What the UNLV Rebels said after defeating Air Force

What the UNLV basketball team said following its 87-85 double-overtime victory over Air Force on Saturday at the Thomas & Mack Center:

Coach Marvin Menzies

“That was a fun game to coach, a fun game to watch, sure nerve-racking. But I like winning, man. At the end of the day, you’ve got to find a way to grind it out.”

On Jacob Van’s 3-pointer at the buzzer for Air Force that forced a second overtime: “We were supposed to foul in the backcourt. When he went to dribble, we went to man-to-man fullcourt, switching, make them catch it coming back to the ball. As soon as they go to bounce, go for a steal and commit the foul. If we get the steal, great. If we don’t get a steal, get a foul. And they inbound the ball, go the full length of the court and shot it and made the 3. And so it’s back to the drawing board to get these guys to execute and follow directions.”

On the frustration of getting open shots, but not shooting well: “It was frustrating to put guys into position to be successful and then them not completing them, but I also know that they’re capable. We’ve had some really good practices as of late, and the guys, I think, are getting better. I thought we played pretty spirited against San Diego State (on Tuesday), and we just lost to a better team. I think there are some things we can do going forward to help these guys put them in areas of strength that are their strengths. We’ve got to be a little bit more meticulous about that because it’s a confidence thing.”

Guard Jovan Mooring

“As you can see, they shoot the ball better than any team in the conference. You have to make it tough for them — run them off the line, continue to switch and talk, make them take tough shots. I think down the stretch we had a lot of key possessions where we made them take tough shots, and there were times where we broke down and they hit us with a dagger. We just have to continue to improve.”

Forward Christian Jones

“That’s how they work their offense (back-door cuts). We couldn’t fall asleep on defense and let them back-door you. They’re a very disciplined team. We couldn’t let that affect us.”

Contact Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow @markanderson65 on Twitter.