Rebel Recap: Rebels turned up the heat late

the numbers

Thursday, Feb. 14, 2002 | 11:24 a.m.

Recapping UNLV's 83-77 win over Florida International on Wednesday night:

First half

Score: Florida Int'l 41, UNLV 34

The Man: With Rebels point guard Marcus Banks sitting out with a sprained ankle, FIU point guard Carlos Morban dominated with 16 points in the half, making 5 of 7 field goals.

Turning point: After UNLV gained its biggest lead of the half 29-23, Florida International put on a surprising 18-5 run in the final 6:41. Morban scored nine in the spurt.

Off the bench: Even with Jevon Banks starting, UNLV coach Charlie Spoonhour went five deep on his bench. Ernest Turner hit a 3-pointer in a five-minute stint, his longest since Jan. 12.

Game within the game: Spoonhour figured his team for a letdown after big wins over BYU and Utah, and he was right. The Rebels had little fire on defense and had trouble getting into their offense.

Second half

Final: UNLV 83, Florida Int'l 77

The Man: Jevon Banks sparked the Rebels' defense with three steals and held Morban to six points in the half. Dalron Johnson scored 14 of his 22 in the half, Lou Kelly and Lou Amundson nine each.

Turning point: UNLV erased a nine-point deficit with an 11-0 spurt, but its later 12-2 run was the clincher. It gave the Rebels a 67-62 lead with 6:03 to play and they never trailed again.

Off the bench: Freshman Amundson had another solid game with 11 points and four rebounds. He even became a focal point of the offense for a spell, scoring nine in the final 8:02.

Game within the game: Defense saved the Rebels again. Their fullcourt press with 16 minutes left created four straight turnovers and finally lifted them out of the doldrums.

Compiled by Steve Addy