UNLV Rebels guard Michael Nuga (1) celebrates after making a three-point basket during a game against the Seattle Redhawks at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Mandalay Bay Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021.
Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021 | 9:41 p.m.
Early in the second half of Wednesday’s game, UNLV held a modest 45-38 lead over Seattle as Bryce Hamilton drove into the teeth of the defense.
As recently as a week ago, Hamilton — the team’s leading scorer and undisputed No. 1 option — might have forced a shot, any shot, no matter the degree of difficulty. But the senior guard has seen the light, and on this occasion he drove deep enough to draw a help defender, then tossed a pass out to teammate Donovan Williams, who canned an open 3-pointer.
On the next possession Hamilton did it again, repeating the drive-and-kick maneuver, and this time it was Justin Webster who buried a corner 3. Suddenly UNLV was up by double digits, and the scarlet and gray never looked back, surging past Seattle, 76-56.
Hamilton was removed from the starting lineup at San Francisco due to poor shot selection but has seemingly gotten the message. He drove relentlessly against USF and shot 10-of-19 from the floor and he was even more efficient against Seattle, scoring 18 points on 8-of-9 shooting. And he added three assists, finishing with a plus/minus of plus-15 in 28 minutes.
Hamilton said he knew he could dribble inside the Seattle defense, and once help defenders began converging he was ready to look for the open man.
“I was just reading the defense, seeing that all of them were collapsing on me,” Hamilton said. “We have good shooters on the team, so it’s just being able to kick it out to them and getting them open shots."
The rest of the team followed Hamilton’s example, engaging in an endless cycle of driving and kicking that left Seattle’s defense a step behind on every possession. UNLV recorded 24 assists on 30 made baskets (30-of-55).
Kruger said the constant stress on the Seattle defense led to more penetration opportunities and more passing, which only made UNLV more difficult to defend.
“Eventually as a defense, that’s just not fun to do,” Kruger said. “The more those guys drove and kicked, they just continued to get better looks and better looks. I think once we chart it, I’m sure that will be our best game offensively in terms of side to side, paint touches and open looks.”
Mike Nuga was particularly effective at the penetrate-and-dish game, as the senior guard played his best game of the season, handing out a team-high eight assists while scoring 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting.
It was a strong bounce-back performance for Nuga, who scored just three points in 15 minutes in the blowout loss at San Francisco. Following that game Nuga could be seen shouting in the hallway outside the locker room and banging the walls in frustration.
Nuga said he tweaked his practice regimen in the days after that game and that his outburst was simply his way of venting.
“I just care a lot,” Nuga said. “We all care a lot. So that was nothing. We get back to practice, we keep that same aggression, that same passion and apply it to our game, for each other.”
UNLV is now 5-5 on the season, having snapped a five-game losing streak against Division-I opponents. Kruger’s squad will try to keep the momentum going on Saturday, when they take on Hartford at Michelob Ultra Arena.
Iwaukor makes debut
UNLV got a big piece of its rotation back on Wednesday — for five minutes. That’s how long Victor Iwaukor played in his season debut before shutting it down.
The junior power forward missed the first nine games due to a shoulder injury but was cleared to play against Seattle. He checked in at the first media timeout and made his presence felt, forcing a turnover on his first defensive possession and sparking an 8-0 run for UNLV.
After five minutes of court time, however, Iwaukor subbed himself out and did not return.
Kruger said Iwaukor’s exit was precautionary and that the 6-foot-7 power forward did not reaggravate his injury.
“He kind of looked at me, walked over to the sideline and we decided at that point those five minutes were good,” Kruger said.
Once Iwaukor is ready to go without a minutes restriction, expect him to play a big role over the final three-quarters of the season.
“I think you all saw what he can do, what he’s capable of, what he can bring to the team,” Kruger said. “His energy, his athleticism is something we’re looking forward to using more in the lineup.”
Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.
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