UNLV’s three-game win streak ends with messy loss at UNR

RENO — For all the good that was accomplished for UNLV in its recent three-game stretch, this one was a throwback to the two tough road losses that preceded the trio of victories.

Just like at Colorado State and Wyoming, the Rebels had plenty of chances to beat UNR on Saturday night.

And just like those two basketball games, they played tight, made way too many turnovers and missed a season's worth of free throws.

UNR made its shots from the line, scoring its final nine points from there and beating UNLV 65-63 before a raucous crowd announced at 11,341 at Lawlor Events Center.

"They know exactly the opportunity they gave away right here," UNLV interim coach Todd Simon said.

The loss ended a three-game winning streak for the Rebels (12-8, 3-4 Mountain West), and suddenly it makes home games against Boise State on Wednesday and San Diego State on Saturday not quite as meaningful. Both teams have separated themselves in conference play, and it's doubtful UNLV or another school will catch them.

If UNLV continues to play as it did against the Wolf Pack (12-7, 4-3), the Rebels will have a lot more to worry about than the conference race.

They committed 17 turnovers against the Wolf Pack, who turned those into 24 points, doubling the number the Rebels had. UNLV committed 18 turnovers in each game against Colorado State and Wyoming.

At the free-throw line, UNLV made just 14 of 28 against UNR. The Rebels converted 21 of 37 combined in the losses to the Rams and Cowboys.

"You can't make 14 for 28 and expect to win any game," Simon said.

Those struggles are why UNR made 32.8 percent of its shots and missed all nine of its 3-point attempts and still walked away with the victory. Marqueze Coleman scored 21 points for the Wolf Pack but made just three of 15 shots. He was 15 of 20 from the line.

No UNLV players scored in double figures. The last time that happened was in a 66-56 home loss to Arizona State on Dec. 16.

"We beat ourselves this game," UNLV point guard Jerome Seagears said. "You can't win a game with that many turnovers, and you've got to make free throws."

UNLV had its chances to pull away, most notably after taking a 49-40 lead with 10:32 left. Wolf Pack forward Cameron Oliver (12 points, nine rebounds) picked up his fourth foul at that point.

Not only did the Rebels not go after Oliver to get that key fifth foul, but the Wolf Pack then went on a six-point run to bring the crowd back into the game and change momentum.

With the lead going back and forth down the stretch, three UNR players combined to make nine of their final 12 free throws to claim the victory.

And force the Rebels to once again face a key moment in their season.

"There's still a confidence in the locker room," Simon said. "They know exactly what we can do. We know exactly what we need to get back to work on. We're going to have to put the time into it. It's time to buckle up. It's not going to be a very fun couple of days of preparation for Boise. When you go backwards a little bit in a lot of areas, that's what you've got to do."

JONES HURT — UNLV guard Derrick Jones Jr. injured his right ankle in a collision with an official early in the second half. He returned to the court with a noticeable limp and finished with seven points.

"He tried to gut it out, tried to play the best he could," Simon said.

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