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March 28, 2024

LIVE GAME BLOG: Final:

UNLV blasts Utah, 78-58, will face Air Force in MWC tournament quarterfinals

Rebels will face Falcons at 8:30 p.m. Thursday night at the Mack, finish regular season at 23-7

UNLV vs. Utah

Sam Morris / Las Vegas Sun

UNLV guards Tre’Von Willis and Anthony Marshall smile on the bench late in the game as the Runnin’ Rebels cruised past Utah 78-58 during their Mountain West Conference season finale Saturday, March 5, 2011 at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.

Updated Saturday, March 5, 2011 | 2:57 p.m.

UNLV vs. Utah

UNLV guards Tre'Von Willis and Anthony Marshall smile on the bench late in the game as the Runnin' Rebels cruised past Utah 78-58 during their Mountain West Conference season finale Saturday, March 5, 2011 at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City. Launch slideshow »

Final, UNLV wins 78-58

SALT LAKE CITY — No one had to do too much, there was never a tense moment and UNLV ultimately cruises into the Mountain West tournament off of a 78-58 ripping of Utah in Salt Lake City on Saturday afternoon.

Tre'Von Willis, Oscar Bellfield and Quintrell Thomas each scored 12 points for the Rebels, while Carlos Lopez and Anthony Marshall each contributed nine in one of the season's more well-rounded efforts.

Things got a tad sloppy in the second half, but the first half performance the Rebels put on made that acceptable. Before halftime, UNLV was 19-of-31 from the floor and 5-of-6 from 3-point range.

UNLV finishes the regular season at 23-7 overall and in third place in the MWC at 11-5 with five consecutive wins. The Rebels will play in the 3 vs. 6 quarterfinal on Thursday night against Air Force in the MWC tourney quarterfinals at the Thomas & Mack. Regardless of Air Force's result tonight at New Mexico, the Falcons hold a tie-breaker with Utah for sixth place.

For the Utes, Josh Watkins scored a game-high 18 points in what may turn out to be the final home game of the Jim Boylen Era.

For full postgame coverage, stay tuned to lasvegassun.com/rebels

11:54, Second Half, UNLV leads 57-34

SALT LAKE CITY — Out of the halftime locker room, Anthony Marshall quickly hit a 3-pointer for UNLV, and that was the tell-tale sign that UNLV has no intentions of letting up today with the regular season's finish line in sight.

Marshall now has nine points — seven early this half — and UNLV holds a commanding 57-34 lead with under 12 minutes left to play.

UNLV started the first half 8-of-8 from the floor and has started this half just 4-of-16, but what's helping the Rebels keep that edge is rebounding. So far, they are winning that battle, 38-19. It's hard to see how a team with two 7-footers can get out-rebounded so badly, but it speaks to how much harder UNLV is playing this afternoon.

Halftime, UNLV leads 47-22

SALT LAKE CITY — Not even a shot to the face that sent Anthony Marshall to the locker room could slow the Rebels down in the first half at Utah.

Marshall suffered a bloody nose after colliding with Josh Watkins near mid-court and left the game, but came back late in the half to put the finishing touches on a 47-point half for the Rebels.

UNLV is 19-of-31 from the floor and 5-of-6 from 3-point range, while Utah is playing without a ton of fight in what's looking more and more like Jim Boylen's final regular season game at the helm in Salt Lake City.

Carlos Lopez and Tre'Von Willis each have nine points for the Rebels. Quintrell Thomas and Chace Stanback each have five rebounds, as the Rebels hold a huge 27-10 edge on the glass over the Utes.

At this point, it appears that UNLV, who got contributions from everyone in the first 20 minutes, is going to meet Air Force in Thursday's Mountain West Conference tournament quarterfinals, while Utah is going to finish seventh in the league and have to face San Diego State.

The Utes are just 7-of-29 from the floor, not looking all that organized on the offensive end and, to be blunt, appearing like a team that wants to be anywhere but here. Watkins has six field goals for Utah, while the rest of his team has contributed just one.

UNLV has 14 assists on 19 field goals and has avoided lagging on the heels of a week off from game action.

11:16, First Half, UNLV leads 22-8

SALT LAKE CITY — So much for having to sweat it out early.

UNLV hit its first eight shots from the floor while Utah started the game 1-for-14. Add in the fact that the Rebels clearly have more fight today than the Utes, and it all contributes to an early 22-8 lead for UNLV.

Oscar Bellfield has a pair of 3-pointers so far, while Quintrell Thomas got off to a strong start with two mid-range jumpers.

On the other side, Utah isn't showing much punch, as the team's energy level on the floor reflects what's coming from the stands. It's much quieter than normal at the Huntsman Center, as the long, unsuccessful season has clearly worn on this fan base.

The Rebels are now 9-of-10 from the field and have out-rebounded Utah 11-5.

Pregame

SALT LAKE CITY — In the past two seasons, UNLV has left Utah's Huntsman Center unsure of itself in the aftermath of humbling losses.

The difference between those two games and today's, though, is that those were must-wins in hopes of fulfilling their NCAA tournament aspirations. Right now, the Rebels are safely in and can play a little looser.

Meanwhile, the question for Utah is whether we'll be witnessing the last home game in the Jim Boylen Era or not. A report yesterday in the Salt Lake Tribune suggested that it might be.

Since winning the Mountain West tournament title two years ago, between losing and players leaving, it's been a downhill tumble for the program. The administration might be making to look a splash, too, with the Utes ready to start competing in the Pac-12 next season.

Here now is a close look at three themes I'll be watching in today's game…

1) UNLV can take Utah out of the game early by defending point guard Josh Watkins the same way it did last time. Watkins only had four turnovers in the 13-point loss to the Rebels, but it felt like plenty more than that. he had trouble consistently setting up Utah's offense, and the Utes were out of the game pretty early.

2) Quintrell Thomas had a career-high 16 rebounds in the first meeting, and showed no fear in going up against 7-foot-3 David Foster. Thomas is playing his best ball over the last week, with 34 points and 20 rebounds over the last two games. Foster was a difference-maker in each of Utah's two regular season wins over UNLV last season, but in the past two meetings, he's been rendered ineffective. The Rebels need to make sure that stays the case.

3) The Utah players have to be aware that Boylen is on the ropes here. That said, here's where we see how much the Utes want to play for him. It shouldn't be that hard to tell early on in the ball game.

As for a prediction, I think UNLV snaps its 3-game skid in this building with a 72-60 win. My Pick to Click will be Tre'Von Willis, who has played well in this building in his UNLV career.

I'll be back with updates after this one tips off. Also, don't forget to join in the conversation via Twitter below by adding the #unlvmbb tag to your in-game tweets. Or, you can give me a follow @ryanmgreene.

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