Tuesday, February 25, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

FALCONS GROUNDED: Rebels pull out victory at foul line

Big advantage on free throws halts Air Force

By STEVE CARP
REVIEW-JOURNAL

UNLV center J. K. Edwards, top, pins Air Force guard Antoine Hood as they force a held ball in the first half of the Rebels' 74-70 victory Monday night at the Thomas & Mack Center. Photo by Craig L. Moran. UNLV guard Marcus Banks, en route to his game-high 31 points, collides with Air Force point guard Antoine Hood in the first half Monday. Banks was called for a foul. Photo by Craig L. Moran.

If UNLV basketball coach Charlie Spoonhour could predict horse races as well as he foretold the Rebels' game against Air Force on Monday night, he wouldn't have to prowl the sidelines for a living.

Spoonhour was certain it would be a grinding game in which UNLV would struggle mightily to suppress the last-place Falcons.

Sure enough, Air Force played with relentlessness and the Rebels had trouble maintaining control before they escaped with a 74-70 victory in front of an announced crowd of 11,344 at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Though Marcus Banks scored 31 points to key the' victory, all of the Rebels' talk about an at-large NCAA Tournament bid would've become moot if not for their huge advantage at the foul line. UNLV hit 31 of 41 free-throw attempts to Air Force's 13 of 16.

While Spoonhour didn't believe the game was rough enough to justify a combined 50 personal fouls, he thought the Rebels earned the majority of their trips to the line.

"I thought there was a lot of contact, but it wasn't as rough a game as Utah was (last Monday)," Spoonhour said.

"What can I say?" Air Force coach Joe Scott said. "I didn't think it was that physical a game. It wasn't like they were pounding on us inside all night."

UNLV made 5 of 6 free throws in the final 18.9 seconds to seal its 17th win (with eight losses) and climb over .500 in the Mountain West at 6-5. The victory brought considerable relief to the Rebels, who were beaten at Air Force 75-71 on Jan. 25.

"They never go away," Banks said of the Falcons, who suffered their 27th straight MWC road defeat and remained in the conference cellar at 2-9 (11-13 overall). "They know how to handle pressure and they kept hitting big shots on us."

Ultimately, Banks was the difference. He was virtually unstoppable driving to the basket and repeatedly rescued the Rebels, making 9 of 13 shots from the floor along with 11 of 14 free throws.

Banks didn't get much assistance except for guard Jermaine Lewis, who scored all of his 15 points before halftime, and forward Dalron Johnson, who overcame early foul trouble to compile 17 points and eight rebounds. That was essentially all of UNLV's scoring.

Air Force started quickly, hitting its first seven shots, including five 3-pointers. But UNLV went on a 17-5 spurt for a 28-21 lead, and the Rebels pushed the lead to 10 a couple of times. But too many defensive breakdowns prevented them from remaining safely ahead.

"We were trying to make sure they didn't back-cut us and they still got easy baskets," Lewis said. "We knew it would be a hard game because they can shoot it so good."

Spoonhour said failing to put Air Force away was less about complacency than allowing the Falcons to dictate a deliberate tempo.

"They do this to everybody, not just us," Spoonhour said. "When you get four, five, six ahead, you think you've got it figured out. You get in a hurry to do stuff and that's when you get in trouble."

• NOTES -- Joel Gerlach and Tim Keller had 21 points apiece to lead Air Force. ... UNLV student James Heym won the use of a Saturn automobile for one year by winning the Saturn Shootout. He made a layup, free throw, 3-point shot and half-court shot in less than 35 seconds.