Las Vegas Sun

March 18, 2024

Rebels Basketball:

Blog: San Diego State pulls away late for 53-47 victory against UNLV

UNLV vs. San Diego State

Lenny Ignelzi / AP

San Diego State forward Malik Pope drives to the basket for a score against UNLV forward Christian Wood during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Jan. 17, 2015, in San Diego.

Updated Saturday, Jan. 17, 2015 | 5:08 p.m.

UNLV vs. San Diego State

San Diego State forward J.J. O'Brien gets ready to shoot over UNLV forward Goodluck Okonoboh during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game won 53-47 by San Diego State Saturday, Jan. 17, 2015, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi) Launch slideshow »

San Diego State 53, UNLV 47

Game over

The Rebels led for the majority of the game but once again fell apart down the stretch, giving up a 22-5 run that allowed San Diego State to pull away for a 53-47 victory. UNLV is now 10-8 overall and 1-4 in Mountain West play.

Pat McCaw moved into the starting lineup and responded well, leading UNLV with 12 points in the first half and finished with 15 points, six rebounds and three assists. Rashad Vaughn took over early in the second half and finished with a game-high 17 points and four assists, but it was the Aztecs going to work in the paint that changed the game.

Angelo Chol finished with eight points, all of them in the second half, and Trey Kell taking over helped preserve the Aztecs' impressive streak. They took the lead with 5:09 remaining, giving SDSU its 133rd straight victory when it led at the 5-minute mark.

UNLV was good for stretches, but not when it mattered most, falling short at both ends. That was likely related to fatigue as all five starters played at least 32 minutes.

UNLV returns to action on Wednesday at home against New Mexico. Check lasvegassun.com later tonight for a full report from the Rebels' defeat.

The Rebel Room

Has UNLV learned its lesson?

It's a pivotal week for UNLV basketball with two road games at Boise State and San Diego State. Las Vegas Sun sports writer Taylor Bern is skeptical in the wake of the Rebels' loss to UNR while sports editor Ray Brewer is ready to crown UNLV as Mountain West tournament champs.

The one thing that I’m sure we’ll see today is a more energetic, focused performance from UNLV. What that will mean on the scoreboard, however, is very much unknown.

UNLV (10-7, 1-3) is at Viejas Arena today for a 3 p.m. tip-off against San Diego State (13-4, 3-1) on CBS Sports Network in what’s recently been one of the best rivalries in the Mountain West. The Rebels aren’t really holding up their end from a record standpoint right now, losing four of their past five and starting out in the basement of a bad league.

That said, I think most people who follow the team are expecting the Rebels to come out swinging and play at least decently today. Part of that has to do with the dismal showing at Boise State on Tuesday, because even average teams rarely have back-to-back games where things as basic as energy and effort are big issues.

More importantly, though, UNLV will show up because of the opponent. There aren’t many on the roster who have played in or even attended this rivalry, but unlike a game against UNR you don’t need to be sold on it. The crowd and the atmosphere will sell itself, and if you can’t get up for this game then you shouldn’t even be playing college basketball.

So that’s unlikely to be an issue. How about their actual on-court play though?

San Diego State runs a full-court press that figures to be a big problem for UNLV senior guard Cody Doolin, and the Aztecs’ guards practice every day against Skylar Spencer (2.7 blocks per game) so the Rebels’ defensive towers inside might not be as much of an issue for SDSU as they are for other teams.

How will Doolin and freshman Pat McCaw handle the press? Can UNLV make SDSU’s offense look as dreadful as it does most games?

These questions are far more important to today’s game than this one: Will the Rebels play like they actually care? I’m confident that one will be answered yes, but it’s going to take a lot more than that for the Rebels to come out victorious.

Bern’s prediction: No one should be too surprised if UNLV wins, but I’m not confident enough to go that way. San Diego State 61, UNLV 54

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

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