Blog: UNLV’s offense struggles mightily in 59-57 win vs. Sam Houston State

By Taylor Bern

Published Sunday, Nov. 16, 2014 | 4 p.m.

Updated Sunday, Nov. 16, 2014 | 7:15 p.m.

UNLV 59, Sam Houston State 57

Game over

Rashad Vaughn scored 18 points, Dwayne Morgan had seven points and eight rebounds and the Rebels survived 59-57 against Sam Houston State despite shooting 12-of-27 at the free-throw line.

UNLV once again got the benefit of the foul calls but failed to capitalize. UNLV had only four called against them going into the final minute, which allowed the Rebels to eat into the Bearkats' final possession by using those fouls.

The final shot wasn't a great look though it was decent and would have won the game. If free throws were UNLV's biggest problem, the 3-pointer was Sam Houston State's issue as the Bearkats hit only 9-of-36 beyond the arc.

Vaughn's points came on 19 shots as he struggled to just two points in the first half before finding a rhythm. Senior Cody Doolin was huge once again, finishing with 10 points, seven assists and countless big plays.

The rebounding numbers were ugly — Sam Houston State 53, UNLV 39, including a 20-10 advantage on offensive rebounds — once again, too. UNLV knows its weaknesses now. The trouble is the competition gets a lot better with Friday's game in Brooklyn against Stanford and they won't get whistles like this in the Barclays Center.

Check lasvegassun.com later tonight for a full report from the Rebels' victory.

Thanks to the schedule, we don’t have to wait long to see how UNLV responds after a mixed-bag performance in the season-opening 60-59 victory against Morehead State on Friday night.

That first game was actually pretty great for the Rebels (1-0) in terms of learning about themselves. There were mistakes, no question. Guys out of position on defense, the stagnant offense with senior Cody Doolin on the bench, sophomore Christian Wood seemingly taking some plays off. Those are things that need to get better.

There’s plenty for UNLV to work on, and they get a chance to do just that at 5 p.m. today against Sam Houston State (1-0). The Bearkats return a bulk of their rotation from a 24-win team, with senior guards Jabari Peters and Kaheem Ransom anchoring the lineup.

The things I mentioned about the Rebels are all on-the-court execution things. That’s expected to be rusty early in the year, especially with four guys making their collegiate debut.

However, what the Rebels know, or at least what they believe with some support from that first game, is that the rotation can handle adversity and, in the words coach Dave Rice has been repeating over and over, play hard and play together until the end.

The Rebels got a lot of help from the foul disparity — Morehead was whistled for 25, UNLV 14 — but outside of that they made their own breaks. A switch to zone defense, something Rice had been reticent to do in the past, stymied the Eagles’ penetration, limiting them to only 2 points in the paint in the second half versus 20 in the first.

And if the freshmen found their spots a little better and a little faster on defense, I don’t think the game would have gone down to the wire. Most of the shots Morehead hit to stay in it were wide open because someone got lost. That’s correctable, so the optimistic view is that UNLV got popped in the mouth and then responded with the kind of determination that good teams do.

The pessimistic view probably starts and stops with the scoreboard. And if it’s a major struggle — or a loss — today, I’ll give that side a little more weight, but coming out of Friday night I saw a lot more to get excited about in the future than to tear down.

Bern’s prediction: I think we'll see another freshman (or two) make his debut today. Jordan Cornish didn't get Friday's game, but I expect him to get some minutes in the first half, and if the game is out of reach we could see Dantley Walker, too.

As for the score, in my preseason predictions column where I picked every score, I had this one as a 17-point victory because I’m an idiot. Feeling much more conservative on gameday. UNLV 73, Sam Houston State 63

Season: 0-1 ATS, 0-1 O/U

Taylor Bern can be reached at 948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Taylor on Twitter at twitter.com/taylorbern.