Rebels get air scare

Steve Guiremand

Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2003 | 10:03 a.m.

UNLV coach Charlie Spoonhour said he has the utmost respect for the Mountain West cellar-dwelling Air Force Falcons. But he also has seen quite enough of those Princeton-style backdoor cuts and timely 3-pointers, thank you.

"No question (they're gritty)," Spoonhour said after his Rebels grinded out a 74-70 victory over the Falcons on Monday night at the Thomas & Mack Center. "I like them. I like the job (Air Force coach Joe Scott) does. And I hope I don't see them any- more."

Unless the Falcons (11-13, 2-9) can pull off a few surprises in the Mountain West Conference Tournament here in a couple of weeks, Spoonhour will likely get his wish.

The Rebels (17-8, 6-5), behind another brilliant game by point guard Marcus Banks (31 points, 3 steals) and some clutch free throw shooting by senior forward Dalron Johnson (17 points, 8 rebounds), managed to avenge a 75-71 setback to Air Force in Colorado Springs and keep their improving NCAA tournament hopes alive for another week.

Banks scored 12 of UNLV's final 19 points thanks in part to several highlight-reel drives to the basket as the Rebels had just enough down the stretch to hold off the pesky Falcons.

"We really didn't have any answer for Banks," Scott said. "He's hard for everybody to guard in this league."

"I thought that Marcus had just an exceptional game," Spoonhour added.

Air Force, which trailed by as many as 10 points, 51-41, midway through the second half, had the announced crowd of 11,344 squirming in their seats in the final minute, especially after forward Joel Gerlach sank two free throws to cut UNLV's lead to two at 69-67 with 18.9 seconds left.

But Johnson sank four free throws around a big block of an Antoine Hood 3-point try by Demetrius Hunter to extend UNLV's lead to six points, 73-67, with 5.5 seconds left.

Good thing, too. Falcons guard Tim Keller nailed a 3-pointer with 1.7 seconds left to make it a one-possession game again at 73-70. However, J.K. Edwards sank one of two free throws after getting fouled on the ensuing inbounds play with 1.1 seconds left to finally seal the win.

"They know how to handle pressure real well," Banks said of the Falcons. "That's their job. Every morning they probably get up and run four or five miles. If that's not more mental, what is?

"They played a good game. They never went away. That's the kind of team that you have to beat by 10 or 12 points, just like a Utah. You have to beat them and put your foot on them. If not, they can come back and hunt you down."

"You've got to understand that they do this to everybody," Spoonhour said. "It's not just us. Go back and look at the Utah game. Everybody that gets a lead on them, it doesn't make a difference. ... I don't think people give them enough credit. They're a mess to play."