Live coverage: UNLV beats Southern Miss, finishes nonconference 11-1

The last thing UNLV wanted was to go into the holiday break on a two-game losing streak, and Kevin Kruger's squad avoided that speed bump by defeating Southern Miss, 74-63.

UNLV used a 15-0 run midway through the second half to open up some breathing room, and they held on down the stretch despite missing 13 of 14 shots at one point. Justin Webster snapped that skid with a corner 3 to make it 64-56 with four minutes to play, pretty much sealing the game since both teams were having so much trouble scoring.

The Scarlet and Gray renewed their defensive intensity, forcing 25 turnovers and converting them into 33 points. They also held Southern Miss to 37.5% shooting in the second half, including 1-of-10 from 3-point range.

E.J. Harkless scored 14 of his team-high 19 points in the second half. Luis Rodriguez finished with 18 points, seven rebounds and four steals. Keshon Gilbert posted a career-high 10 rebounds while also collecting four steals.

UNLV finishes non-conference play with an 11-1 record. They'll have the holidays off before beginning the Mountain West portion of the schedule on the road at San Jose State on Wednesday.

UNLV surges ahead of Southern Miss, 48-43

UNLV has used an 8-0 run to regain a 48-43 lead over Southern Miss with 12:34 remaining.

Kevin Kruger is still searching for the right matchup against this quirky Southern Miss squad. It appears he has taken Jackie Johnson out of the rotation for the second half — usually the sophomore guard is one of UNLV's first subs, but he has yet to check in since the break.

The biggest difference-maker is that E.J. Harkless and Keshon Gilbert have come alive. After combining for eight points in the entire first half, they've already put in that many so far in the second. Luis Rodriguez is still leading the way with 14 points, including a 3 from the corner that just forced Southern Miss to call timeout. Harkless is next with 10 points. 

UNLV trails Southern Miss at half, 33-32

After a sloppy first half that saw both teams combine for 22 turnovers, Southern Miss has pushed ahead of UNLV, 33-32.

UNLV did some good things on the defensive end, forcing 12 turnovers while holding Southern Miss to 1-of-9 from 3-point range, but the Eagles were money inside the arc, connecting on 12-of-17 from 2-point range.

UNLV especially had some trouble matching up when Southern Miss went small to close out the half. Kevin Kruger countered by playing 6-foot-6 freshman Keyshawn Hall at center, but Southern Miss was able to exploit that for a couple backdoor layups.

Luis Rodriguez has made 3-of-5 from 3-point range and leads UNLV with 11 points. The Scarlet and Gray's two leading scorers on the season, Keshon Gilbert and E.J. Harkless, have combined for just seven points on 2-of-8 shooting.

UNLV turning up the defense against Southern Miss

UNLV is making its 3-point shots, and with 7:43 left in the half they've got a slim, 19-16 lead over Southern Miss.

Southern Miss is definitely in the holiday spirit, as they've gifted UNLV 10 turnovers already. At the other end, the Scarlet and Gray have connected on 3-of-8 from 3-point range, while Southern Miss has missed all five of its attempts.

Luis Rodriguez leads UNLV with six points (2-of-2 3FGs) and a pair of steals.

UNLV up early against Southern Miss

E.J. Harkless and Luis Rodriguez have hit early 3-pointers, and with 15:26 remaining in the first half UNLV has a 9-8 lead over Southern Miss.

Southern Miss has found a couple cutters under the basket for easy layups, but otherwise UNLV has gotten back to its stifling style of defense. They've already forced three turnovers, including an offensive foul drawn by Keshon Gilbert before the break.

One development to watch is the foul situation of Southern Miss forward Felipe Haase. He picked up two quick whistles and has gone to the bench; Haase came into the game as the Eagles' leading scorer at 17.4 points per game.

UNLV basketball looking to bounce back after first defeat

For the first time this season, the UNLV basketball team is coming off a loss — and it was a stinging defeat, as the Scarlet and Gray blew a late lead at home to San Francisco on Saturday.

How will they respond when they host Southern Mississippi in the non-conference finale on Thursday (7 p.m., Mountain West Network)? A win would allow UNLV to regain momentum and head into league play with a shiny 11-1 record while keeping Kevin Kruger’s squad on track for a possible NCAA Tournament berth.

Three keys to watch:

Bounce-back needed

UNLV stumbled for the first time last week, committing turnovers and allowing open 3-pointers at the other end while San Francisco mounted an 11-0 run to close the game. It was the kind of failure that could linger and continue to have a negative effect — if the players allow it.

Senior guard E.J. Harkless said that’s not going to happen.

Harkless, one of UNLV’s leaders, reported that his teammates have handled the loss well. Even without contributions from injured veterans Eli Parquet (knee) and Isaiah Cottrell (foot), Harkless said they’ve been able to refocus in practice as they prepare for Southern Miss.

“E.P. going down, Ice being out, those are older guys that have both made the tournament. That’s a lot of experience [lost],” Harkless said. “But the guys that haven’t made the tournament yet, they responded excellent. They came back to practice, coach was on us, coach made the emphasis of every single time, not letting it slip. And they responded well.”

Deflections wanted

The identity of this UNLV team has been its harassing defense. With multiple on-ball defenders crowding opponents, the Scarlet and Gray are used to forcing 20-plus turnovers just about every night, while racking up just as many deflections. All that chaos leads to fast-break points and big momentum plays.

That didn’t quite happen against San Francisco. UNLV forced 16 turnovers, but Harkless felt the Dons were way too comfortable on the offensive end.

“We played at their pace,” Harkless said. “We let them dictate. We let them do what they wanted to do offensively.”

UNLV still ranks No. 2 in the nation in turnover rate (28.5%), but the team will feel better about its chances against Southern Miss if they can get back to causing havoc.

Defending the 2

Southern Mississippi doesn’t run a normal offense. While most teams are focused on creating as many 3-pointers as possible, the Golden Eagles rely on a strategy from a bygone era: the mid-range shot.

Led by the wing tandem of Felipe Haase (17.4 points per game) and Austin Crowley (16.0 points), Southern Miss embraces the in-between shot. They currently rank second in the nation in amount of shots taken from inside the arc but outside the restricted area.

Normally, that’s a shot you want your opponents to take. But Southern Miss makes them; the Eagles score at a rate of 1.11 points per possession, which ranks them No. 16 nationally in terms of efficiency.

Kruger said UNLV will have to respect their ability to score from that part of the floor.

“When you talk about guys like Crowley and Haase, those guys that can make those in-between shots,” Kruger said. “They have that touch.”

From a scouting standpoint, Kruger said Crowley is best on pull-up jump shots, while Haase can make a living in the mid-paint.

Kruger said UNLV has no intention of conceding those shots.

“It’s still one of our focal points,” Kruger said. “We’ve got to do a good job of closing out to Haase and Crowley and making sure they don’t have good, clean, catch-and-shoot rhythm 3’s. Force them into tough 2’s and rebound from there.”

 Who: UNLV (10-1) vs. Southern Mississippi (11-1)

When: Thursday, 7 p.m. at Thomas & Mack Center

TV: Mountain West Network

UNLV leaders

Scoring: Keshon Gilbert — 15.2 points

Rebounding: David Muoka— 6.3 rebounds

Assists: Keshon Gilbert — 3.9 assists

Southern Mississippi leaders

Scoring: Felipe Haase — 17.4 points

Rebounding: Felipe Haase — 7.1 rebounds

Assists: Austin Crowley — 3.0 assists