Deville Smith scored 18 points, and Roscoe Smith totaled 13 points and 14 rebounds to carry UNLV to a 62-42 victory over Utah State at the Thomas & Mack Center.
Basketball
Here’s what kind of night it was for Canyon Springs’ Gerad Davis on Wednesday. The 6-foot-4-inch senior scored 25 points in the first half for the Pioneers. Then at halftime, a female classmate ran onto the court and asked him to the upcoming school dance.
About three minutes remained in the first half of the UNLV-Utah State basketball game Wednesday night at the Thomas & Mack Center. The score was tied at 24. And given what has happened to the Rebels at times this season, it was easy to expect the worst from them.
Correctly predicting the outcome of every game in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament is no layup. There’s now a $1 billion prize waiting for anyone able to pull off the feat this spring.
Stew Morrill is a coach known by few outside his profession’s fraternity and yet respected as much as anyone within it.
It’s difficult for UNLV coach Dave Rice to pinpoint what has bothered his basketball team on its home floor. Still, he might have the answer.
Liberty girls basketball coach Rich Santigate subscribes to a straightforward coaching philosophy. “I was taught you come with everything in the ball bag,” Santigate said, “and you use what you have to use.” On Monday, that turned out to be a change in defense.
The trip from hell — at least by Mountain West basketball standards this season — taught UNLV some valuable lessons this past week. Most of them good.
Xavier Thames scored 18 points and No. 10 San Diego State used its defense to shut down UNLV in a 63-52 win at Viejas Arena.
During pregame introductions, the public-address announcer at Clark’s boys basketball games calls senior forward Diontae Jones “Does It All.”
Each season in college basketball, there are a handful of so-called surprise teams that far surpass most expectations. It’s probably accurate to stick that label to San Diego State, even if Xavier Thames disagrees.
For Anthony Bennett, the 6-foot-8-inch, 259-pound forward from Brampton, Ontario, who decided to leave UNLV after his freshman season and was ultimately taken No. 1 overall last June, these past seven months have been trying to say the least.
Deville Smith took full advantage of just his fourth start on Wednesday. He will get a fifth at first-place San Diego State on Saturday. He is sure to remain in the lineup for the foreseeable future.
In an unbridled show of emotion after a steal, dunk and foul, Bryce Dejean-Jones pumped his arms, shouted and chest bumped teammates. He had a point to prove, and a three-point play was only his opening statement.
Though they still have a long way to go before having a big say regarding which team wins the Mountain West, the Lady Rebels suddenly look like they could be a factor in March.
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