UNLV hoping to rebound from lopsided BYU loss

By Rob Miech

Friday, Feb. 22, 2008 | 12:59 p.m.

UNLV’s basketball team gets another chance at Wyoming Saturday to show how well it has learned to rebound from a loss under coach Lon Kruger.

The past two seasons, the Rebels are 9-1 in games after defeats.

They were pasted, 74-48, by BYU in Utah last Saturday, the second-worst defeat in Kruger’s four years at UNLV. The worst was a 27-point loss at BYU last season, after which the Rebels bounced back to beat TCU by 15 points.

“When we have had setbacks, we’ve come back determined and focused,” said senior guard Curtis Terry, who could be limited by a groin injury Saturday. “It’s a good thing to know we’ve done that in the past.”

UNLV (19-6, 8-3 in the Mountain West Conference) is second to BYU (21-5, 10-1) in seeding for the league tournament, which will be played at the Thomas & Mack Center next month.

In late January, UNLV beat Wyoming, 78-71, at the Mack. Cowboys guard Brandon Ewing, who made six of his 13 attempts from 3-point range, scored 26 points.

“We can’t let Ewing or (guard) Brad Jones get loose early,” Terry said. “They got up early last time when Ewing got hot... If they get going early, they can be tough to beat.”