Kruger game plan works again as Canada trip wraps with win

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Friday, Aug. 19, 2022 | 9:24 p.m.

UNLV fought off a late challenge from the University of the Fraser Valley to secure a 91-70 victory in the third and final game of the team’s Canadian exhibition trip.

The win allowed UNLV to wrap the journey with a 2-1 record.

UNLV started fast, with Luis Rodriguez and Justin Webster each making a pair of 3-pointers to stake out a 12-4 lead. The Scarlet and Gray led 26-21 at the end of the first quarter and pushed their advantage to 53-38 at halftime.

Fraser Valley closed the gap in the third quarter and took advantage of UNLV’s sloppy offensive execution to pull within 72-69 midway through the fourth. That’s when Kevin Kruger’s squad found its stride.

Immediately following a timeout, UNLV put together its best stretch of basketball of the entire trip, embarking on a 15-0 run to slam the door.

It started with a Jackie Johnson 3-pointer to provide some breathing room, and a Justin Webster steal led to a fastbreak layup for Keyshawn Hall. On UNLV’s next possession, Hall drove and drew a foul, then connected on both free throws to make it 79-69 with five minutes to play.

Rodriguez forced a turnover and threw the ball ahead to Webster for a 3, and Keshon Gilbert got in on the action by stealing the ball in the backcourt and drawing contact (he made both free throws). That gave UNLV a comfortable 85-69 lead with two minutes remaining.

Kruger said increased defensive pressure turned the tide.

“The activity level increased,” Kruger said in postgame comments provided by UNLV. “We were a lot more active in the backcourt and disruptive and took them out and made them take tough shots. When they did that, we did a good job getting clean rebounds and running out.”

Rodriguez put a bow on the trip by coming up with another steal, driving in transition and lobbing a pass to Gilbert for an alley-oop layup to cap the 15-0 burst.

Quick takeaways from the exhibition finale:

Successful trip?

Was UNLV’s trip to Canada a success? Yes, and no.

At UNLV’s final practice before leaving Las Vegas, Kruger said the top priority on the trip would be communication — with a roster full of newcomers, he wanted his players to learn how to talk on the court, and he wanted them to bond off the court. After a week on the road, it seems as though they accomplished that goal. Closing out the trip with their best stretch of ball will certainly make the journey home more enjoyable.

But it’s difficult to call the exhibitions a complete success when the trip included a loss to the University of British Columbia on Tuesday. No matter how you look at it, that’s a warning siren for the upcoming season.

After the game, Kruger seemed content with what his team accomplished in Canada.

“There’s so many things you get to learn on these trips,” Kruger said. “You get to play in a different environment, play against somebody else. And when you’ve got a new group, you can’t put a value to that.”

UNLV will next be eligible for a foreign exhibition trip in the summer of 2025.

Cottrell hurt

UNLV did not escape Canada unscathed in the health department, as junior big man Isaiah Cottrell missed the game due to a foot injury.

Cottrell did not play in the fourth quarter of UNLV’s game against the University of Calgary on Wednesday, and did not suit up against Fraser Valley. That left Kruger with only one true big at his disposal in senior center David Muoka; when Muoka sat, UNLV went small, using 6-foot-6 freshman Keyshawn Hall as the pivot.

Kruger did not have an update on Cottrell’s situation immediately after the game.

“We’ll reassess it when we get back and then go from there,” Kruger said.

What’s next?

With the conclusion of this trip, UNLV is about to throttle down for the offseason. Kruger said he’ll give everyone a week off when they return to Las Vegas, then meet with players to discuss the team’s plans for the next month.

But after eight weeks of individual workouts and 10 full practices leading up to the exhibition games, things should slow down until the official start of practice on Sept. 26.

Kruger believes the players have earned a break.

“They’ve had a good, intense summer,” Kruger said.

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