UNLV wins shootout with Wyoming

In a raucous game whose pulse quickened with each succeeding possession, the quietest Rebel put the finishing touches on UNLV's most significant victory in two years Friday, keeping alive the Rebels' NCAA Tournament hopes.

Senior Issiah Epps, quiet and unheralded throughout his Rebel career, made two free throws with 7.9 seconds left to cement UNLV's throbbing 97-92 victory over Wyoming in the semifinals of the Mountain West tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center.

UNLV will meet Brigham Young (20-9) at 7 tonight for the Mountain West championship. Though the teams won't be playing for an automatic NCAA bid, a victory would almost certainly get UNLV in. If they lose, they might still get in on Selection Sunday, but they might need outside help.

But there is almost no way that tonight's game can match Friday's for excitement. For one night at least, the Thomas & Mack rocked with the same intensity that marked the Rebels' 1998 victory in the WAC tournament. It was an enormously entertaining game by practically every measure.

The Rebels (22-7) had heroes at almost every locker in the run-and-gun contest.

Freshman Dalron Johnson scored a career-high 23 points before fouling out with 1:08 to play, Trevor Diggs added 20, Mark Dickel had a career-high 18 assists and Kaspars Kambala overcame a bad start to finish with 18 points. Kambala made only one of his first seven shots, and Dickel had pregame nausea.

But it was Epps' free throws that sealed the win. Wyoming had climbed within 95-92 on a Bradley Mann 3-pointer with 43 seconds left. UNLV's Sylvester Dotson blocked LeDarion Jones' triple try with 13 seconds left, but the Cowboys (19-12) got the ball back and set up another play after a timeout. Mann missed a 3-pointer, Epps grabbed the rebound and then swished both free throws.

With a loud crowd of 12,437 fueling the Rebels, they rallied from an 80-71 deficit in the final 8:20 and took the lead for good on a 3-pointer by Diggs with 2:54 to go. A Kambala tip-in and a Dickel 10-footer extended the margin to 94-88 with 1:18 left. It was enough cushion to hold up.

"That was my the biggest moment of my career," Epps said. "But I was very relaxed. I stepped up and made them like it was nothing."

"That was unbelievable for Ike," Dickel said. "I'm so happy for him."

Epps scored seven points in six minutes on a big night for the Rebel bench. Dotson supplied six points in 12 minutes and had the crucial block on Jones at the end.

Jones was almost unstoppable for the Cowboys, scoring 27 points on 12-of-25 shooting. He made a lot of shots from the 10-foot range, squaring up to the basket and shooting over Kambala. Brett McFall added 17 points and all-conference first-teamer Josh Davis had 12, but Davis was limited to 19 minutes because of foul trouble.

Now the Rebels take on BYU, which beat Utah 58-54 to break a 12-game losing streak to the Utes. BYU beat UNLV both times during the regular season, 77-75 here and 83-82 there, with the Rebels missing winning shots at the buzzer in both.

BYU coach Steve Cleveland, sitting courtside for the UNLV-Wyoming game, said his team will have avoid getting into a track meet with the Rebels.

"We can't play at their pace on the third day (of a tournament). It has to be at our pace, and we have to make shots," he said.

** BYU 58, UTAH 54 -- In the opening semifinal, the Cougars gradually pulled away from a 42-42 tie in the final eight minutes, but had to repel a tying 3-point attempt by Utes forward Hanno Mottola with four seconds left. His airball kept BYU ahead 57-54.

Eric Neilsen scored a career-high 17 points to lead BYU and Terrell Lyday had 16. Mottola's 17 led Utah, while Nate Althoff scored 13 and added 11 rebounds. The Utes were held to 30-percent field goal shooting.

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