Utah State’s Sam Merrill (3) covers UNLV’s Jalen Poyser (5) as the Rebels play the Utah State Aggies at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Wednesday, March 1, 2017.
Published Wednesday, March 1, 2017 | 7:30 p.m.
Updated Wednesday, March 1, 2017 | 9:37 p.m.
On a night where the Rebels' seniors did most of the heavy lifting, junior guard Jovan Mooring stepped up in the final minute to give UNLV its first win in more than a month, 66-59 over Utah State.
Mooring was 2-of-11 from the floor before hitting a 3-pointer to give UNLV a 64-59 lead with 30 seconds to play. After Utah State missed on the ensuing possession, Mooring hit the deck to secure the loose rebound and seal the win. Mooring added a pair of free throws for the final margin.
With that, UNLV's nine-game losing streak is a thing of the past, and seniors Tyrell Green (19 points), Christian Jones (16 points) and Uche Ofoegbu (11 points) got a win in their final home game at UNLV.
Check back for a full game recap after the post-game press conferences.
Rebels fighting for elusive win vs. Utah State
How badly do the Rebels want to break their nine-game losing streak? We're going to find out over the next eight minutes.
With 7:43 to play, Utah State has a 56-54 lead, but the Rebels are closer to victory than they've been in quite some time. A 9-0 Utah State run has stolen the momentum, but the sparse crowd at the Thomas & Mack Center is definitely injecting some energy and atmosphere into the game. If the Rebels want to steal this one, they're going to have to fight for it.
Seniors Tyrell Green (17 points), Christian Jones (14 points) and Uche Ofoegbu (11 points) have fittingly led the way on Senior Night. Now, can they carry UNLV down the stretch and earn at least one more win in their college careers?
Rebels lead Utah State at half
UNLV enjoyed one of its best shooting halves in a long time, and it's given the Rebels a 33-30 halftime lead over Utah State.
The Rebels made 45.2 percent of their shots (14-of-31), led by senior forwards Tyrell Green (14 points, 5-of-7 FGs) and Christian Jones (six points, 3-of-6 FGs).
Not surprisingly, Utah State's 3-point shooting has kept the Aggies in this one. The Mountain West's best outside shooting team has made 6-of-11 from long range, with freshman Kobe McEwen doing particular damage (3-of-5 3FGs).
Marvin Menzies is no doubt using the halftime break to stress the importance of closing out on shooters. If UNLV can keep close to McEwen, this game is being played at a pace that could favor the Rebels down the stretch.
Green carrying Rebels early
Seniors combined to score UNLV's first 11 points, and with 11:57 left in the first half, the Rebels trail Utah State, 19-17.
Tyrell Green got a spot in the starting lineup for Senior Night, and he's making the most of it. He's already got 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting, and he just converted a layup while drawing a foul. He'll shoot the and-1 free throw after the timeout.
Defense has been a bit of an issue for UNLV, as the Rebels have left too many Utah State shooters open (USU is 4-of-6 from 3-point range). The Rebels are going to need to clean that up if they want to stay close enough to steal a win tonight.
Rebels seeking send-off win on Senior Night
The Rebels' best chance to get another win before the end of the season will come tonight against Utah State (14-15, 7-10 Mountain West), and a victory would be more likely if they get big contributions from the three seniors being feted before tipoff.
Forwards Tyrell Green and Christian Jones and guard Uche Ofoegbu are all expected to start tonight in their final game at the Thomas & Mack Center. Utah State is eighth in the Mountain West in defending 3-pointers, so look for Green and Ofoegbu to test their long-range accuracy early.
Marvin Menzies will almost definitely make Utah State freshman guard Kobe McEwen a big part of the Rebels' defensive game plan — the last time these teams met, McEwen hit 5-of-7 from 3-point range and scored 28 points in USU's 79-63 win in Logan.
A future Rebel will also be in attendance tonight, as Class of 2017 recruit Tervell Beck will sit courtside as part of his official visit. Beck committed to UNLV this afternoon, so it would be nice to see a solid showing from the fans at the Mack. It would also be nice if he were indoctrinated with a win, and not a 10th consecutive loss.
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