UNLV Rebel head coach T.J. Otzelberger congratulates Amauri Hardy (3) during an exhibition game against the West Coast Baptist College Eagles at the Thomas & Mack Center, Friday, Oct. 25, 2019.
Published Monday, Nov. 18, 2019 | 5 p.m.
Updated Monday, Nov. 18, 2019 | 8:49 p.m.
UNLV survived a second-half scare thanks to Amauri Hardy, who scored 25 points to lead the Rebels to a 72-58 win over Abilene Christian.
Abilene erased a 10-point deficit and tied the game at 50-50 midway through the second half, but Hardy immediately heated up and carried the Rebels across the finish line. UNLV is now 2-3 on the season, with Texas State set to visit the Thomas & Mack Center on Wednesday.
Elijah Mitrou-Long scored 13 points and Donnie Tillman chipped in 10 to support Hardy's heroics. Mbacke Diong finished with seven points, six rebounds and two blocks.
UNLV leads Abilene Christian, 59-52
Abilene Christian used a 14-2 run to tie the game, but Amauri Hardy answered with a pair of driving layups to give UNLV some breathing room again. With 7:42 to play, the Rebels have reestablished a 59-52 lead.
A UNLV scoring drought of more than three minutes allowed Abilene to catch up. Hardy then drove through the left side for a layup to give the Rebels a 52-50 lead, and after a Vitaliy Shibel bucket, Hardy drove again, this time finishing through contact for another layup. The and-1 free throw made it 57-50.
Bryce Hamilton added a driving basket to extend the lead to 59-50 before Abilene ended the 9-0 run with a Coryon Mason jumper.
Hardy now has a game-high 19 points on 7-of-8 shooting.
Rebels holding off charge from Abilene Christian
Just when it looked like UNLV might cruise to an easy win tonight, Abilene Christian has trimmed the Rebels' lead to 48-43 with 11:58 left in the second half.
UNLV has committed four turnovers since halftime and Abilene Christian has hit 7-of-12 shots to get back into the game. An offensive foul on Nick Blair will give the Wildcats the ball after the timeout, so this could be a one-possession game very soon.
Amauri Hardy has yet to score in the second half after tallying 14 points in the first half. The Rebels need some kind of spark on offense, so it will be interesting to see what T.J. Otzelberger calls after the timeout.
Hardy has 14 as UNLV leads at half
UNLV has gotten good production from beyond the arc, and at halftime the Rebels have a 38-28 lead over Abilene Christian.
The Rebels are 7-of-16 from 3-point range, led by Amauri Hardy's 3-of-4 showing. Reserve big man Vitaliy Shibel even got into the action in the final minute of the half by stepping out and nailing his first 3 of the season.
Hardy leads UNLV with 14 points and two assists. Abilene Christian guard Trey Lenox leads the Wildcats with 11 points.
The Rebels haven't played a perfect game so far, but they've only committed six turnovers while shooting 50.0 percent from the field (13-of-26). If they maintain that performance through the second half they should nail down a fairly comfortable win.
Amauri Hardy heating up early for UNLV
Amauri Hardy is off to a hot start, and the junior's shooting exploits have powered the Rebels to an 18-14 lead over Abilene Christian with 10:36 left in the first half.
Hardy opened the scoring by swishing a 3-pointer, and he's now 3-of-3 from deep. He's got 11 points already, and he'll head to the free throw line to shoot a pair after the timeout.
T.J. Otzelberger has used the early going to experiment with his rotation. Senior Vitaliy Shibel was the first big man off the bench, and UNLV ran out one lineup that included reserves Shibel, Nick Blair and Bryce Hamilton.
Three keys for UNLV basketball vs. Abilene Christian
The Runnin' Rebels have dropped three straight games, but the upcoming schedule is a bit more forgiving, with four home games in the next 12 days. That stretch starts tonight when UNLV hosts Abilene Christian (7 p.m., UNLVRebels.com).
What to watch for:
Start fast
UNLV has gotten off to slow starts this season, and after falling behind by 20 points early in Friday's 71-54 loss at UCLA, Amauri Hardy said that has to change.
"We can't come out like that ever again," he said. "Never. Not in the next couple games, never. No more this season."
For the season, UNLV's starting lineup has played opponents just about even, outscoring them 93-92 in 50 minutes. They should be able to pad those numbers by jumping out to a big early lead against Abilene Christian.
Get Antonio involved
On a team that needs as much shooting as it can get, the Rebels need Jonah Antonio to make a difference. The junior guard is the best shooter on the squad, but so far his impact has been matchup-dependent; against UCLA he was a complete nonfactor, managing just one shot attempt in the first half. T.J. Otzelberger did not play him in the second half.
Look for the Rebels to devise ways to get him some open looks throughout this game.
Stop the losing
It goes without saying, but losing is dangerously contagious. A three-game losing streak can leave a mark on a team that is still developing its identity, so the sooner UNLV can snap the skid, the better.
Otzelberger has played a short rotation this season, and while a game against a cupcake opponent like Abilene Christian (KenPom.com No. 292) may seem like a chance to spread some minutes around to lesser-used players, don't expect the coach to fool around tonight. He'll coach to win this game by as comfortable a margin as possible, just to get his players in the habit.
Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.
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