COLUMN: Joe Hawk

     The Rebel basketball team discovered Wednesday night it cannot win with Keon Clark alone.
      For 26 minutes, UNLV's athletic 6-foot-11 center was the bulk of his team's offense against Memphis in a first-round National Invitation Tournament game at the Thomas & Mack Center. He had 19 of UNLV's 40 points at the time, but the Rebels trailed the Tigers by 15.
      Despite Clark's best efforts, it looked dismal for UNLV.
      But then the junior's teammates came alive -- sparked by point guard Kevin James -- and the Rebels held Memphis to just seven points over the final 14 minutes and rallied for a 66-62 victory before a pathetically small, yet enthusiastic, crowd of 6,575.
      Clark scored just four points during the heart-pounding closing run -- he finished with 23 on 8-of-16 shooting from the field and 7-for-8 from the free-throw line -- as six of his teammates spread the scoring wealth.
      It was a comeback victory reminiscent of UNLV's 98-91 Western Athletic Conference triumph at Texas Christian on Jan. 6. In that game, the Rebels trailed by 18 points in the second half before clawing back for the victory.
      And just as against the Horned Frogs, UNLV did it with a tenacious, ball-hawking man-to-man defense, which pressured turnovers and forced bad shots. Memphis, which hit 52 percent (15 of 29) of its shots from the floor in the first half, connected on only 21 percent (3 of 14) during its second-half demise. Additionally, the Rebels caused seven second-half turnovers -- six of those steals -- and blocked four shots.
      It was some of the best defense UNLV played at home this season. And it came in the nick of time.
      James, the Rebels' senior backup to freshman Mark Dickel at the point, was the catalyst. His hard-nosed defense on Memphis point guard Chris Garner made it difficult for Garner to get the Tigers into their set offense. In fact, it wasn't until Garner hit an off-balance runner with 6:14 remaining that Memphis was able to end a scoreless drought of 8 minutes, 8 seconds.
      By that time, UNLV had scrapped back from its largest deficit, 55-40, to momentarily tie the game at 55-all on one of two free throws by junior guard Corky Ausborne. Garner's basket put the Tigers back ahead, 57-55.
      The only remaining life Memphis showed came on two underneath baskets by senior forward Sunday Adebayo, the second giving the Tigers their last lead, 61-59, with 4:17 to play.
      Then UNLV turned on the afterburners defensively, and Memphis scored just one point, a free throw by Adebayo with 1:13 left.
      James stripped Adebayo as he went up for a layup with 2:35 remaining. The Rebels' Tyrone Nesby got the loose ball and was fouled. Nesby hit the second of the two-shot free-throw attempt to give UNLV the lead for good at 62-61, and following a 3-point miss by Memphis' Harry Allen, James found a brief opening in the lane and drove for a layup that put the Rebels up by three.
      Sunshine Smith, who hit a three early in UNLV's run, made two game-clinching free throws with 3.9 seconds left for the final margin.
      As well as the Rebels played defensively, their offensive production was -- at best -- horrendous. They shot just 35 percent (20 of 58) from the floor and made only 3 of 20 3-point tries.
      That barely cut it this night. It may not Monday night when the Rebels play host to Hawaii, a 71-61 winner over Oregon on Wednesday, in a second-round game at the 'Mack. UNLV dropped two games to the WAC Pacific Division-winning Rainbows this season, including a 66-65 decision at home on Jan. 11.
      To beat Hawaii when it counts the most, the Rebels will need a complete team effort. Not just from their star player, Keon Clark.
     
      Joe Hawk's column is published Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. He can be reached by e-mail at Joe_Hawk@lvrj.com.