Thursday, Nov. 29, 2001 | 11:34 a.m.
SEATTLE -- The Rebels lost the battle of hearts and minds Wednesday, and the result was their second straight 13-point road defeat.
First, the Rebels' minds deserted them in a series of unwise first-half decisions, and then their hearts failed them down the stretch as Washington breezed to a 77-64 victory at Bank of America Arena.
The story wasn't quite the same as Saturday's 74-61 loss at Cincinnati, but the bottom line was consistent. That is, the Rebels are still struggling to implement the teachings of coach Charlie Spoonhour, either for lack of talent or commitment, or unfamiliarity with his system.
Whatever the cause, offensive sloppiness and defensive breakdowns doomed the Rebels in both losses, in which they barely resembled the club that opened with solid wins over Wisconsin and Nicholls State.
In Wednesday's case, the offensive errors occurred throughout, as the Rebels turned the ball over 20 times, 11 in the first half. The defensive foul-ups were sprinkled liberally, too, but were especially costly in a 27-7 Washington spurt late in the game.
Having battled through 20 lead changes, the Rebels seemed to wilt after the 21st with nearly 10 minutes to go. A 3-pointer by Curtis Allen put the Huskies ahead 53-50 and UNLV offered little resistance the rest of the way.
Mostly without 6-foot-11 center David Dixon, who had four fouls, Washington methodically pulled away to a 74-57 lead. The Rebels had only seven points in nearly 11 minutes, shooting 2-of-10 and committing five turnovers.
After seemingly every UNLV miss or turnover, the Huskies hurried downcourt for an easy shot or a trip to the foul line. They were getting anything they wanted. Of their final 24 points, 21 came on layups, dunks and free throws. They shot 13-of-16 at the line in the final 8:03.
"As a team, we didn't play defense," said Dalron Johnson, who led UNLV with 23 points. "We were in the game, but we didn't defend anyone from one through five. We seem to lose intensity when we get behind, and that's not coaching. We have to fix that."
Some players were so dispirited, they're pondering a players-only meeting before Saturday's home game against Georgia Southern. That can be interpreted two ways -- as a proactive approach to nipping problems in the bud or an act of desperation only four games into a 27-game season.
"We have to get (a meeting) together," co-captain Vince Booker said. "There's no reason that we can't play with intensity. The coaches can't do it for us. They can teach us and provide instruction and strategy, but we've got to want it, too."
Intensity isn't the only worry. The Rebels' decision-making with the ball has been questionable, especially by the backcourt. Passes have been tentative, traveling violations plentiful, and risky plays have gone haywire.
In the first half, there were glaring examples of the latter. With Dixon (6-11, 270) in the lane, both Marcus Banks and Lafonte Johnson tried to shoot over him after penetrating. They had their shots rejected, and Johnson's miss turned into a transition layup for the Huskies.
The Rebels also wasted a couple of fast breaks, a 4-on-2 and a 3-on-1, and Dixon scored off one of the miscues.
"We had too many mental mistakes we shouldn't have had," said Spoonhour, who continues to preach patience. "It's not that guys don't want to play hard, but you have to put your mind into it, too."
Not everything went lousy for the Rebels. For nearly 30 minutes they were able to overcome themselves and hold a 50-47 lead. They were even containing Washington's top scorer, forward Doug Wrenn, who had 14 points on 17 shots at that point.
But Wrenn finished with 21 points, as did fellow sophomore Curtis Allen.
"We were fine for a while," Booker said. "We just couldn't finish it out."
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