Blog: Rebels can’t keep up in second half, fall 81-69 at Boise State

By Taylor Bern

Published Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2016 | 7 p.m.

Updated Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2016 | 10:13 p.m.

Boise State 81, UNLV 69

Game over

The Broncos ended the first half on a 9-0 run and never really stopped running away from the Rebels in an 81-69 victory at Taco Bell Arena. The Rebels drop to 16-13 overall and 7-9 in league play with the home regular-season finale on tap Saturday against Wyoming.

For about 13 minutes in the second half, the Rebels only had three rebounds after halftime and the undersized crew was beat 41-29 on the boards. Boise State grabbed 20 offensive rebounds and turned them into 23 second-chance points, one of many areas they were able to exploit.

UNLV entered the game depleted without Dwayne Morgan and Stephen Zimmerman Jr. watching from the bench, and then Jerome Seagears, who hasn't practiced since the UNR win, re-aggravated the right heel that has been bothering him and missed some time. However, he was able to play 28 minutes, and Derrick Jones Jr. avoided foul trouble for 25 points, seven rebounds and four blocks in 32 minutes.

But the Rebels really lost their legs in the second half, shooting 18.2 percent from 3, and for the game they committed 21 turnovers. That's usually too much to overcome for a full roster, and this is far from that, although Zimmerman might return for Saturday's game.

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

By the time the Rebels return to the Thomas & Mack Center on Saturday, they might have two more players available to them.

One is freshman Stephen Zimmerman Jr., who has been cleared for practice and could be ready to play against Wyoming. The other potential addition could be a UNLV football player, as interim basketball coach Todd Simon has spent a little time looking through the Rebels’ roster for a big body who could at least help the team in practice.

Neither of those things, however, will help the Rebels tonight in their game at Boise State. UNLV (16-12, 7-8) tips off against the Broncos (17-10, 8-6) at 8 p.m. Las Vegas time on ESPNU.

It’s a battle of two teams whose seasons have failed to live up to preseason expectations. The Rebels, picked fourth, fired coach Dave Rice three games into league play and currently sit alone in sixth place, which would require them to start the conference tournament on Wednesday while the top five seeds receive a bye.

The Broncos, the co-regular season champs in 2015, were picked to finish second. Since losing by 10 at the Mack on Jan. 27, they have lost five of seven and are currently tied with UNR in fourth place.

Now Boise State is trying to scramble to shake this off and make a run in the conference tournament. Meanwhile, UNLV is just hoping another player doesn’t go down, because while Zimmerman could return by Saturday, Dwayne Morgan might be back by the regular season finale and a football player could be joining the team, none of that is certain.

Prediction: These games are usually close and down to the wire, but I think tonight will be an exception. Boise State 79, UNLV 67

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