Blog: UNLV fends off San Jose State for 64-61 victory

By Taylor Bern

Published Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016 | 6 p.m.

Updated Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016 | 9:12 p.m.

UNLV 64, San Jose State 61

Game over

After one of the worst home halves in recent memory, the Rebels battled back and eventually pulled out a 64-61 victory against a San Jose State that nearly won its first road game against a Division I team in nearly two years.

The Rebels won the second half 40-24 and could have run away with the game if they hadn't missed so many shots within a few feet of the basket. Despite shooting less than 30 percent for the game, including 4-of-20 on 3s, UNLV was the better team for much of the second half.

UNLV took its first lead since the beginning of the game on a Pat McCaw lead with a little less than six minutes left, but even then San Jose state was able to counter and immediately re-take the lead. The Spartans committed 16 turnovers (10 more than UNLV) but the Rebels needed more and more help before they were eventually able to create some space and finish off the win largely at the free-throw line.

Derrick Jones Jr., who had a huge game-tying dunk late, hobbled off the court at the end with an apparent ankle injury, so we'll see if that's anything more than the usual limp that he picks up nearly every game after one of his awkward falls.

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

There isn’t really a blueprint for a situation like this, where an interim coach must do things like implement a new defense in the middle of a game because he no longer has the personnel to do much else.

“Start the year with three five men, and now we’re in a situation where you have zero five men,” said UNLV interim coach Todd Simon.

That’s the scenario the Rebels (13-11, 4-7) confronted when freshman forward Stephen Zimmerman Jr. left Saturday’s game early because of a knee injury, and with him out indefinitely it’s the reality they currently face every game. That starts tonight at 7 against San Jose State (8-15, 3-8) in the Thomas & Mack Center, with the game streaming on ESPN3.

Shortly before Zimmerman’s injury it was junior Ben Carter going down for the season with a torn ACL, which was something UNLV couldn’t afford as soon as sophomore Goodluck Okonoboh asked to transfer in November. That’s how the Rebels fell from three big men to none, with 6-foot-8 sophomore forward Dwayne Morgan now the unofficial center.

UNLV went to a zone out of necessity in Zimmerman’s absence and we’ll see much more of it moving forward. It helps in a variety of ways by covering up weaknesses (like Dwayne Morgan’s foul trouble and the lack of a rim protector) but also limits the playmaking ability of a guy like sophomore Pat McCaw, who excels as a one-on-one defender and can’t take the same risks in zone.

“I don’t think I can really be as effective in zone as I am in man,” McCaw said.

That’s a trade-off the Rebels have to live with for now. They might not run exclusively zone, but it shouldn’t be too far off.

Prediction: UNLV is a 15-point favorite tonight despite heading into the game with six or seven healthy scholarship players. I’ll take the points. UNLV 74, San Jose State 66

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