UNLV still can’t kill the gnat that is San Diego State

The changes are dramatic, from the up-and-down play on the court to a lack of fervor in the stands, from the obvious drop in talent for one side to a colossal amount on the other, from contesting games at or near the top of the Mountain West standings to doing so with the hopes of climbing out of eighth place, from a disappointing record to a complete rebuild, from a heated rivalry to just another midweek game.

This isn’t the UNLV-San Diego State basketball matchup most have come to expect and anticipate but for one significant point: When it comes to winning time, the Aztecs can still frustrate the heck out of the Rebels.

They’re the gnat persistently flying around your face as an irritated group of Rebels swat at them time and again.

UNLV hasn’t killed the darn thing in years.

It happened again Tuesday night, when San Diego State beat UNLV for a ninth straight time, this a 64-51 final before an announced gathering of 10,007 at the Thomas & Mack Center.

The faces have changed — well, at least for the Rebels, who have 12 new ones this season — but the part about UNLV wilting down the stretch against San Diego State hasn’t. The only difference for the Rebels this time were names on jerseys … and the level of skill within them.

The Aztecs, not the defensive side they have been in winning the past three regular-season conference championships, can still find the focus and will and desire to lock down teams to the point they manage just 20 second-half points while shooting 31 percent.

Which is exactly what UNLV did those final 20 minutes.

“Let’s call it what it is,” Rebels coach Marvin Menzies said. “We lost to a better team. It’s San Diego State. Pretty good team, a Top 25 team defensively, and they proved it. We scored 51 points. They had a little scoring run there in the (second half) and got up 10, 11 points, and that’s it. San Diego State is going to bury you. That’s why they’re good.

“Our new guys didn’t really know much about them in terms of (the rivalry). We didn’t talk it up much. But we showed them film. We told them what they do. But that’s the best defensive team we have played so far. And you can’t make offensive decisions, like driving into the lane with no intent before you get there, against what they do best defensively. At that point, you’re dead.”

You also can’t have a point guard (junior Jovan Mooring) foul out with 6:21 remaining after picking up his third and fourth fouls the first 1:14 of the second half, including one 90 feet from the opposing basket. Mooring, so instrumental in the Rebels winning at New Mexico last week, played just 18 minutes because of some really foolish decisions when fouling.

“He let us down,” Menzies said.

You knew UNLV was in trouble when it walked off the court trailing by three at halftime, having outplayed San Diego State most of the first 20 minutes. But it’s not as if the Aztecs emerged from their locker room with wholesale changes. They began pushing UNLV’s frontcourt a little farther from the basket and ratcheted up the defensive intensity.

That was enough, because when Trey Kell scored seven straight for San Diego State and the lead was pushed to 51-42 with 8:03 remaining, it was over, because a nine-point deficit is more like 20 for a UNLV side as challenged offensively as the one Tuesday.

“We shared the ball in the first half, but it stuck to guys’ hands in the second,” UNLV guard Uche Ofoegbu said. “They picked us apart on ball screens. … (Menzies) told us before the game that San Diego State is the hardest team to deliver a knockout against. They stay with it. They’re a great defensive team. Hard to score against. It was a missed opportunity.”

But that’s what San Diego State does, at least to UNLV, at least for the past nine games, including six straight at the Thomas & Mack. Faces and expectations and places in the standings might change, but when the Aztecs lock in, the Rebels don’t respond.

They work for good shots, take them and miss. They rush bad shots and miss. They drive the lane with no plan on what to do once arriving and find the league’s most menacing length awaiting to contest.

Want frustration?

Jeremy Hemsley leads San Diego State in scoring at 15.4 points a game. The sophomore point guard finished with four on 1-of-10 shooting, didn’t score until about 11 minutes remained and his team still won by 13.

Which means that while a lot about the UNLV-San Diego State matchup has changed, the part most care about on both sides hasn’t.

Nine straight and counting, all as frustrating as the next for UNLV.

Contact columnist Ed Graney at egraney@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4618. He can be a heard on “Seat and Ed” on Fox Sports 1340 from 2 to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Follow @edgraney on Twitter.