UNLV Rebels guard Elijah Mitrou-Long dunks the ball as the Runin’ Rebels warm up for a game against the Kansas State Wildcats at the Thomas & Mack Center Saturday Nov. 9, 2019.
Published Friday, Nov. 15, 2019 | 6 p.m.
Updated Friday, Nov. 15, 2019 | 9:56 p.m.
Three power-conference opponents, three losses for UNLV.
The Rebels could not dig out of the 20-point hole they dug in the first half, and UCLA closed out a 71-54 win on Friday.
UNLV has now lost three consecutive games and sits at 1-3 on the season. T.J. Otzelberger will have two days to work on the offense before UNLV is set to take on Abilene Christian on Monday. Against UCLA, the Rebels shot just 37.5 percent. Donnie Tillman led the way with 18 points in the losing effort.
Junior guard Jonah Antonio did not play in the second half. The Rebels' best shooter, he only took one attempt in the first half (a missed 3-pointer) and never saw the court again. Bryce Hamilton started the second half in his place.
UCLA putting finishing touches on win over UNLV
UNLV tired down the stretch, and the comeback attempt is over. With 2:33 to play, UCLA is up, 67-49.
The Rebels got as close as nine points midway through the second half, but just couldn't generate enough offense to put a major dent in UCLA's lead. The Bruins have held UNLV to 32.0 percent from the field in the second half.
Amauri Hardy came into the game as UNLV's leading scorer at 19.0 points per game, but after posting nine points in the first half he has been limited to two points in the second.
Depth continues to be a major problem for T.J. Otzelberger. He attempted sub as conservatively as possible in the second half, but there continues to be a major drop-off when UNLV turns to its reserve players.
UNLV chipping away at UCLA lead in second half
UNLV is playing much better to start the second half, but the impact on the scoreboard has been minimal. With 10:51 to play, UCLA still leads, 52-41.
T.J. Otzelberger made an adjustment to his lineup to start the half, subbing in Bryce Hamilton as the third guard and moving Jonah Antonio to the bench. Hamilton has played well tonight, producing seven points and three rebounds in 19 minutes; he has also provided a more stout defensive presence than Antonio.
Donnie Tillman leads UNLV with 15 points, and he just canned a 3-pointer from the left corner. Offense has been hard to come by for the Rebels tonight, and they've got less than 11 minutes to crack the UCLA defense or they'll go home with a third straight loss.
UCLA leads UNLV at half, 40-28
UNLV trailed by as many as 22 points in the first half, but the Rebels closed strong to pull within 40-28 at the break.
Bryce Hamilton gave the Rebels a spark in the closing minutes of the half, as he scored on consecutive drives (including an and-1 finish) to trim the lead from 17 points to 12.
UCLA is shooting 48.4 percent, including 6-of-14 from 3-point range. UNLV has struggled to generate good shots, but once again turnovers have been the Rebels' biggest issue as they committed 10 in the first half.
Amauri Hardy and Donnie Tillman have nine points apiece, while UCLA guard Chris Smith has 14.
Rebels down 10 early at UCLA
It has only been eight minutes, but UNLV is already on the verge of being blown out.
UCLA has jumped out to a 19-10 lead with 11:35 left in the first half and looked like the vastly superior team in doing so. The Bruins have executed on offense, generated open shots and made them; UNLV has done the opposite, committing four early turnovers and shooting 4-of-11 from the field.
Amauri Hardy is doing his best to keep the Rebels close, as he's got seven points on 3-of-6 shooting. UCLA guards Chris Smith and Tyger Campbell have already combined for 13 points.
Donnie Tillman just canned a 3-pointer from the corner, so that my be a good sign for UNLV that the talented junior is snapping out of his early-season funk. The Rebels will need him if they plan on pushing UCLA for 40 minutes tonight.
Three keys for UNLV basketball at UCLA
UNLV is in need of a victory after suffering consecutive overtime losses, but the Rebels will head into Pauley Pavilion as underdogs today. UCLA is No. 102 in the KenPom.com ratings, and the Bruins defense is toughening on a game-by-game basis under new head coach Mick Cronin.
Three keys for UNLV:
Get into transition
The Rebels came into the season planning to push the ball, as is coach T.J. Otzelberger's preference, but it has not materialized so far. Part of that can be attributed to the disciplined defenses of Kansas State and Cal, but at some point UNLV will have to make the up-tempo offense a reality even against good defensive teams. Grinding out entire possessions for 40 minutes (or 45 minutes) is very hard, especially for a team as thin as the Rebels.
Cronin is a notoriously disciplined coach when it comes to the defensive end, so don't expect UCLA to get beat by fast breaks all day long. The Rebels will have to force the pace, take advantage of every slip in the Bruins' transition defense and be willing to take quick shots when they're open. It won't result in an avalanche of easy points, but every uncontested basket helps.
Ride the starters
UNLV's bench has been a liability this season. The starting five has done a good job of building leads, but whenever Otzelberger goes to his reserve units the Rebels get buried.
The rotation is already slim, with only three subs getting minutes (Nick Blair, Bryce Hamilton, Cheickna Dembele). But if this turns out to be a close game, look for Otzelberger to tighten his rotations even further; by stretching the starting five to 20-plus minutes together, he can patch together the remaining minutes by mixing in one reserve at a time to mitigate the liability.
Protect the ball
Mick Cronin is known for his intense, defensive-minded style of play, and he has already installed that attitude in the Bruins. After a slow start in their last game against UC Santa Barbara, the UCLA defense turned up in the second half, notching 17 deflections and allowing just 27 points in a comeback victory. UNLV has shown a tendency to turn over the ball in bunches this season; one bad stretch against UCLA on Friday could be the difference in a low-scoring affair.
TV: Pac-12 Network
Radio: ESPN 1100 AM
Betting line: UCLA minus-8.5
UCLA (2-0, Kenpom No. 102)
Coach: Mick Cronin
Scoring leader: Jalen Hill, 14.5 points per game
Rebounding leader: Jalen Hill, 8.5 rebounds per game
Assist leader: Tyger Campbell, 5.5 assists per game
UNLV (1-2, Kenpom No. 152)
Coach: T.J. Otzelberger
Scoring leader: Amauri Hardy, 19.0 points per game
Rebounding leader: Mbacke Diong, 12.0 rebounds per game
Assist leader: Elijah Mitrou-Long, 4.0 assists per game
Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.
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