Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Nevada teams move on

The UNLV Rebels seemed to save their best for last.

In what was likely their final appearance at the Thomas & Mack Center this season, the Rebels (17-13) shot a season-high 58.6 percent from the floor and connected on 11 of 22 3-pointers en route to an 89-78 first-round NIT win against Arizona State (18-14) before a small but very vocal crowd of 4,096 on Thursday night.

But perhaps even more impressive than the statistics was the passion the Rebels played with.

There was no NIT hangover this time around. In fact, the Rebels played with a flair, determination and unselfishness that had been lacking much of the past few seasons. And the result was a convincing double-digit victory over a solid Pac-10 team that had taken Washington, the No. 1 seed in the NCAA's Albuquerque Regional, to overtime before losing in its previous contest.

"I thought the energy level, the activity, the aggressiveness was good," UNLV coach Lon Kruger said. "It's much like they've been playing here of late."

"I felt like everybody was into it," said junior point guard Ricky Morgan, who finished with a team-high 21 points, including 3 of 3 from 3-point range, and dished off five assists without a turnover. "We haven't always displayed that all year. But when everybody's involved and everybody's got a little pop in their step, it makes it easier for the whole team."

"We were real loose," added junior center Louis Amundson. "Guys were a lot looser than they were in the (Mountain West Conference) tournament or when we were playing during the season. I don't know why. We just came out there and played with a lot of energy and didn't worry about too much."

The Rebels were particularly sharp in the first half while building a 48-40 halftime lead.

UNLV made 19 of 33 shots from the floor (57.3 percent), including 7 of 12 treys, a sizzling 58.3 percent. The Rebels also committed just four turnovers in that span.

"It had some pop to it," Kruger said of his team's first half play. "We shot the ball well. I think the shots were good rhythm shots as a result of someone diving and kicking and making that extra pass. And a lot of different guys contributed."

Arizona State, behind the stellar all-around offensive play of junior center Ike Diogu (29 points, 11 rebounds, 3 blocks), crept to within four points, 53-49, with 18:08 to go on an 18-foot jumper by Kevin Kruger.

UNLV's defense stiffened after that, allowing just three Sun Devil baskets over the next 11 minutes while outscoring ASU, 24-12, during that span to up its lead to 16 points, 77-61. Arizona State never got any closer than seven points the rest of the way.

"These guys wanted to play," Kruger said. "These guys are playing better all the time, communicating a little better, making that extra pass and being more aggressive all the time."

The win was bittersweet for Kruger because it came at the expense of an Arizona State squad that includes his son, Kevin, and is one he has openly rooted for the past three years.

"It's not just Kev," Kruger said. "Those are great kids, and we've been cheering for them all year long."

Kevin Kruger finished with eight points on just 3 of 10 shooting, including an air ball, and also had six rebounds, five assists and just one turnover in 34 minutes of action. He was greeted with a chant of "Who's your daddy?" early in the game from the UNLV student section.

Father and son spoke briefly during the traditional postgame handshake. Kevin Kruger declined an interview request afterward.

Immediately following the game the NIT announced that the Rebels would travel to South Carolina to play the Gamecocks (16-13, 7-9 in SEC) on Tuesday night in the second round. UNLV officials said they were not sure if the game, which is tentatively scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m. PST, would be televised.

"I don't know much about them other than they had a good year," Kruger said. "I know they're very quick and very athletic."

South Carolina rallied for a 69-67 victory over Miami or Florida in its first round game in Columbia, S.C., on Tuesday night.

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