Slow start sinks UNLV

Steve Addy

Friday, March 2, 2001 | 11:35 a.m.

The Rebels should know by now that 10 minutes of good basketball is rarely enough to overcome 30 uninspired minutes.

After all, they took the path of least resistance time after time this season, and it almost always led to a dead end.

Thursday night's 68-62 home loss to Colorado State was merely the latest example of a lesson not learned.

The Rebels didn't let themselves get pounded after falling behind 18-4, and maybe that counts for something, but for a team that once fancied itself a Mountain West contender, it is small consolation.

They've been a streaky bunch, these Rebels. They've had many slow starts, and rarely won in those cases. In the MWC, they've fallen behind in the first half by margins of 19, 19, 16, 14, 13, 13 and 10. They rallied to win twice, but lost the others by 28, 25, 17, eight and six.

Three other times, they went to sleep and lost after gaining big first-half leads. They led by 14 at New Mexico, but lost by 19. They led Cincinnati by 11, but lost by 18. They led at Georgetown by 10, but lost by 17.

It has been that sort of flip-a-coin season. The Rebels might play well for the first 10 minutes or the last 10, or maybe even 15 in the middle. But the consistent 40-minute effort hasn't been there often enough, even when the Rebels won seven straight against weak teams in midseason.

After scoring the first basket Thursday, UNLV gave up an 18-2 run over the next seven minutes, allowing Colorado State four 3-pointers. Five minutes into the second half, an 11-3 spurt had bumped CSU's lead to 21.

"We get down 18-4 before we realize that we've got to play," coach Max Good said. "I don't understand it. I don't know, maybe everything is finally taking a toll on (the players)."

Yes, it has been a long season, including the NCAA sanctions, the dismissal of coach Bill Bayno, the postseason ban and the constant pointing toward next season.

"I've gotten that feeling for some time, that everyone just wants to get this year over," Good said. "If I was a UNLV fan, which I am, I guess I'd be wanting that, too."

Mercifully for all concerned, the season will end Saturday night against Wyoming. Six seniors will be saying goodbye, as will the coaching staff, which will be succeeded by Rick Pitino and Co., or whoever else winds up as coach. Pitino will be offered the job Monday, university sources said.

But before that, UNLV must try to finish with some dignity against first-place Wyoming, which can wrap up the No. 1 seed for the MWC tournament with a win. Whether the Rebels will have enough grit to complete a season sweep of the Cowboys, it is impossible to say, given their unpredictability.

Thursday night, they waited until the Rams led by 21 before springing to life. They scored 13 straight points, including two Lafonte Johnson 3-pointers, in a 21-4 run that cut the margin to 54-50. Then they shaved it to 64-62 on Trevor Diggs' 3-pointer with 50 seconds left.

But with the shot clock running down, CSU senior guard John Sivesind hit a short runner from the left baseline to seal the game with 19 seconds left. He scored a game-high 18 points.

Instead of escaping their slow start, the Rebels suffered just another head-shaking loss, their third straight. They are 15-12 overall, 6-7 in the MWC, while CSU improved to 15-11, 6-7 with its first MWC road win all season.

"We made a good effort in the second half, but we've been a one-half team almost all year," senior Danny Brotherson said. "You have to put a full game together, not just a half. I don't know if we don't come out ready to play or what, but we've done that a lot this season."

There's really no time -- or need -- for the Rebels to figure it out now.