Live blog: Mooring misses at buzzer, Rebels fall to SJSU

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Published Saturday, Feb. 11, 2017 | 2 a.m.

Updated Saturday, Feb. 11, 2017 | 5:11 p.m.

Jovan Mooring missed a baseline runner at the buzzer, and San Jose State has swept the season series with a 76-74 win.

Tyrell Green hit a clutch 3-pointer with 40 seconds left to tie the game at 74-74, but SJSU bled the clock on the ensuing possession before Terrell Brown made a driving shot in the lane with 15 seconds to play.

UNLV put the ball in Mooring's hands on the final play, and the junior guard drove the right side and got a pretty good look at the basket, but his 10-foot floater came up short.

UNLV has now lost six straight games, the first time in more than 20 years the Rebels have lost that many consecutively.

Rebels battling San Jose State in final minutes

With 3:37 remaining, UNLV trails San Jose State, 70-67. Jovan Mooring just forced a turnover from Jaycee Hillsman, so UNLV will have the ball after the timeout.

UNLV has fought its way back into this game from the free-throw line, making 14-of-20 so far in the second half. Mooring has also played a huge role offensively, scoring the Rebels' last eight points.

With SJSU deep in the penalty, look for UNLV to continue riding Mooring's aggressive drives in the final minutes.

Turnovers hurting UNLV; Rebels trail SJSU

UNLV has lost control of this game, and with 10:13 remaining, San Jose State has taken a 55-50 lead.

The Spartans are on a 12-4 run, aided by some UNLV miscues. The Rebels have committed four turnovers in the second half, including three by point guard Jovan Mooring, who was benched after an open-court giveaway that led to an easy layup for SJSU.

Tyrell Green will shoot a pair of free throws after the timeout, but UNLV is going to have to get its offense back on track in the next 10:13 or this will end up as another frustrating, close loss.

UNLV leads SJSU at half

After an early scare, the Rebels found their groove and took advantage of some San Jose State miscues to grab a 36-31 lead at the half.

SJSU committed nine turnovers in the first half, many of which were unforced, and some of which helped quash the Spartans' momentum after they took an early 7-0 lead.

The bench has largely been responsible for UNLV's halftime advantage. Reserve forward Tyrell Green played aggressively, racking up 14 points and five rebounds in the first half, and the Rebels outscored SJSU by 11 points in the 16 minutes Green was on the floor.

Jovan Mooring also had a strong half, consistently penetrating the defense before passing to open shooters. Mooring has six points and five assists in 20 minutes.

The Rebels have also done a good job limiting San Jose State forward Brandon Clarke, holding the Spartans' leading scorer to just three field goal attempts in the half. Clarke has four points, four rebounds and four turnovers at the break.

Defending Clarke will continue to be a key for the Rebels in the second half. If UNLV can keep him from dominating inside, the Rebels' five-game losing streak could come to an end in about an hour or so.

Rebels hit historic 3

Uche Ofoegbu earned himself a permanent spot in future UNLV media guides by hitting the Rebels' first 3-pointer of the game, making it 1,000 consecutive contests in which UNLV has connected on at least one triple.

Besides the continuation of the streak, the Rebels haven't looked great in the early going against San Jose State. Though UNLV has a 17-16 lead with 11:22 left in the first half, it's been a struggle on the defensive end. San Jose State has made seven of its first 11 shots, and if it weren't for six self-inflicted turnovers by the Spartans, they'd be up on UNLV right now.

Jovan Mooring has been locked in so far, hitting both of his 3-point attempts to help UNLV come back from an early 7-0 deficit. Mooring has two assists to go along with his six points.

Keys for Rebels vs. San Jose State

Three quick keys for UNLV as the Rebels attempt to halt their five-game losing streak today:

Attack off the dribble

San Jose State's perimeter defense is leaky, and UNLV exploited guards Terrell Brown and Isaac Thornton in the first meeting between the teams, though the Rebels ultimately came up short in a 76-72 loss at SJSU on Jan. 28. The issue for the Rebels was finishing around the rim once they got inside, as there were simply too many missed layups. But players like Jovan Mooring and Jalen Poyser should be able to turn the corner on their defenders and get into the paint frequently. What they do from there — whether it's finishing inside, drawing a foul or making the right pass to an open teammate — could determine how effective the Rebels' offense is today.

