Monday, March 3, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- Bill Bayno has heard plenty of whistles this year, a lot of them going against his UNLV basketball team.
But when Bayno needed to hear the chirp at the end of Saturday's game with Colorado State, all he got was the sound of silence.
The Rebels were looking for vindication after getting a last-second whistle at home, giving Hawaii's Anthony Carter a chance to win the game at the foul line after Tyrone Nesby was whistled for a foul with one second remaining.
But there was no reciprocation at Moby Arena. Nesby appeared to be fouled by Matt Barnett as the Rebel tried to get off a 13-foot shot with 6.5 seconds to go. And after corralling the rebound, Tony Lane was hacked by Ryan Chilton on his putback attempt with two seconds to go.
But referee Mark McMullen stood under the basket and did nothing. And because he and partners Jim Danner and Ronnie Hernandez did nothing, UNLV came away with nothing in its final game of the season, falling to CSU 59-58.
"We just can't seem to get a break," Bayno said calmly.
But as soon as the final horn went off, the UNLV coach went after McMullen, his tirade carrying under the stands toward the officials' dressing room.
After making a return trip to the officials' room to apologize for his on-the-court explosion, Bayno resigned himself to the fact that what's done is done.
"What good does it do?" he said when asked if he felt like venting further. "We deserved to win that game. We worked so hard."
And no one worked harder than Lane, the 6-foot-6 senior who had 22 points and nine rebounds while giving away a half a foot to the 7-foot Chilton. With 6-11 junior Keon Clark struggling, Lane tried to pick up the slack.
He worked all day to get position and used his strength to fend off Chilton underneath. His post-up game was never better.
"I knew someone had to step up," he said. "Plus, this was my last regular-season game and I wanted to go out on top."
All five UNLV seniors felt that way. Damian Smith gave the Rebels a nice lift with 11 points off the bench and Kevin James had a very strong game at the point guard spot, playing 23 turnover-free minutes and staying active in the 2-3 zone UNLV played much of the game.
And had fellow seniors Warren Rosegreen and Sunshine Smith been able to overcome their physical ailments, maybe it wouldn't have come down to a call (or noncall) at the end.
Rosegreen was hobbling with a sprained right ankle and try as he could, he simply didn't have it Saturday. Smith, whose tendinitis in his right knee has forced him to play on one leg, was trying to gut it out.
Still, despite the adversity, the Rebels nearly pulled it out.
"I should've dunked it," Lane said. "I went up and I saw the ball. My adrenaline was so pumped up, I didn't even feel him (Chilton) hit me.
"But I was getting hit all night long. It wasn't out of the ordinary."
Hoop du jour
* REST AND REHAB: Things were busy in the training room Sunday as several players got treatment from trainer Jerry Koloskie. His main clients were Warren Rosegreen and Sunshine Smith, who are hobbled with a sprained ankle and a sore knee, respectively. "The guys just needed a day off," Koloskie said of the team, which will return to the floor today in the North Gym to prepare for Tuesday's opening-round WAC Tournament game against Rice. "It's been a long season and it beats you up. A day off at this time of the year helps a lot."
* NO TIME CHANGE: UNLV attempted to switch Tuesday's game from the afternoon to the evening, but the WAC denied the request of athletic director Charles Cavagnaro. With the 12:30 p.m. tipoff, attendance doesn't figure to be as good as it would playing in the evening. UNLV fans have purchased approximately 8,000 of the 13,000 tourney tickets which have been sold.
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