Rebel recap: Rally late in regulation helped New Mexico

the numbers

Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2002 | 1:50 a.m.

ALBUQUERQUE -- Recapping UNLV's 84-81 overtime loss to New Mexico on Tuesday night:

First half

Score: New Mexico 31, UNLV 29

The Man: Inside play is normally the Lobos' weakness, but sophomore center Patrick Dennehy gave them a big lift with eight points and five rebounds in the half. He hit 4 of 9 shots, while his teammates made only 6 of 28.

Turning point: New Mexico led 28-19 with 3:25 left in the half, but UNLV rallied to within 31-29 at the break, ignited by 3-pointers by Lou Kelly and Dalron Johnson.

Off the bench: Looking to regain minutes from Lou Amundson, Omari Pearson showed some of his most active play in a while, supplying four points and two rebounds in eight minutes.

Game within the game: New Mexico's guards shot only 4 of 18, but they weren't totally ineffective. Their dribble penetration kept UNLV's guards on their heels and set up easy baskets by Dennehy.

Second half

Final: New Mexico 84, UNLV 81 OT

The Man: Lobos guard Ruben Douglas was coming off a seven-point game, but the Rebels could not handle him. Making all 15 of his free throws, he had 29 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.

Turning point: UNLV had taken a 61-55 lead with 5:51 left, but New Mexico put on an 8-0 run in the next 1:24 to go ahead 63-61. The Rebels never regained the lead, despite forcing OT at 71-71.

Off the bench: Neither team's subs played a large role, but UNLV's Lamar Bigby saw four good minutes against Douglas in his first action since Dec. 28, ending an eight-game layoff.

Game within the game: Dalron Johnson scored 25 points on 26 shots, but UNLV again did a poor job getting him the ball in scoring position on key possessions, mainly due to impatience.

-- Compiled by Steve Addy