Body up Brandon Clarke

Clarke, a 6-foot-7 sophomore forward, is San Jose State's best player and a likely all-Mountain West selection, and he murdered UNLV down the stretch two weeks ago. He finished with 23 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks, and his offensive rebounding in the final minutes was the deciding factor. After that game, Menzies said the Rebels suffered from too many mental lapses and failed to box out on Clarke — that can't happen again today. Clarke is smart, physical and relentless, so it will take more than one player to keep him off the glass. When shots go up, the Rebels will have to put a body between Clarke and the rim, and they'll have to gang-rebound. Otherwise, Clarke will beat them again.

Let it fly

UNLV is gunning for it's 1,000th consecutive game with a made 3-pointer, but the Rebels shouldn't be aiming to make one today — they should be aiming to make a dozen or more. San Jose State is susceptible to penetration, as outlined above, and that also means the Spartans' defense can be collapsed. Mooring is a good kick-out passer, and the rest of the Rebels need to follow his lead, pitching the ball around the arc until open shots present themselves. UNLV hasn't been a good shooting team this year (32.6 3FG%, 279th in the nation), but this game is a good opportunity to turn that around. UNLV focus on dribble-drives, which should lead to layup attempts or open 3's. From there, it's all about cashing in.

Snapping 5-game losing streak is top priority for Rebels

With just six games left in the regular season, it still feels like the Runnin’ Rebels are a mystery.

From week to week, game to game, and even half to half, it’s impossible to predict how UNLV is going to perform on the court, and that goes for individual players, too. The volatile swings have resulted in encouraging highs like the Rebels’ road win at New Mexico on Jan. 10, and perplexing lows like the team’s current five-game losing streak.

If the Rebels are going to swing the pendulum back in a reassuring direction, it probably has to start today against San Jose State. On paper, this looks like a winnable game for UNLV — maybe the only winnable game left on the schedule — and a failure to capitalize now might have a drastic impact on the team’s psyche.

The current losing streak is weighing on the players’ minds, which was obvious after Wednesday’s 104-77 dismantling at the hands of UNR. Junior guard Jovan Mooring, the team’s biggest success story this season, acknowledged that the Rebels hit a plateau after consecutive close losses to Wyoming, San Jose State and New Mexico and that they’re still struggling to regain their footing.

“We were heading in the right direction,” Mooring said. “We were making a lot of progress, but I think those three heartbreakers in a row kind of gave us a step back. We lost games we thought we should have won. Now mentally we have to get back into it and just clean up the little things.”

The failure to do the “little things” is what cost UNLV against San Jose State the first time around, as the Rebels missed a ton of layups and failed to box out down the stretch, allowing SJSU forward Brandon Clarke to score consecutive back-breaking putbacks in the last two minutes of a 76-72 decision.

This time, UNLV gets the Spartans at home, and Marvin Menzies expects his team to play with desperate energy. Though this is a rebuilding year for the Rebels, Menzies is emphasizing wins over development, especially in the face of five straight losses. He made that clear with his comments after the non-competitive loss at UNR, pointing to today’s game against San Jose State as a necessary gut check.

“We need to win that game [against San Jose State],” Menzies said. “We need to win games. We need to win a game. We haven’t won a game in five games. We’ve got to put our best foot forward [today].”

There are some clear matchup advantages for the Rebels in this game. Despite Clark’s heroics on the boards in the first meeting, SJSU is a bad rebounding team overall (325th in the nation), and the Spartans' interior defense is inviting. If UNLV can finish off some of the layups they missed against SJSU two weeks ago — the Rebels made just 8-of-23 shots categorized as dunks or layups — the losing streak should come to an end.

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