Utah rolls past Rebels

February 26, 2009 by Matt Maxson and Sage Sammons 

Utes pick up eighth straight, Rebels stay in fifth place

SALT LAKE CITY – The Rebels comeback fell short against the Utes, just like their lineup against Utah’s 7-foot-1 center Luke Nevill.

Nevill scored a game high 19 points and had 13 rebounds for Utah in their win against UNLV, 70-60. The Rebels shot 34 percent from the field in what was their eighth loss of the season.

“We got to shoot the ball a little better and finish up on the opportunities that we had,” UNLV head coach Lon Kruger said. “Nevill had a lot to do with that, especially points in the paint, but we got to be a little more aggressive.”

UNLV, who never led in the ballgame, cut the Utes’ lead to two with 2:55 remaining in the ball game on a 9-0 run. René Rougeau’s basket was blocked by Nevill but officials signaled for goaltending to bring UNLV within one possession.

Twenty seconds later, Luka Drca put a stop to any comeback hopes with a high-arcing 3-point basket. It was his only field goal of the game. 

“It was a big time 3,” Rougeau said. “I thought it was coming out [of the basket] and we’d be off to the races, but they just kept hitting clutch shots.”

Utah iced the win by hitting three additional field goals and shooting 6-of-7 from the free throw line.

“We could have easily won that game,” Rougeau said. “We’re mad, but we really fought hard tonight.”

The Rebels kept the game close in the opening minutes of the first half. Rougeau hit back-to-back baskets to tie the game at 20 with 5:59 left. But the Utes closed out the opening period with a 15-2 run including back-to-back 3-pointers by Shaun Green. Green scored 11 points in the first half and finished with 12. The Utes were 6-of-10 from 3-point range in the first half and finished 8-for-14.

UNLV’s free throw shooting kept them in the game late, something that hasn’t happened in a long time. The Rebels were 15-of-16 from the charity stripe, all coming in the second half.

“That was probably our most positive aspect, working on our free throws,” Rougeau said.

Defense was the second most positive aspect. The Rebels forced 20 turnovers during the contest and Rougeau picked up a team high four steals, but it didn’t translate into points on the other side of the court. The Rebels only scored 18 points off turnovers and were held to two fast break baskets.

Kruger credited Nevill with shutting down his team’s offense.

“You always have to give him a little bit more attention,” Kruger said. “He’s big and his size poses a lot of trouble.”

Nevill blocked three shots and kept UNLV forward Joe Darger out of the game. Darger hit only one field goal, a 3-pointer and was relegated to the bench after picking up his fourth foul with 10:26 left in the game.

Wink Adams was also a non-factor in the contest. Adams was 3-of-12 from the field and struggled to handle the ball throughout the contest.

“We didn’t attack the basket,” Adams said. “We definitely have to come out and attack the basket.”

The Rebels will return to the Thomas & Mack on Wednesday to host Air Force in their final regular season home game.