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March 18, 2024

Live blog: Rebels earn 89-81 road win at Southern Utah

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UNLV Runnin’ Rebels forward forward Tyrell Green (3) awaits a free throw attempt during a game against South Alabama on Friday night at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Updated Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2016 | 8:04 p.m.

UNLV finally pulled away from a scrappy Southern Utah team for an 89-81 victory, but in no way was it as comfortable as the final score indicates. The Rebels had to battle for this one, and they managed to notch their first road win of the season thanks to big games from Dwayne Morgan and Tyrell Green, plus a patented scoring spurt from Jovan Mooring down the stretch.

Mooring scored 11 points in the final seven minutes to give UNLV some breathing room after SUU pulled within 66-65, and the junior guard finished with 16 points and five assists on 5-of-7 shooting. Morgan finished with a double-double (19 points, 13 rebounds) and Green put up 12 points and nine rebounds.

Southern Utah guard Randy Onwuasor was a serious thorn in the Rebels' side, as he went for 19 points, but he fouled out in the second half and wasn't a factor down the stretch.

UNLV can file this as a "character building" victory and get on the bus happy with the result.

Rebels hold slim lead down stretch at SUU

With 11:18 remaining, Southern Utah has trimmed UNLV's lead to three points, and the Thunderbirds will be shooting a one-and-one after the media timeout.

Southern Utah has made 10-of-14 from the field in the second half, while UNLV is 8-of-12. Jalen Poyser just registered his first points of the night on a pull-up one-hander, but he has four fouls and Southern Utah is attacking him off the dribble, scoring the last two times down the court against him.

The crowd at the Centrum is now into the game, and the SUU bench is imploring them to make more noise with every time a Thunderbird makes a play. The final stretch is going to be a real test for Marvin Menzies' crew.

Halftime lead for UNLV despite turnovers

If you want to look at this game from an optimistic perspective, UNLV has gotten zero points from its leading scorer and still has a 40-34 advantage at the half. That's battling through adversity.

On the other hand, there wouldn't be so much adversity if the Rebels could take care of the ball. Though they are scorching the nets at 60.7 percent (17-of-28), their nine first-half turnovers have allowed Southern Utah to stay within hailing distance.

Jalen Poyser had a rough first half. The sophomore guard came into tonight leading UNLV with a scoring average of more than 18 points per game, but he got into early foul trouble (three personals in just eight minutes) and has yet to score. Tyrell Green has picked up some of the slack with 10 points, and Kris Clyburn and Troy Baxter added seven apiece in the half.

Defensively, UNLV hasn't found an answer for Southern Utah junior guard Randy Onwuasor. The Texas Tech transfer scored 16 in the first half on 5-of-10 shooting, and he also dished out three assists. Look for Marvin Menzies to fine-tune his defensive plan to hem in Onwuasor when the Rebels come out of the locker room.

Hot shooting Rebels build double-digit lead

Southern Utah's defense is as advertised, which is to say it's been bad. UNLV is shooting 63.2 percent (12-of-19) and currently leads 26-16 with 7:45 remaining in the first half. If it weren't for the Rebels committing some unnecessary turnovers, the lead could be even bigger.

Freshman forward Troy Baxter has provided a nice spark off the bench, scoring seven points on 3-of-3 shooting in just four minutes. If UNLV can get Jalen Poyser on track after some early foul trouble (nine minutes, zero points), the Rebels should be able to pad the lead before the half.

Another fast start for UNLV vs. Southern Utah

The Rebels are keeping us guessing.

Instead of usual culprit Dwayne Morgan, tonight it's Jalen Poyser who finds himself in early foul trouble. UNLV's leading scorer committed a pair of personals (one offensive) in the first two minutes and is now on the bench.

Despite being without their starting point guard, and the absence of Uche Ofoegbu, who is out with an illness, the Rebels are off to another hot start, leading Southern Utah 13-2 with 15:21 left in the first half.

Tyrell Green has picked up the scoring slack without Poyser, tallying a quick six points on 3-of-3 shooting. Freshman Ben Coupet has also made an early impact, as he got the start in place of Ofoegbu and has put up five points and two rebounds.

Rebels looking for road win at Southern Utah

For the first time this season, UNLV is warming up on an unfamiliar court, as the Rebels are currently going through their layup line at the Centrum Arena in preparation for tonight’s game against Southern Utah (2-4).

The first road game of the season can be a little tricky, but UNLV appears to be in a good spot here. Southern Utah is 338th in the KenPom.com rankings, and the Thunderbirds rank 349th out of 351 Division I teams when it comes to defensive efficiency, so it’s not like Marvin Menzies and his crew are walking into a buzz saw in a hostile environment.

Key players for the Rebels tonight will be sophomore guard Jalen Poyser and senior forward Tyrell Green, both of whom were originally recruited to UNLV by current SUU coach Todd Simon. The Rebels will need their two main 3-point shooters to continue hitting at a high percentage, especially against an SUU defense that shouldn’t be able to slow them down.

UNLV could also use another strong game from Dwayne Morgan, who has been providing the Rebels with elite defense this season. If he can stay of the floor for 28-30 minutes, UNLV should be able to create problems for the SUU offense.

On the injury front, Menzies said before Tuesday’s practice that he doesn’t expect freshman big man Cheickna Dembele (foot) to suit up, as the medical staff wants him to be completely healed before they bring him back for the second time.

Mike’s prediction: UNLV 88, Southern Utah 72. Open shots should be plentiful against a young team that doesn’t know how to play defense yet.

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