UNLV triumphs over 19th-ranked Utah

UNLV rediscovered how it feels to beat a quality opponent Saturday night, and it could not have occurred at a better time against a better team.

The Rebels turned the Mountain West race on its ear with a 72-66 victory over 19th-ranked Utah, halting the Utes' 23-game conference winning streak and rewarding the season's biggest crowd at the Thomas & Mack Center, a throaty gathering of 16,629.

Utah hadn't lost a conference game since UNLV beat the Utes in the 1998 WAC tournament and the Rebels ended the streak with a terrific defensive performance in the teams' first meeting since then.

UNLV had lost all three games this season against ranked opponents (Cincinnati, North Carolina, Oklahoma State), but Saturday's victory lifted the Rebels back within a game of the Utes in the MWC. UNLV improved to 5-2 in the conference at the midpoint, 14-5 overall, while Utah sagged to 6-1 and 17-4.

"Defense won the game for us," UNLV coach Bill Bayno said. "Obviously, coming off Wyoming (a 109-98 loss Monday), that was our focus."

"This was a big win," Trevor Diggs said. "We won it as a team. Everybody stepped up."

In the final minutes, backup center Issiah Epps came up with two big defensive plays, a blocked shot against Utes forward Hanno Mottola and a tie-up of guard Jeremy Killion.

The Rebels led by 12 early in the second half, 45-33, but the Utes battled back to tie it 55-55 and then 61-61 with 6:00 to go. Mark Dickel scored the next six points at the foul line, giving UNLV the lead for good, though the Rebels had to sweat out the win. They made only 5-of-12 free throws in the final 2:53, but cold-shooting Utah (38 percent) couldn't take advantage.

UNLV center Kaspars Kambala scored 20 points to go over 1,000 for his career, making 9-of-13 shots, and he added 11 boards in a strong performance against Utah's tall front line. The Rebels knew they could not dominate the Utes under the basket, but played judiciously in the halfcourt, employing backdoor cuts and tidy passes out of double-teams.

Dalron Johnson played a strong game on both ends, scoring 17 and playing sturdy defense against Mottola. The latter scored 16, but on 5-of-16 shooting. Similarly, the Rebels did a good job on Utes forward Alex Jensen, despite his 19 points and 11 rebounds.

Dickel scored 18, making 12-of-14 at the foul line.

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