3 takeaways from UNLV’s 88-78 win over San Diego State

Three takeaways from UNLV’s 88-78 basketball victory over San Diego State on Saturday at the Thomas & Mack Center:

1. Brandon McCoy and Shakur Juiston reverted to early season form.

Both players were dominant in the nonconference, but Mountain West play has been a little bit different.

Until this game.

Each player scored 21 points, with Juiston also collecting 11 rebounds and McCoy seven.

And down the stretch when the Aztecs closed to within two points, McCoy ended the nine-point San Diego State run with a jumper to start a 6-0 run for UNLV. He also blocked two shots in the final 1:33.

Juiston grabbed two rebounds the final 2:39, and his jumper with 1:46 left gave the Rebels an 86-78 lead and all but sealed the victory.

McCoy entered this game averaging 17.4 points and 9.9 rebounds, but in Mountain West play, he was at 14.4 and eight. Juiston had averages of 14.4 points and 9.8 rebounds, with those numbers were 12.9 and 7.4 against conference opponents.

“I think you’ve got to recognize in conference, everybody knows everybody, and they’re going to try to take away things that are our strengths,” UNLV coach Marvin Menzies said.

McCoy showed against the Aztecs the force he not only was earlier in the season, but the one he can be as the Rebels fight for position in the Mountain West standings. But he also is a five-star recruit who isn’t a stranger to big moments.

“I’ve been on a stage like this before,” McCoy said. “It’s nothing new. Going through a couple of speed bumps in the middle of the season, but I’ve been staying in the gym every day all day.”

2. Winning at home was crucial.

The Rebels were 0-3 in conference play at the Thomas & Mack before facing the Aztecs, a record that seemed just as hard to believe as their 11-game series losing streak to San Diego State.

It’s not that UNLV didn’t have its chances to win before Saturday, but it gave away late leads in losses to Utah State and New Mexico.

Now the Rebels know it what’s like to beat a conference opponent on their home floor, and that could carry dividends beyond this weekend. An announced crowd of 11,137 watched this game.

“The more wins, the more fans, the more support,” Juiston said. “It’s not just about us. There are so many people in Vegas who probably haven’t come to a game this year. Beating a rival, and they’re hearing that and want to come and buy tickets and cheer for us. That’s a great feeling for not just us, but the program itself.”

3. Jeremy Hemsley kept the Aztecs in the game.

When San Diego State guard Trey Kell went out with a sprained left ankle less than four minutes into the game, the Aztecs didn’t lose much when Hemsley took his place. Hemsley was a two-year starter, so this wasn’t new territory to him, and he came through with 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting (58.3 percent).

His teammates combined to make 23 of 56 shots (41.1 percent).

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Contact Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @markanderson65 on Twitter.