Blog: Tyrell Green leads UNLV past Incarnate Word, 92-64

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Published Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016 | 5:36 p.m.

Updated Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016 | 9 p.m.

UNLV played one of its best halves of the season and eventually ground down Incarnate Word, outscoring the visiting team 54-34 in the second half to pull away for a comfortable 92-64 win.

The blowout won't completely erase the memories of Saturday's 49-point loss to Duke, but the Rebels should feel good about the way they competed without injured forwards Dwayne Morgan and Christian Jones. Tyrell Green stepped up with 21 points and 10 rebounds, and freshman Cheickna Dembele scored a career-high 13 points with seven rebounds.

The ball movement was crisp (17 assists) and the shooting was on-target (9-of-20 from 3-point range), and Incarnate Word had to resort to fouling to stop the Rebels from getting easy baskets. UNLV shot 31 free throws (21-of-31) to Incarnate Word's 19.

UNLV is now 6-4 on the season, with a trip to Portland to take on Oregon coming up this weekend.

Rebels up 21 behind Mooring, Green

With 7:45 to play, UNLV has a 73-52 lead and appears to be on its way to a relatively comfortable win.

It's going to be hard for Incarnate Word to catch up, as the Rebels are in the double bonus and making it rain from the free-throw line (19-of-26). Six of Jovan Mooring's team-high 16 points have come from the line, and the Rebels have already shot 18 freebies in the second half.

Tyrell Green has scored eight points since halftime and now has 14 points and six rebounds on the game. Incarnate Word has made just 8-of-23 field goals in the second half.

Barring a major collapse, it looks like UNLV is going to cruise to victory tonight.

Rebels open up 57-48 lead

UNLV has opened up a 57-48 lead with 11:55 left to play thanks to some hot 3-point shooting in the early minutes of the second half.

Kris Clyburn canned a 3 from the left corner to open the scoring, and Tyrell Green followed up with his own triple from the left corner. A few possessions later, Clyburn connected again from the same spot to give UNLV a 50-35 lead.

Clyburn is now in double-double territory with 10 points and 10 rebounds, while Green has nine points on 4-of-7 shooting.

The free-throw line is going to be a big factor down the stretch, as the Rebels are already in the double bonus and will be shooting two on every foul the rest of the way. So far, UNLV is 12-of-17 from the line tonight.

Jovan Mooring leads UNLV to 38-30 halftime lead

UNLV's Duke hangover lasted approximately 14 minutes into the first half of tonight's game against Incarnate Word. After some early lethargy, the Rebels snapped to life heading into halftime, using separate 10-0 and 9-3 runs to open up a 38-30 lead at the break.

Jovan Mooring caught fire in the closing minutes of the period, scoring the Rebels' final eight points to go into the locker room with a game-high 12.

In the absence of veteran big men Christian Jones and Dwayne Morgan, UNLV has gotten solid play from the freshman tandem of Cheickna Dembele and Troy Baxter, who have combined for 15 points and nine rebounds. Surprisingly, Rebels' leading scorer Jalen Poyser has yet to get on the board, as he missed his only shot attempt of the first half.

The defense has been encouraging. With Dembele providing some length under the basket, Incarnate Word has been limited to 37.5 percent from the field. If the defense holds up in the second half and Poyser joins in the action at the other end, UNLV should be in very good position to lock this one up.

Cheickna Dembele starts strong, Rebels trail early

Cheickna Dembele, where did you come from?

The 6-foot-11 freshman came into the game with just 33 minutes to his name on the season, but so far he's got a team-high seven points on 3-of-4 shooting. He converted a pair of and-1 finishes inside and has generally been more aggressive on offense than expected. Unfortunately, he's also committed two fouls in eight minutes, so he's currently on the bench.

With 7:55 left in the first half, Incarnate Word has a 16-14 lead over the Rebels. Jalen Poyser is scoreless with two turnovers, while Incarnate Word's Jalin Hart has seven points on 3-of-7 shooting. UNLV is 0-of-4 from the 3-point line.

Choppy start for Rebels vs. Incarnate Word

Cheickna Dembele did indeed draw the starting assignment at center for UNLV, but it looks like coach Marvin Menzies is going to substitute liberally at that position, with freshman Troy Baxter providing support. Dembele picked up an offensive foul and committed a turnover in the first few minutes, and Baxter entered with about 17 minutes left in the half.

UNLV is trailing, 6-4, with 15:43 to play, and the action has been choppy so far. The teams have already combined for seven fouls and seven turnovers. It's not the kind of start UNLV wanted, but Incarnate Word hasn't been able to capitalize.

UNLV looking to bounce back against Incarnate Word

For as often as you hear the phrase, there are relatively few "must win" games during the course of a college basketball season. For the Rebels, tonight's home tilt against Incarnate Word might qualify.

Coming off Saturday's 94-45 beatdown at the hands of Duke, UNLV (5-4) desperately needs to get back in the win column just for the sake of the team's mental health. Incarnate Word is as good an opponent as any for that purpose, as the Cardinals (5-3) are No. 267 in the KenPom.com rankings and a nine-point underdog tonight. The Rebels have tough games against Oregon, Southern Illinois and Kansas looming, so securing a victory tonight takes on immense importance—lose, and the Rebels run the risk of going 0-for-December.

Despite the outsized point spread, it's not going to be easy for the Rebels. UNLV will be without its two best big men, as senior forward Christian Jones (ankle) and junior forward Dwayne Morgan (shoulder) are both expected to miss the game due to injuries. That will complicate matters for the Rebels' already-thin frontcourt; Marvin Menzies said raw freshman center Cheickna Dembele is in line for additional playing time, but he's been up and down so far in his young career.

Sophomore guard Jalen Poyser was battered and bruised by Duke's aggressive defense on Saturday, but UNLV needs him to bounce back quickly and lead the way offensively tonight. On defense, sophomore Kris Clyburn will be key in slowing down Incarnate Word's dangerous group of perimeter scorers.

A win tonight would calm some of the hysteria after the Duke debacle and keep the dream alive for a non-conference record above .500; A loss would make things very interesting in the comments section. Follow along with our live blog by tweeting with the hashtag #unlvmbb.

Mike's prediction: UNLV 72, Incarnate Word 67. The Duke hangover lingers through halftime, but the Rebels rally and win this one at the free-throw line.