Utah State sinks UNLV basketball with 3-point avalanche

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023 | 9:23 p.m.

UNLV was one minute away from an improbable comeback win at Utah State on Tuesday.

Despite a slow start, a hostile crowd, several key players in foul trouble and other strange occurrences, the Scarlet and Gray had a late lead and were on the verge of earning a desperately needed victory.

Then the team’s fatal flaw flared up at the worst possible time — as fatal flaws tend to do — and Utah State sent the visitors packing, 75-71.

The flaw? Three-point defense.

Protecting a 69-68 lead with 1:09 on the clock, two UNLV defenders mixed up an assignment and left Utah State point guard Steven Ashworth uncovered at the top of the key. Ashworth, a 51.3% long-distance shooter, unsurprisingly made the shot to put the Aggies ahead for good.

It was the 11^th triple of the night for Utah State, which connected at a rate of 44.0% (11-of-25). The Aggies became the third straight team to shoot better than 40% from 3-point range against UNLV (all losses).

For the game, Utah State outscored the Scarlet and Gray by 15 points from beyond the arc.

Head coach Kevin Kruger said the problems began with UNLV defenders giving up too many straight drives to the basket, which forced help defenders to collapse and left shooters open on the outside.

Utah State came into the game leading the entire country in 3-point accuracy, so the results were not unexpected.

“I thought in the first half we were just chasing way too much,” Kruger said. “They’re an elite passing team, and obviously an elite shooting team — best in the country. So we were giving them good catch, rhythm shots. That’s why we dug that hole.”

Mountain West teams are now exploiting UNLV’s help defense in a way that unprepared nonconference opponents couldn’t. The Scarlet and Gray limited nonleague teams to 31.3% from 3-point range (103-of-329), but MWC are now picking them apart to the tune of 40.6% (63-of-155).

After the loss, which dropped UNLV to 1-5 in conference play, Kruger bemoaned the fact that Utah State registered an assist on 14 of its 15 first-half field goals — a sure sign of an offense taking advantage of a defense that was too often out of position.

Kruger said the solution is getting in a stance on defense and denying the initial dribble penetration.

“Fifteen field goals and 14 assisted,” the second-year coach said. “I don’t think that happens if we’re flying around, keeping the ball in front, just doing a better job of guarding the ball.”

Ashworth finished with 14 points and nine assists, while Taylor Funk led Utah State with 20 points on 6-of-9 from 3-point range.

UNLV’s leading scorer was a surprise, as freshman Keyshawn Hall tallied 19 points off the bench in his Mountain West debut. Hall subbed in early in the first half after guards E.J. Harkless and Justin Webster each picked up two fouls, and he used his 6-foot-6 frame to muscle inside for close-range baskets.

Hall finished 6-of-11 from the floor in 26 minutes, and Kruger said the performance earned him more playing time going forward.

The only one not surprised by his big night was Hall.

“I didn’t know I was going to get the ball like that, but I’m always ready,” Hall said. “I feel like I’m a mismatch with anybody.”

UNLV will have four days to tinker with its defense before going on the road again to face Fresno State on Saturday. Fortunately for the Scarlet and Gray, it appears to be a good matchup on paper, as Fresno shoots just 28.8% from 3, making them 346^th out of 363 Division-I teams.

Kruger’s most important task — aside from fixing the defense — will be holding the locker room together in the meantime. After a 10-0 start to the season, his squad has now dropped five of six, a slump that has the potential to weigh down the team’s spirit.

“That’s going to be our challenge,” Kruger said. “I think we’ve done enough to win some of those games. Some of those five losses, I think we’ve done enough to put ourselves in position to win a couple of them, which obviously would change how we feel right now. But we didn’t. The result is what matters.”

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.