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March 28, 2024

UNLV basketball:

Blog: Anthony Marshall scores 19 points as UNLV pulls out 74-69 victory at Hawaii

UNLV vs. Hawaii

Marco Garcia / Associated Press

UNLV guard Oscar Bellfield (0) dribbles past Hawaii guard Shaquille Stokes (4) during the first half of the Rebels’ game against Hawaii on Saturday, Dec. 31, 2011, in Honolulu.

Updated Saturday, Dec. 31, 2011 | 7:22 p.m.

UNLV vs. Hawaii Basketball

UNLV guard Anthony Marshall (3) moves the ball during the second half of the Rebels' game against Hawaii on Saturday, Dec. 31, 2011, in Honolulu. Launch slideshow »

UNLV junior guard Anthony Marshall had 19 points and 13 rebounds, helping the Rebels hold off the Warriors and survive with a 74-69 victory at Hawaii.

Mike Moser had 15 points and 12 rebounds and Chace Stanback scored 13 points, including 11 in the first half.

The Rebels' Brice Massamba missed most of the game because of foul trouble and a head injury, and it really showed in the second half as the Warriors' interior players attacked the basket and dominated the paint. Marshall's heroics proved too much, though, as he started hitting mid-range jumpers and charging to the rim.

UNLV (15-2) plays again on Jan. 5 at Cal State Bakersfield.

UNLV has no answers for Hawaii's post attack as Joston Thomas and Vander Joaquim have dominated in the second half and pulled the Warriors within 62-58 with 6:33 remaining.

Thomas leads all players with 16 points and 15 rebounds while Joaquim has seven points and five rebounds.

Though their interior has been lacking, the Rebels' Anthony Marshall has stepped up and filled the void with mid-range jumpers and drives tot he basket. He now has 15 points, leading all UNLV players.

UNLV holding a slim 51-48 lead with 11:19 remaining at Hawaii

Hawaii is threatening to take the lead but the Rebels keep plugging the holes before the Warriors burst through the dam. With 11:19 remaining, UNLV leads 51-48.

Chace Stanback has yet to take a shot in the second half and both he and Mike Moser are playing with three fouls.

As a team the Rebels' shooting has finally crested above 40 percent while the Warriors are just a hair above 30. However, Hawaii is 15-of-19 at the free-throw line while UNLV is 6-of-12. That will become even more important down the stretch as both teams near the bonus.

UNLV failed to build a lead in the first half when Hawaii was shooting under 20 percent. Now the Warriors are threatening to pull off the upset.

Rebels hold a 35-28 halftime lead against Warriors

Chace Stanback leads the Rebels with 11 points as UNLV goes into halftime with a 35-28 lead. Stanback is 5-for-6 from the field while the rest of the team is just 9-for-31.

Mike Moser has had a couple of great stretches in 12 minutes but hasn't been able to sustain his momentum. Still, he's got six points and eight rebounds. For Hawaii, Zane Johnson, a transfer from Arizona, has 12 points and three rebounds in 20 minutes. Johnson has half (four) of the Warriors' made baskets in the first half.

The first four minutes were especially sloppy, but with the exception of a few isolated stretches neither team has improved too much from that opening sequence. UNLV has gotten what it wants in terms of pace and they will likely be able to continue that in the second half. More important, though, is finding a rhythm on offense. Their best options are either letting Stanback take every other shot (not a bad idea) or feeding the post. Quintrell Thomas and Carlos Lopez have continuously been able to get inside position.

Finishing has been another story.

Poor shooting still prevalent as UNLV leads 20-13 at Hawaii

The Rebels' poor shooting hasn't improved much to this point, but the sheer speed of the game is playing to their advantage as UNLV holds a 20-13 lead with 7:35 left in the first half.

Chace Stanback leads all scorers with seven points, but the team is shooting just 32 percent from the floor. The Rebels are in the lead because the Warriors percentage is even worse — 17.4 — and UNLV is outrebounding Hawaii 20-13, which has taken away second-chance opportunities.

UNLV's offense is sloppy but Rebels take an early 7-5 lead at Hawaii

UNLV has snapped its streak of hot afternoon starts with a disjointed opening four minutes. Still, Hawaii couldn't take full advantage of it and the Rebels lead 7-5 with 14:33 left in the first half.

Chace Stanback is 1-of-2 behind the three-point line, but as a team UNLV is shooting just 2-for-13. The Warriors aren't much better, sitting a 2-for-12.

Credit these defenses for part of that, but mostly both offenses have looked lost and occasionally lazy. Got to think that one of them is going to figure it out in this next stretch, but which one?

Sticking to the routine could be just the ticket for UNLV in Hawaii

Let’s say you normally begin your workday at 9 a.m., but one day you have to get started at 7 a.m. instead. Would you get up early enough to go through your regular morning routine, or opt for as much sleep as possible?

That scenario is essentially what No. 19 UNLV has faced with four early start times in December — three of them coming on the road. Today comes the fifth-such game as UNLV plays at Hawaii at 5 p.m. Las Vegas time.

In the first two — at Wichita State (1 p.m.) and at Wisconsin (11 a.m.) — the Rebels chose more sleep, and the result was disastrous starts attributed mostly to a lack of energy.

But in Chicago for a 2 p.m. game against Illinois, UNLV coach Dave Rice went the other route, getting his team up for a shoot around. The difference was stark.

“We’re a team that needs to get up in the morning, and for us repetition is more important than sleep,” Rice said.

Once the players saw the difference in their play, it wasn’t difficult to convince them to get up and go through their routine. It worked again for a 2 p.m. start on Dec. 23 at home against California.

“When we go to shoot around it helps us focus a lot,” senior small forward Chace Stanback said. “We’re really accustomed to doing that, and when we don’t do it’s not normal for us. It’s good to get some shots up in the morning, get your mind right.”

Certainly the warm-ups aren’t the only reason for the victories, but they do seem to correlate to the Rebels’ fast starts. And when UNLV is on its game early that usually means the opponent is going to be playing from behind.

The Rebels took their shoot around today at about noon Las Vegas time. No reason to change what’s been working, especially after a long trip to a place that houses a hot team.

Hawaii has won six of its last seven games, including an 84-82 overtime victory against then-No. 14 Xavier. The Warriors would love to put another top-25 win on their resume.

“From what I’ve seen of both teams (UNLV) should win and win handily, but from my experiences they love to get up to play ranked teams,” said Riley Wallace, former Hawaii coach and great-uncle of UNLV senior guard Kendall Wallace.

Riley said the afternoon start time and New Year’s Eve factors should work in the Rebels’ favor as the 10,300-seat Stan Sheriff Center likely won’t get near capacity. Whether that comes to fruition or not, the Rebels will take the court with the confidence that their routine will produce their desired results.

Bern’s prediction: The Rebels’ long flight will be somewhat negated by the fact that they came in on Thursday and have had time to acclimate themselves to the island. They also have their routine (see: above) to rely on. Hawaii coach Gib Arnold said that the Warriors don’t want to try to run with the Rebels, but I’m not sure they have the talent to keep UNLV from taking off without them. Hawaii will go on a run late in the first half or early in the second that will keep the game within five, but eventually UNLV will wear them down with 3-pointers and run outs. UNLV 82, Hawaii 68.

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