UNLV struggles to exhibition victory against Division II school

By Ray Brewer (contact)

Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2009 | 6:48 p.m.

It will go down as a 62-52 victory for the UNLV basketball team. But it was surely not a double-digit win.

The Rebels trailed for most of the second half against Division II Washburn Tuesday night in an exhibition game, but held the Topeka, Kan., school scoreless in the final 4 minutes, 44 seconds in rallying for the win at the Thomas & Mack Center.

The Rebels took the lead for good on a bucket from Oscar Bellfield with a little more than four minutes to play. They built their advantage to 57-52 with five straight points from UCLA transfer Chace Stanback, including a 3-point play.

The strong ending made amends for a night of sloppy, unorganized play offensively. The Rebels only shot 35-percent from the field, including a horrid 4-of-23 on 3-pointers, in struggling all night.

Stanback had a game-high 15 points and eight rebounds while Bellfied was the only other Rebels to reach double figures, scoring 11.

Rebels take four-point lead, give it back in less than a minute

Tre'Von Willis buried a 3-pointer from the corner with 5:03 to play to give the Rebels a 51-47 lead as it appeared they were going to survive this exhibition-game scare against Division II Washburn.

But give Washburn credit for not backing down. It scored five points in less than a minute to retake the lead, 52-51 with 4:23 to play.

UNLV didn't expect this type of challenge in a preseason game, but maybe that's a good thing for later in the season when they play a meaningful game.

Washburn matching UNLV basket for basket

Thankfully for UNLV, this is only an exhibition game — a dress rehearsal of sorts for Saturday's opener against Pittsburg State.

The Rebels have picked up the pace offensively in the second half, connecting on 7-of-13 shots after shooting 34-percent in the first half. But Washburn is seemingly matching the Rebels basket for basket.

The Rebels, just like last year, appear like they will live and die with the 3-pointer. Tonight, they are dying — only hitting 2-of-15 from beyond the arc.

Nine have scored for UNLV with Oscar Bellfied and Justin Hawkins still leading the way with seven points.

It should be an interesting ending.

Rebels now trail Division II school

Washburn of Topeka, Kan., opened the second half on a 8-2 run and holds a 32-30 lead against UNLV with 15:56 to play. The Rebels, just like the first half, continue to struggle with unorganized play and mistakes.

Rebel faithful should start worrying about the possibility of being upset. I'm sitting in front of Washburn's bench and they are full of emotion. They clearly want this game more.

Rebels up 28-24 at halftime, title team honored

The 1990 title team was just honored with the likes of Greg Anthony and David Butler leading the charge out to midcourt as the players were introduced one-by-one. Anthony, now a television commentator for CBS, addressed the crowd.

"Thank you for all the memories. We are honored to be here with you tonight," Anthony said.

Coach Jerry Tarkanian was also present, sitting in a chair in front of his players. Tarkanian has had back and shoulder surgery this year, and broke two ribs during a fall this summer.

Noticeably missing was Stacey Augmon, who couldn't attend because he is an assistant coach with the Denver Nuggets. Larry Johnson was also not present, but attended a reception for the team last night at Green Valley Ranch Resort.

As for the game, the Rebels hold a 28-24 lead despite bad play. Justin Hawkins with seven points and Oscar Bellfield with six points are the leading scorers, but the Rebels are only 11-of-32 from the field. Derrick Jasper and Kendall Wallace have each played 11 minutes.

Rebels leading Washburn 22-18 with four to play in first half

Kentucky transfer Derrick Jasper has a pair of field goals and sophomore Oscar Bellfield also has four points in helping UNLV pull ahead, 22-18 with 3:36 to play in the first half.

One of Jasper's buckets was slam dunk following a drive to basket to bring the crowd to its feet. There are least 10,000 fans here at the Thomas & Mack Center, which isn't bad considering this is an exhibition game against a Division II school.

The Rebels haven't found their comfort zone yet on offense. They are shooting 32-percent, including 1-of-9 on 3-pointers, and have seven turnovers. Coach Lon Kruger is using most of his bench, with 11 of the 14 players dressed receiving first half playing time.

Rebels pull ahead in exhibition game

Freshman Justin Hawkins from Los Angeles is shining in his debut, scoring seven points in his first four minutes of action to spark a 9-3 UNLV run and give the Rebels a 14-9 lead against Washburn with nine minutes to play in the first half.

The UNLV defense has also picked up the pace, holding Washburn scoreless the last five minutes.

Willis and Santee hooked up for play of the game thus far with Willis driving to the basket, drawing a double team and dishing to Santee for an easy bucket. After starting slow offensively, the last five minutes have erased any doubts about the potential.

Rebels struggling early

UNLV has only made one field goal in the initial five-plus minutes and trail Division II Washburn 6-3 with 14:13 to play in the first half. A driving layup by Tre’Von Willis and a foul shot by Brice Massamba account for the lone points.

The Rebels already have four turnovers and are 1-of-8 from the field. But it's early and Washburn is also struggling.

UNLV starters were Oscar Bellfield, Willis, Jasper, Darris Santee and Massamba.

Pregame

Welcome to the Thomas & Mack Center for what is expected to be a great night for UNLV basketball fans.

The 1990 national championship team will be honored with a halftime ceremony during the Rebels exhibition game against Division II Washburn of Topeka, Kan.

The likes of stars Larry Johnson and Greg Anthony are scheduled to attend in celebrating the 20th anniversary of the title.

This year’s team could also give fans something to cheer about. In a final tune-up for Saturday’s season opener against Pittsburg State, expect coach Lon Kruger to give several significant minutes in experimenting with different combinations.

Transfers Derrick Jasper (Kentucky) and Chace Stanback (UCLA) are two players fans are anxious to get a better look at.

Personally, I’m looking forward to the return of junior forward Matt Shaw, who missed last year after having knee surgery. The 6-foot-8, 240-pound Shaw could be a difference maker down low where he has shown aggression during early practices.

Be back once the game begins.