UNLV forward Wendell White dunks during the first half of the Rebels' 97-94 double-overtime victory over Utah on Wednesday night at the Thomas & Mack Center. Photos by Craig L. Moran. Kevin Kruger makes a 3-pointer in the first half, part of his 25-point night in UNLV's 97-94 double-OT victory over Utah.

A game that was up in the air all night fell into Wendell White's hands, and the UNLV senior knew what to do. He drove the length of the floor and finished.

White's steal and layup with 15 seconds remaining in the second overtime lifted the Rebels to a thrilling 97-94 victory over Utah at the Thomas & Mack Center on Wednesday.

"Wendell made some big plays," UNLV coach Lon Kruger said. "To win close ballgames, your guys have to step up and make plays."

White, who finished with 24 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists in 43 minutes, was too dehydrated to report for interviews after the game.

The Rebels (14-2) extended their winning streak to 10 games as a crowd of 12,369 showed up for a shootout in the teams' Mountain West Conference opener.

Senior guard Kevin Kruger made 8 of 16 3-point shots and scored 25 points to lead UNLV.

"It was really just a hard-fought game and neither team wanted to lose," he said.

Kruger's free throw with 9.6 seconds left provided the final margin.

The Utes (5-9) took a 93-92 lead with 1:17 left in the second overtime when Stephen Weigh drove the lane and made a jumper in traffic.

Lawrence Borha hit a free throw to make it a two-point margin, but the Rebels' Wink Adams sank a baseline jumper to tie it with 38 seconds to go.

On Utah's next possession, White deflected a pass high in the air near the sideline, leaped to grab the ball and raced 60 feet for the layup.

Borha missed a potential tying 15-footer on the other end and Kevin Kruger was fouled. He missed the first free throw and made the second.

The Utes' Shaun Green was short on a 3-point attempt just before time expired.

The most dramatic moment of the game belonged to Weigh, who hit 2 of 3 free throws with two-tenths of a second remaining to force overtime.

Green finished with 25 points and 15 rebounds for Utah, which shot 47.8 percent and dominated the glass with a 47-33 edge in rebounds.

Johnnie Bryant made five 3-pointers and added 23 points for the Utes as they made the Rebels look uncharacteristically poor defensively.

UNLV was sharp with its offensive execution, committing only six turnovers in 50 minutes.

The Rebels shot 47.4 percent, including 15 of 33 from 3-point range. Adams shot 5-for-8 and had 23 points.

It took a long time for Adams to get started. He scored his first points on a 3-pointer with 16:26 remaining in regulation and UNLV seemed to be in control with a 50-40 lead.

Utah responded with a 9-0 run and eventually went ahead 58-56 on a 3-pointer by Green.

Kruger hit two 3-pointers in the first overtime, the second giving the Rebels an 87-79 lead with 2:23 to go. But they squandered it.

A three-point play by Green cut it to 87-85 with 1:10 left, and after a missed free throw by White, 7-foot-1-inch Luke Nevill dunked on a breakaway to tie it with 26 seconds left.

After Adams missed a 3-point try with five seconds left in regulation, Utah's Weigh hit two free throws with two-tenths of a second remaining to force overtime.

The Utes hurried the ball upcourt to Weigh, who took two dribbles and released a 20-foot floater. The shot fell way short, but the Rebels' Curtis Terry was whistled for a foul.

The three officials huddled to watch the replay on a monitor and correctly ruled Weigh was fouled before the buzzer.

"From where I was, it looked like he fouled him," Kevin Kruger said. "He hit two huge free throws and that was tough because that place was loud."

In a bizarre scene, Weigh stepped to the foul line as the crowd began to roar. But an usher at the other end of the arena fell to the floor after being hit in the head by something thrown from the stands.

Weigh was forced to wait about two minutes during the interruption as the usher was assisted off the floor.

A 71-percent foul shooter, Weigh missed the first shot and made the next two.

Kruger scored 15 points in the first half, hitting 5 of 7 3-pointers. His fourth 3 put UNLV up 33-26 with 4:58 left, but the Rebels were unable to hold the lead, a trend that held true all night.