UNLV overwhelmed by the Wolf Pack’s talented trio, 89-73

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019 | 11:10 p.m.

If Wednesday was the last time that UNLV has to deal with UNR’s “Big Three” of seniors Caleb Martin, Cody Martin and Jordan Caroline, that’s probably just fine with the Rebels.

Sure, competitive spirit may lead the Rebels to desire a rematch in the Mountain West tournament, but sometimes discretion is the better part of valor. To put it simply, UNLV does not have an answer for UNR’s superstar trio.

That was on display again at the Lawlor Events Center, as the Wolf Pack opened a big early lead and then toyed with UNLV for the final 30 minutes of an 89-73 victory. It played out in nearly identical fashion to UNR’s earlier win at the Thomas & Mack Center, an 87-70 decision on Jan. 29.

A third meeting would likely end with the same result because of UNR’s three stars. The Martin twins and Caroline combined for 67 points on Wednesday, and they didn’t just dominate the game — they did it in a way that made UNLV’s every effort seem futile.

Caroline set a physical tone in the opening minutes, pounding the offensive glass and scoring on consecutive put-backs as UNLV players bounced off his 235-pound frame. Then it was Cody Martin drilling three 3-pointers in close succession to push the UNR lead into double digits. And in the closing moments of the half, it was Caleb Martin’s turn to take over; his off-balance, fadeaway 3-pointer on the final possession gave the Wolf Pack a 46-28 lead at the break.

The trio has not always played with maximum intensity this season — understandably so, as the watered-down Mountain West is not always worthy of their best effort — but Martin, Martin and Caroline came to play in the first half and they buried UNLV.

“Sometimes they play great, sometimes they just play OK, but even when they’re OK they’re pretty good,” said Rebels head coach Marvin Menzies. “Tonight they were great.”

Playing with a big lead, the Big Three let up in the second half and UNLV used an 11-3 run to close the gap midway through the period. Amauri Hardy made a pair of 3-pointers and a driving layup during the spurt to pull the Rebels within 68-57 with eight minutes to play, but that was as close as they would get.

The Martin twins scored the Wolf Pack’s next 13 points to reestablish an 81-66 advantage with two minutes remaining, and Caroline made a 3 and a layup on back-to-back possessions to close out the scoring for UNR.

UNLV drops to 15-13 on the season and 9-7 in the Mountain West. UNR, which is ranked No. 12 in the nation, is now 26-2 (13-2 MWC).

Amauri Hardy led UNLV with 19 points and Kris Clyburn scored 18, but they were no match for UNR’s firepower. Caleb Martin finished with 24 points and six 3-pointers, Cody Martin totaled 23 points and eight assists, and Caroline put up 20 points and 12 rebounds.

Menzies said it was a case of too much star power for UNLV to handle.

“Cody’s really shooting it at a high clip right now. When Cody and Caleb are playing connected like that, they’re a tough team to beat. And Jordan, obviously, he’s going to be that bulldozer and get things done on the glass. He had like four offensive rebounds in the first five or six minutes that were killers. I mean, we’re down 13-7 and five of the points are him just getting the rebound and putting it back up. You can’t beat those guys unless you put bodies on them.”

For the game, Martin, Martin and Caroline combined to make 12 3-pointers and shoot 24-of-44 from the field. Many of the shots were contested by UNLV defenders, but with all three UNR players standing 6-foot-7, there was little the Rebels could do to truly challenge the shots.

Menzies said that no matter how much scouting work the Rebels do in advance of a potential third meeting, nothing will change the fact that UNR’s Big Three are capable of making plays against anyone.

It just comes down to whether their shots go in.

“They make tough shots, deep shots,” Menzies said. “The good news is, every night isn’t always the same. Will they continue to shoot at that clip if they play us again? Who knows.”

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