Rebels’ zone ‘D’ in first half paid off

the numbers

Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2003 | 9:57 a.m.

First Half: UNLV 43-27

The Man: Senior guard Jermaine Lewis connected on 4 of his 5 3-point attempts and scored 12 points.

Turning Point: Lewis hit two treys in a 95-second span to highlight a 15-3 UNLV spurt near the end of the first half that stretched the Rebel lead to 18 points, 43-25.

Game within the game: Rebels opened the game and played the first 15 minutes of the half in a 2-3 zone which seemed to catch San Diego State flat-flooted. The strategy also kept point guard Marcus Banks (1) and forward Dalron Johnson (0) out of foul trouble for a change.

Second Half: UNLV 79-64

The Man: Lewis tied his career-high with 24 points, including 7 of 9 3-pointers.

Turning Point: San Diego State had a chance to cut UNLV's lead to five points with 10 minutes to go, but center Mike Mackell missed an easy fast break dunk. UNLV point guard Marcus Banks then completed a big four-point swing by nailing a 12-foot jumper to push the Rebels' lead back to nine, 60-51.

Game within the game: It would be fair to say Banks got the better of his matchup with San Diego State's Deandre Moore. Banks finished with 21 points and five assists. Moore fouled out midway through the second half after scoring zero points and dishing off just three assists.