Live blog: Rebels win at Pacific, 81-76

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Published Saturday, Dec. 16, 2017 | 5 p.m.

Updated Saturday, Dec. 16, 2017 | 8:59 p.m.

UNLV didn't slam the door shut, but the final buzzer has sounded and the Rebels have banked another win, 81-76 at Pacific.

The Rebels committed a handful of turnovers late, which kept Pacific in the game longer than the Tigers otherwise would have managed. But Brandon McCoy finished strong with 21 points and 13 rebounds, and Jordan Johnson scored 22 on 6-of-10 shooting to help UNLV across the finish line.

UNLV is now 9-2 on the season, with a Wednesday home game against Mississippi Valley State next on the schedule.

UNLV has late 73-63 lead at Pacific

Jordan Johnson has scored UNLV's last four points, and with 3:49 to play, the Rebels lead Pacific, 73-63.

Johnson just took a big spill while chasing down a loose ball near the scorer's table just before the timeout, however, and the Rebels' trainer has been looking at him for a few minutes while the rest of the team huddled. If he's unable to play after the timeout, UNLV will have to figure out something quick, as offense has been difficult to come by in the second half.

The senior point guard has a game-high 20 points on 6-of-10 shooting.

Rebels holding on to 65-56 lead at Pacific

With 7:38 to play at Pacific, UNLV's lead is down to 65-56, with Shakur Juiston set to shoot a set of 1-and-1 free throws after the timeout.

UNLV's interior defense has slipped over the last few minutes, allowing Pacific to convert five straight layups and dunks as the Tigers have clawed back within single digits. Roberto Galinat now has 18 points for Pacific on 7-of-13 shooting.

Brandon McCoy leads the Rebels with 15 points and nine rebounds, while Juiston has 13 points and nine boards.

As a team, UNLV has shot just 43.8 percent in the second half.

UNLV leads 57-46 at Pacific

UNLV has started the second half slowly, and Pacific is still hanging around. With 11:56 to play, UNLV leads, 57-46.

The Rebels have made just five of their first 12 shots after halftime, and four turnovers have allowed Pacific to score in transition.

The first half started in similar fashion before UNLV used runs of 9-0 and 13-0 to open a big lead. Another extended run like that would make this a much more comfortable game for the Rebels down the stretch.

UNLV leads Pacific by 14 at halftime

UNLV shot 57.7 percent over the first 20 minutes to take a 45-13 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Brandon McCoy has battled inside to score 11 points on 3-of-8 shooting, while Jordan Johnson posted 10 points and three assists.

Pacific played a zone defense for most of the half, and it took UNLV a few minutes to find its stride. But once the Rebels figured it out, they scored with ease. After missing three of their first five shots, the Rebels closed the half by making 13-of-21 from the field (61.9 percent).

Junior guard Roberto Galinat has carried the load for Pacific, totaling 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting in the first half. Two of his points came via a late alley-oop that showed off some impressive athleticism. Other than Galinat, UNLV has smothered Pacific's offense. The rest of the Tigers shot just 6-of-22 in the half (27.2 percent).

UNLV opens 33-20 lead over Pacific

Well, it certainly appears as though UNLV has solved Pacific's defense. The Rebels have used separate runs of 9-0 and 13-0 to take a 33-20 lead over Pacific with 6:40 left in the first half.

Jordan Johnson has a team-high eight points on 3-of-3 shooting, while Brandon McCoy has six points and Kris Clyburn and Jovan Mooring have five apiece. For the game, UNLV is now shooting 63.2 percent.

Pacific has made just 7-of-20 from the field (35.0 percent), and the Tigers have attempted just two free throws. Pacific came into the game ranked 21st in the nation in made free throws per game, so UNLV has done a good job of keeping them off the line so far.

UNLV up 18-15 at Pacific

UNLV appears to have gotten a read on Pacific's zone defense, and with 11:43 left in the first half, the Rebels have an 18-15 lead.

Jordan Johnson is 2-of-2 from 3-point range, including a bomb from the left wing that capped a 9-0 run for the Rebels. Johnson has eight points and an assist.

UNLV started slowly from the field against Pacific's zone, but the Rebels have made four of their last six shots to pull ahead.

Three keys for UNLV basketball at Pacific

After a week off, UNLV is back in action on Saturday, when the Rebels will play their second and final road game of the non-conference season when they tip off against Pacific (7 p.m.).

The heavily favored Rebels should improve to 9-2, but Pacific can’t be completely overlooked. Three keys for UNLV:

Defensive discipline

Drawing fouls is a skill, and Pacific has several players who excel at it. The Tigers make 17.3 free throws per game (21st in the nation), which accounts for a whopping 23.0 percent of the team’s offense.

Pacific junior guard Miles Reynolds lives at the line, averaging 6.4 attempts per game, while Roberto Gallinat, Kendall Small and Jahlil Tripp all earn more than 3.0 attempts each. UNLV will have to defend without making too much contact, as the whistle game will likely favor Pacific.

Marvin Menzies said while there are some practice drills that can help his players avoid committing fouls, it’s mostly up to the individuals themselves to maintain discipline on the defensive end. And he said the Rebels preach defense without fouling as a staple of their game plan.

“I don’t know that there’s anything specific you can do for a game, but it’s got to be kind of who you are,” Menzies said. “You’ve got to be able to talk about showing your hands and how to play the secondary defender and jumping vertical if you’re inside the arc. There’s little drills and things you can do, but we’ve done a lot of that [all season]. So hopefully they’ll just keep getting better.”

Perimeter defense

Dribble penetration is the reason Pacific gets to the line so often. Reynolds (12.4 points per game) and Small (9.2 points) run a ton of pick-and-rolls, and their preference is to continue their dribble drives all the way into the paint. And once they’re attacking the rim downhill, the onus is on the opposing big men to protect the basket, which leads to fouls.

The Rebels will need to play sound perimeter defense in order to keep Pacific’s ball-handlers in check. Seniors Jordan Johnson and Jovan Mooring will have to stay connected on screens, and junior Kris Clyburn has to stay in front of his assignment. Any time a defender gets beat off the dribble, big men Shakur Juiston and Brandon McCoy will have to overcommit as help defenders, and that’s not good.

Solid defense from the guards will force Pacific to take tougher shots off the dribble and keep the bigs out of foul trouble.

Execute against zone

UNLV has faced more zone defenses in recent games, with Oral Roberts and Illinois both employing similar defensive schemes at points. Pacific also plays a lot of zone — 32.2 percent of all possessions — and the Tigers are pretty good at it. For the season, they’ve allowed 0.98 points per possession when playing man-to-man, but just 0.79 points when in zone.

UNLV has had a tendency to start slow against zones, but in every instance the Rebels have eventually solved it and feasted. That means a low-scoring game through the first 8-10 minutes shouldn’t cause panic. Once UNLV figures out how to get the ball inside and pass for open shots against the Pacific defense, the Rebels should roll.

For the season, UNLV is scoring 0.97 points per possession against man defenses, and a healthy 1.02 PPP against zones.

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.