Hawaii’s physical style hardens Rebels for conference play

By Taylor Bern

Monday, Jan. 2, 2012 | 2 a.m.

HONOLULU — Considering the style of No. 19 UNLV’s 74-69 victory against Hawaii on Saturday, the players would have looked natural in pads.

Bodies hit the floor on almost every possession and key players on both sides — UNLV’s Brice Massamba (head) and Hawaii’s Zane Johnson (ribs) — missed significant minutes. It was a rough, bruising game, and it was exactly what the Rebels needed as they prepare for conference play.

“I don’t know if we would have won this game at the beginning of the season,” sophomore Mike Moser said. “They were relentless.”

Blowouts aside, UNLV’s non-conference schedule has been a tremendous gauntlet of challenges against all different types of teams and styles in difficult environments at varied times.

Really, it’s the best thing any coach could ask for.

“I think our schedule, which has been pretty tough, helped us in this game, because this is not the first time we’ve been on the road in a hostile environment against a good team,” UNLV coach Dave Rice said. “It was a sign of maturity of our team that they pulled it out.”

The Stan Sheriff Center was only about two-thirds full, but fans who turned out were into the game the entire time. They were further amped up at first by some questionable calls that favored UNLV, and then by the fact that it was still close a game.

But despite every run the Warriors put together, they never took the lead. The Rebels always had an answer.

“We knew that there would be runs, and that’s one thing our team’s been able to do all year long, is to find a way to answer runs,” Rice said.

On Saturday that way was mostly junior guard Anthony Marshall.

In the second half he had 14 points, nine rebounds and two assists. Ten of those points came at junctions when UNLV’s lead had dipped to four points or less.

“Games like this are really going to benefit us in the league,” Marshall said. “It’s just preparing us for conference play.”

The challenge once Mountain West competition begins is to perform the same way against teams that have more experience playing against you. There are fewer surprises, and in UNLV’s case, there will likely be no opponent that wants to run.

Of course, the Rebels have seen that before. With each game they seem to check off another adverse situation.

Against Hawaii it was the physicality. And as UNLV has done when faced with other adversities this season, the Rebels adjusted to the style of play and used it to their advantage.

After the slate of challenges that they’ve met and mostly overcome, there’s nothing in the Mountain West that will intimidate the Rebels.

“Games like (Hawaii) build a confidence and a mental toughness that you can play against anybody in any circumstance,” Marshall said.