UNLV forward Victor Iwuakor (0) and Utah State forward Taylor Funk (23) fight for the ball during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday, March 1, 2023, in Las Vegas.
Published Wednesday, March 1, 2023 | 2 a.m.
Updated Wednesday, March 1, 2023 | 10:09 p.m.
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After a final 12 minutes that were not competitive in the least, this one is officially concluded.
Utah State just laid a 91-66 beatdown on the Scarlet and Gray, dropping Kevin Kruger's squad to 17-12 overall and 6-11 in Mountain West play. With one game remaining in the regular season, UNLV is majorly wounded and searching for answers on both ends of the court.
There were no bright spots in this contest. E.J. Harkless scored 20 points, but the rest of UNLV's offense was disjointed. And they had no chance of stopping Utah State — the Aggies shot a scorching 61.8% from the field and recorded a whopping 11 layups and dunks.
Steven Ashworth especially had his way with UNLV's once-vaunted defense, scoring 27 points on 10-of-17 shooting.
UNLV has three days to prepare for the season finale at UNR on Saturday, but Kruger should really be looking for big-picture solutions as the Mountain West tournament looms next week.
Utah State extends lead over UNLV to 72-50
This is turning into one of UNLV's worst performances of the season, and the fans know it — most of them have already left the building after Utah State used a 13-4 run to put this one on ice.
With 7:48 remaining, the Aggies have a 72-50 lead.
It's been a mess on both ends for Kevin Kruger's squad, with stagnant offense leading to a lot of 1-on-1 play and very few open shots. Meanwhile, Utah State is dissecting the UNLV defense to the tune of 59.1% from the field, led by Steven Ashworth's 24 points on 9-of-15 shooting.
This certainly isn't the way UNLV wanted to close out its home slate at the Thomas & Mack Center, but this one is over.
UNLV attempting comeback vs. Utah State
UNLV's offense has been dead all night, but Jackie Johnson may have single-handedly brought it back to life.
The reserve point guard just swished a pair of 3-pointers to power an 8-0 run for the Scarlet and Gray, and suddenly Utah State's lead is down to 49-45 with 15:54 remaining.
Johnson now has nine points, which is the most he has scored in a game since tallying nine against San Francisco on Dec. 17.
UNLV has also picked up its defense, forcing four turnovers already in the second half. Can they keep up the intensity and catch Utah State?
Utah State opens 44-32 lead over UNLV at half
E.J. Harkless is on tonight, but so far he seems to be the only UNLV player showing up. At halftime, Utah State has surged ahead, 44-32.
UNLV's offense has been anemic so far. The team's starters scored 19 points in the first half, and 15 of them came courtesy of Harkless (5-of-10 FGs); the rest of the starting lineup is 1-of-8 combined.
It's difficult to win that way even when the defense is tight, and that has not been the case for the Scarlet and Gray tonight. Utah State is attacking off the dribble and putting UNLV into rotation on just about every possession, leading to a lot of open looks. The Aggies made 51.7% of their shots in the half, led by 14 points apiece from Steven Ashworth and Max Shulga.
Can Kevin Kruger straighten out the offensive attack and find a way to get points from somebody other than Harkless?
UNLV, Utah State tied early
E.J. Harkless is off to a good start on Senior Night, and UNLV is tied with Utah State, 15-15, with 11:33 left in the first half.
Harkless, who is playing his final home game for UNLV, opened up the scoring with a driving layup, then nailed a long 3-pointer to give him a game-high five points. UNLV is 6-of-14 overall from the field.
Utah State has been sloppy with the ball to this point, committing four turnovers. The Aggies have made up for it by making 6-of-8 shots inside the arc.
One early note: Kevin Kruger can go a little deeper into his rotation tonight, as senior wing Luis Rodriguez has returned from the leg injury that kept him out of the previous four games.
UNLV basketball prioritizing late-game execution vs. Utah State
As the calendar turns to March, it seems like every college basketball game is coming down to the final possession.
It’s the time of year when little things like foul strategy, timeout usage and set plays can make the biggest difference. A team that fails to execute could see its season come to an end in a matter of seconds.
UNLV got a taste of it just last week, when E.J. Harkless put back an offensive rebound with less than two seconds remaining to beat Air Force.
Situational basketball is now the name of the game.
“You watch college basketball, it seems like every game during this part of the season comes down to something like that,” senior Jordan McCabe said.
With that in mind, head coach Kevin Kruger is making sure to put his players through late-game scenarios in every practice, including Tuesday’s afternoon session in preparation for Utah State (8 p.m., CBS Sports Network). He wants his guys to understand the relationship between time and score, as well as ancillary factors like timeouts, fouls to give and end-of-clock strategy.
Kruger believes his players have a good grasp on what to do when the stakes are high and the clock is running out.
“There is an understanding of where we want to get the ball, and what action we’re looking for,” Kruger said. “Like, down three with X number of seconds, down four with X number of seconds, just to kind of see what are going to look for here? And what do we want to do here? Sot that’s there’s at least a general understanding of time and score and what we’re looking for as a staff.”
McCabe is often on the court for UNLV in high-leverage situations because Kruger trusts him to handle the ball and make the right reads.
The fifth-year leader said the team spends a lot of time drilling end-of-game situations, but that it’s important to be able to adjust on the fly — as Harkless did in scoring his game-winner on Friday.
“Situations have become a primary focuses for our practices at this time of year,” McCabe said. “There’s a ton of different factors that come into it down the stretch of a game. E.J. could be fouled out. [Luis Rodriguez] could be fouled out. David [Muoka] could be having a hell of a game. We’ve got to look around and be as fully prepared as possible.”
UNLV had been 0-4 in contests decided by a single possession until Harkless came through against Air Force.
Though his bucket came on a broken play, he sees the value in practicing for those winner-take-all possessions.
“Coach tries to replicate that in practice so we’re prepared for the last-second moment like we were in the last game,” Harkless said.
Harkless is the Mountain West’s second-leading scorer at 18.4 points per game in conference play, and he has served as UNLV’s late-game closer all season. Now that he has delivered a buzzer beater, his confidence level has only gone up.
When asked to explain his strategy if Kruger tabs him to take the final shot, Harkless said he plans on keeping it simple.
“Just a shot, honestly,” Harkless said. “I know if I get a shot up, I’ll make it. So as long as we can get a shot up I think it will be a great shot for me.”
Who: UNLV (17-11, 6-10 MWC) vs. Utah State (14-15, 5-11 MWC)
When: Wednesday, 8 p.m. at Thomas & Mack Center
TV: CBS Sports Network
UNLV leaders
Scoring: E.J. Harkless — 18.4 points
Rebounding: Luis Rodriguez — 5.5 rebounds
Assists: Keshon Gilbert — 3.3 assists
Utah State leaders
Scoring: Steven Ashworth — 15.9 points
Rebounding: Daniel Akin — 7.1 rebounds
Assists: Steven Ashworth — 4.5 assists
Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.
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