22 points, tying his Mountain West season high. He sat out almost 15 minutes in the first half with two fouls, but scored 18 in the second half. Diggs and Johnson finished with 12 points each and Danny Brotherson supplied nine, all in the first half.

The loss doesn't end the Rebels' conference hopes, but it makes them tenuous. UNLV fell to 5-4 in the MWC, 14-10 overall, with three road games coming up, starting Saturday at Air Force.

To win the league, UNLV will likely have to win its final five games and get some outside help. Utah improved to 7-3, tying idle Wyoming for the MWC lead, and 15-9 overall.