UNLV’s Christian Wood soars through the air on his way to a slam dunk versus an overmatched St. Katherine at the Orleans Arena on Friday, Dec. 5, 2014.
Published Friday, Dec. 5, 2014 | 6 p.m.
Updated Friday, Dec. 5, 2014 | 8:53 p.m.
UNLV 113, St. Katherine 53
Game over
At least half the roster set new career highs in points as the Rebels (5-2) ran away from St. Katherine for a 113-51 victory tonight at the Orleans Arena.
Dwayne Morgan led the way with 23 points, followed by Chris Wood (20), Jordan Cornish (19), Dantley Walker (12) and Barry Cheaney (eight). UNLV dominated all parts of the game, as it should be against an NAIA team that couldn't be more overmatched.
There were plenty of nice individual performances after the Rebels shook off a bad start, though as I said before the game that doesn't really mean much considering the competition. The important thing was to put the game away and get out healthy, which UNLV seemed to do. Two players — Wood and Pat McCaw — limped off the court in the second half but McCaw looked like he had a calf cramp and Wood probably hurt his ego more than his leg after blowing an alley-oop finish that McCaw tossed off the backboard.
UNLV has a week off before traveling to South Dakota and the next home game is Dec. 17 against Portland. Check lasvegassun.com later tonight for a full report from tonight's victory.
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Tonight’s game will not be one for the highlight reels but it should be an easy victory, and that’s enough for the reeling Rebels.
UNLV (4-2) is back in Las Vegas after getting thumped by another Pac-12 team, and with the National Finals Rodeo taking over the Thomas & Mack Center that means we’re at the Orleans Arena tonight. The Rebels’ opponent is St. Katherine (1-7), an NAIA school playing its second season.
The Firebirds lose most of their games by at least 30 and could probably be accurately compared to Florida National, UNLV’s exhibition opponent earlier this season.
The timing works out well for the Rebels, who will only dress nine total players tonight, including walk-ons Barry Cheaney and Charles Rushman. Freshmen Pat McCaw and Jordan Cornish will make their first career starts.
Regular starters Rashad Vaughn (back) and Jelan Kendrick (back, groin) are out with injuries, and sophomore guard Kendall Smith is no longer with the team. That leaves seven scholarship players available and means the odds are good that freshman Dantley Walker, Nevada’s career prep leader in points and assists, scores his first career points tonight.
I don’t want to say this game is worthless for the Rebels, but honestly there’s nothing I can take from a dominant or even above-average performance tonight. I already know that, for stretches, UNLV can run its system to great effect, and against this team that shouldn’t be an issue. The only takeaway would be if UNLV really struggles.
Still, the Rebels would do well to put on a solid overall performance and get that 22-point loss out of the memory bank. Next weekend it’s a trip to South Dakota, and while the Coyotes aren’t very good I still feel there’s far more to learn from UNLV’s performance in that game than anything we’ll see tonight.
Bern’s prediction: Complete guess on this score. UNLV 88, St. Katherine 56
The Orleans Arena, a Boyd Gaming facility located just west of the Las Vegas Strip, is one of the nation’s leading mid-sized arenas, and was recently ranked No. 1 in the United States and No. 5 internationally among venues of similar size by Venues Today Magazine.
The Arena hosts more than 200 events each year, including concerts by top names like Carrie Underwood, Daughtry, Van Halen, Brooks & Dunn, Black Eyed Peas, Akon and Rihanna; family favorites like The Harlem Globetrotters and Circus Spectacular; and a wide variety of sporting events, including NCAA basketball tournaments, the West Coast Conference and Western Athletic Conference Basketball Championships, mixed martial arts with Superior Cage Combat, and major motorsports events.
The arena serves as home to the Las Vegas Wranglers professional ECHL hockey team, the Las Vegas Legends professional indoor soccer team, and the Lingerie Football League’s Las Vegas Sin. Stay connected to the Orleans Arena on Facebook (www.facebook.com/orleansarena) and on Twitter (@orleansarena).
Taylor Bern can be reached at 948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Taylor on Twitter at twitter.com/taylorbern.
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