Blog: Rebels fall apart after halftime as Utah State runs away for 83-65 win

By Taylor Bern

Published Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2015 | 5:30 p.m.

Updated Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2015 | 8:29 p.m.

Utah State 83, UNLV 65

Game over

The Aggies were the better team to start the second half and it never really changed as Utah State turned a three-point halftime deficit into a 83-65 victory against UNLV tonight at the Spectrum.

UNLV was good for the bulk of the first half, though its defense had holes that Utah State eventually exploited, but after halftime the Rebels looked out of it the entire time. Part of it was surely fatigue as a short roster played its second road game in four days but there were plenty of things they could have done to stem the tide and instead Utah State dictated everything down the stretch.

David Collette scored 17 points on 7-of-7 shooting, which also set up shots for guys like Chris Smith who led all scorers with 20. Utah State beat most of UNLV's rotations and close outs for good looks beyond the arc and shot 6-of-8 from 3 in the second half.

Goodluck Okonoboh didn't get many touches in the second half and Dwayne Morgan, who had 13 points on 6-of-6 shooting, was about the only guy doing well for UNLV in the half court after halftime. The defense got worse as the game wore on.

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

Two away games in four days for a team that’s won only twice on the road this season is obviously not an ideal scenario. However, once you delve into UNLV’s home/road splits, there’s reason for optimism heading into the Rebels game tonight at Utah State.

UNLV (15-12, 6-8) and Utah State (16-10, 9-5) tip off at 6:30 p.m. Las Vegas time at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. The game will air on CBS Sports Network.

I first started thinking about this and looking at the stats when the MWCConnection’s Tyler Bischoff pointed out how much better Pat McCaw’s numbers are away from home. The freshman is averaging 6.9 points per game with a 38.5 effective field-goal percentage in 15 games in Las Vegas, while those numbers jump to 13.9 ppg and 64 percent in nine games on the road, according to bbstate.com.

That’s a huge difference, and he’s not the only one who sees a significant jump away from home.

In the Thomas & Mack Center, sophomore Christian Wood pulling up for a 3-point attempt draws audible groans from the crowd and it’s with good reason. Wood is hitting a dreadful 18.8 percent (6-of-32) beyond the arc at home, but on the road his outside shot is actually a useful tool as he hits it at a 36.4 percent clip (12-of-33).

I got into Goodluck Okonoboh’s recent offensive production a little in today’s preview, and he’s another example of offensive splits jumping away from Las Vegas. While there’s not a huge difference in his scoring — 4.8 ppg at home, 7.6 ppg on the road — there’s a huge difference in his efficiency.

Okonoboh is shooting 69.6 percent in road games compared with 44.9 percent at home. A big part of that has to do with his post development that really started to emerge in the Jan. 27 win at UNR.

Since that game, Okonoboh is shooting 71.9 percent overall, a stretch that includes four of UNLV’s nine true road games played so far this season. For him it could be simply that he’s playing better overall and more of the Rebels’ games happen to be on the road, while for McCaw and Wood there are noticeable ebbs and flows by location.

For example, McCaw has never shot better than 50 percent in a single game at home, something he’s done five times in true road games. And Wood hasn’t made a 3-pointer at the Mack since Jan. 21, going 0-for-10 since that game while hitting 5-for-12 beyond the arc on the road during the same stretch.

Sample sizes make these far from perfect comparisons, but if you’re looking for reasons to believe the Rebels can step up and make it back-to-back road victories tonight, several numbers have your back.

Bern’s prediction: The Rebels play enough close games that I’ll keep picking them to cover the spread — tonight’s it’s UNLV plus-4.5, but I don’t like their chances for a straight-up victory. Utah State 74, UNLV 70

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