Poor defense takes center stage as UNLV falls to Fresno State

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Friday, Feb. 3, 2023 | 11:30 p.m.

What is going on in the middle of the UNLV lineup?

Kevin Kruger’s squad was torched by low-scoring Fresno State for the second time this season, 82-79, at the Thomas & Mack Center on Friday, while the team’s best interior defender watched most of the second half from the bench.

After giving UNLV seven strong minutes in the first half — especially on the defensive end — center David Muoka was limited to four minutes in the second half as Fresno State overtook the Scarlet and Gray by shooting 52.2% after halftime.

The loss dropped UNLV to 15-7 overall and 4-7 in the Mountain West. It also snapped the team’s three-game winning streak.

Muoka, a 6-foot-11 senior, started the first 17 games of the season but now finds himself in the doghouse, buried behind senior Victor Iwuakor (the new starter) and freshman Keyshawn Hall.

Iwuakor finished with a plus/minus rating of -9 in his 20 minutes, while Hall was -1 in eight minutes.

UNLV outscored Fresno State by seven points in Muoka’s 11 minutes of court time, but that wasn’t enough to earn him a longer leash.

Kruger was asked if he considered extending Muoka’s playing time in the second half, but didn’t offer much in the way of an answer.

“Yeah,” he said. “Yeah.”

The center position is becoming an issue and one that Kruger will have to solve sooner rather than later if UNLV is to stand a chance in next month’s Mountain West tournament. While Iwuakor offers more versatility and Hall brings more offensive skill to the position, Muoka is simply the superior defender among the trio, and by a wide margin.

UNLV certainly could have used a defensive anchor Friday. Fresno State’s points came from everywhere, as the Bulldogs shot 52.9% from 3-point range and 49.0% overall. Senior point guard Isaiah Hill once again scored at will against UNLV’s backcourt, pouring in 22 points on 8-of-13 shooting.

It was the second time this season Fresno has scored better than 1.25 points per possession in a game — both performances coming in wins over UNLV. Hill was the catalyst in both contests, totaling 50 points across the two games.

In the first meeting, Fresno used screens to get Hill and other guards switched onto UNLV’s big men in space. UNLV has since stopped automatically switching high screens, but Fresno countered that on Friday by dribbling behind the screen, waiting for one of the two defenders to lose position, and then rising for a 3-point shot.

Hill knocked down two 3-pointers by hiding behind screens. As a team, Fresno State made 9-of-17 from deep.

“I just thought they were in rhythm,” Kruger said of Fresno’s 3-point shooting. “Even the ones off the dribble, it seemed like they were all in rhythm. There weren’t very many of them where they were off balance or fading away or just tough looks. For the most part, when they wanted to shoot it, they shot it.”

UNLV wasted an inspiring performance from E.J. Harkless, who scored a game-high 27 points before fouling out late in the second half. Keshon Gilbert added 19 points, while Muoka posted five points, four rebounds and two blocks.

UNLV will have a few days to regroup (and possibly revisit the center rotation) before heading on the road next week for games at Wyoming (Wednesday) and at San Diego State (Saturday).

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