Blog: Rebels lead wire-to-wire in 72-69 victory against No. 13 Indiana

By Taylor Bern

Published Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2015 | 1 p.m.

Updated Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2015 | 4:16 p.m.

UNLV 72, Indiana 69

Game over

Ben Carter scored a career-high 16 points and made a key block to help UNLV lead wire-to-wire and pull off a 72-69 victory against No. 13 Indiana. The Rebels (5-1) finish the Maui Jim Maui Invitational 2-1 with a key NCAA Tournament resume victory.

The Rebels led by as much as 15 in the first half and used their pressure defense to create offense for much of the game, from McCaw getting into passing lanes to Morgan, Jones and Carter hounding big men on pick and rolls. Indiana kept fighting back but they eventually ran out of time, though they made it interesting down the stretch despite trailing by 13 with less than 4 minutes to play.

Pat McCaw scored 20 points, his fourth straight game with at least 20, and Ike Nwamu scored 16. UNLV's free-throw shooting nearly cost them another game but the Rebels were good enough in other areas that they were able to hold onto the lead.

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

Indiana’s misfortune is UNLV’s opportunity, and soon we’ll find out if the Rebels return to Las Vegas with more than just some frequent flyer miles.

UNLV and No. 13 Indiana tip off at 2 p.m. Las Vegas time in the Maui Jim Maui Invitational fifth-place game. It will air on ESPN2.

The Rebels (4-1) are 1-1 on this trip, losing a close one against UCLA and then shaking off a bad start to dispatch Chaminade. The last time UNLV came to the Maui Invitational it left with only a victory against Chaminade, and every year for every team in the field that’s viewed as a big disappointment.

The Hoosiers (4-1) were the favorites to meet Kansas in the finals but they fell to Wake Forest in the opening game of the tournament, leading coach Tom Crean to run his team through an intense practice Monday night. Crean then benched some starters in Indiana’s 10-point victory against St. John’s.

This is the third game in three days for both teams, and both sides have had some obvious struggles and internal issues, but I believe Crean’s practices (and extra practices) are going to have an effect today. UNLV freshman Stephen Zimmerman Jr. (illness) is expected to play today after sitting out yesterday, and the Rebels won’t struggle at the start like they did against Chaminade.

Prediction: UNLV, an 8-point underdog, will be ready at the start. The question is how it will finish. Indiana 87, UNLV 83

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