Blog: Rebels race past Northern Arizona for easy victory

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2016 | 5:48 p.m.

Freshmen take over in second half of blowout win

Djordjije Sljivancanin scored 15 points. That tells you just about everything you need to know about UNLV's 110-71 win over Northern Arizona.

The game was so far out of reach in the second half that Sljivancanin, the Rebels' end-of-bench big man, played 15 minutes, took eight shots, made six (including a 3-of-3 performance from 3-point range) and sent the Rebels' sideline into a frenzy with each make.

For the game, UNLV shot a blistering 54.2 percent and made 11-of-29 from long range. Jalen Poyser led the way with 17 points, while Jovan Mooring and Tyrell Green joined Sljivancanin in the 15-point scorers' club. Uche Ofoegbu played his best game of the season, registering 10 points and a team-high eight assists.

Next up for the 3-1 Rebels is TCU on Friday. Something tells me we won't see quite so much of Sljivancanin in that game.

Rebels up 30, put it in cruise control

Well, that's that.

UNLV opened the second half with a 9-2 run, and with the Rebels now sitting on a 77-44 lead with 10:40 to play, this game is effectively over. Marvin Menzies seems to agree, as he's emptying his bench. Larry Bush and Djordjije Sljivancanin are both seeing minutes, and a moment ago UNLV had four true freshmen on the floor at the same time.

Troy Baxter has enjoyed his best game of the season (eight points, two rebounds), but you could say that about a lot of Rebels tonight.

The rout is on

UNLV is pushing the pace and overmatched Northern Arizona simply can't keep up. Jalen Poyser and Tyrell Green have 10 points apiece, Jovan Mooring has nine and the Rebels have opened up a 53-25 lead at halftime.

The first 20 minutes have been a track meet, with UNLV on pace for more than 80 possessions. The Rebels have dominated in every facet, shooting 55.3 percent from the field and racking up 14 assists on their 21 made field goals. On the other end of the court, the Rebels have attacked the ball aggressively and forced nine turnovers. Dwayne Morgan has two blocked shots, both of which led directly to breakaway layups for Poyser. Tyrell Green has also been an active defender with four rebounds and two steals.

Northern Arizona is severely overmatched, but the fact that the Rebels haven't taken this game lightly has to be considered a good sign. It would have been easy to look ahead to this weekend's matchup with TCU (and possibly Washington), but the focus has been there tonight, so credit Marvin Menzies for getting his young team ready to play.

The next test will be how UNLV comes out of the locker room for the second half. Can the Rebels push down on the gas pedal and put this game completely out of reach?

Rebels open up big early lead

For the second straight game, UNLV has fired out of the gate, building a double-digit lead in the opening minutes. Jalen Poyser has scored on a pair of breakaway layups, and Tyrell Green and Jovan Mooring have hit 3-pointers to help the Rebels amass a 23-8 advantage with 11:46 left the play in the first half.

Poyser leads the Rebels with six points and two assists.

Even without starting center Christian Jones, the Rebels have smothered Northern Arizona's offense, forcing five turnovers in the first 16 possessions.

For any fans still making their way over to the Thomas & Mack Center from the Vegas Golden Knights unveiling, get here soon—this game could get out of hand very quickly.

Christian Jones not dressed

UNLV big man Christian Jones is not warming up with the rest of the Rebels and it doesn't look like he'll play tonight. He's currently on the sideline in street clothes, talking to freshman center Cheickna Dembele.

If Jones is indeed out for tonight, that puts more pressure on the rest of the frontcourt to defend the paint and control the boards. Junior Dwayne Morgan figures to see additional minutes if he can stay out of foul trouble, and Menzies may have to rely on Dembele and fellow freshman Troy Baxter to patch up the interior.

Live blog: Northern Arizona at UNLV

Can UNLV make it three wins in a row?

Inconsistency at the offensive end almost cost the Rebels on Saturday against Cal State Fullerton, but junior guard Jovan Mooring came off the bench to spark a late surge and seal UNLV's second win of the season. Against Northern Arizona's 289th-ranked defense (according to KenPom.com), such dramatics shouldn't be necessary for Marvin Menzies and his young Rebels to earn their third straight victory.

In fact, according to most metrics, tonight's matchup against the Lumberjacks could very well be UNLV's easiest game of the season. Northern Arizona struggles to score (71.0 points per game, 259th in the nation), and even with UNLV's defensive rebounding issues, the Rebels shouldn't have much trouble containing NAU's halfcourt offense. UNLV's perceived advantages are evident in the Rebels being 13-point favorites.

As for individual matchups, sophomore wing Kris Clyburn could be primed for a good showing. He's been hampered by leg and hip injuries over the last week, but if he's feeling healthy, his activity on the defensive end could prove extremely disruptive for NAU and lead to some easy transition points for UNLV.

Follow along as we track all the action in the live blog.

Mike's prediction: UNLV 86, Northern Arizona 68. There won't be many favorable matchups for the Rebels this season, but this is one of them.