3 takeaways from UNLV’s victory over UC Riverside
Three takeaways from the UNLV basketball team’s 74-62 victory over UC Riverside on Wednesday at the Thomas & Mack Center:
1. UNLV really needed this victory.
True, the Rebels (1-1) aren’t likely to contend for the postseason given the rebuilding job first-year coach Marvin Menzies has undertaken, not to mention a demanding December schedule.
But there are opportunities to win this month, and UNLV already missed one with a 76-68 loss to South Alabama on Friday. The Rebels didn’t want to miss another, or confidence issues could become a real problem.
They made the plays against UC Riverside (0-2), overcoming a 7:10 stretch without a field goal.
“I’m happy for (the players),” Menzies said. “It was more of a relief than a celebration, which is OK because we know we still didn’t play great basketball.”
2. Perhaps hope at the guard spots.
One of the pregame storylines was whether the Rebels would show improvement in the backcourt, particularly at point guard.
UNLV moved the ball well in the first half in building a 37-26 lead. But the Rebels didn’t have an assist in the second half until 7:32 remained.
“We’ve got to get better at sharing the ball consistently,” Menzies said. “We had 12 assists at halftime and then just went dead. We’ve got to keep going with what works. If you’re doing it and it’s working, that’s a great time to just keep doing it.”
The good news for the Rebels is they began to move the ball more effectively toward the end, picking up five assists in the final 7½ minutes.
Point guards Jalen Poyser and Jovan Mooring combined to finish with eight assists and four turnovers, almost completely flipped from their three assists and eight turnovers against South Alabama.
Poyser also scored 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting and tied for the team lead with seven rebounds. He and Mooring delivered back-to-back 3-pointers to all but put away the game in the final minutes.
3. Expect an evolving lineup.
Cheickna Dembele, a 6-foot-11-inch freshman, finally got to play after missing the preseason and the opener with an injured right heel. He blocked a shot and grabbed a rebound in his first two defensive possessions, putting a spark in the team.
“His first game was a win, and he and I have a different record right now,” Menzies said, laughing.
Dembele had four points and three rebounds in seven minutes, but didn’t play in the second half because his heel became sore.
He wasn’t the only one to make his season debut. Junior Dwayne Morgan played 14 minutes, and is still getting back to full strength after hip surgery. He had six points and three rebounds.
Freshman Ben Coupet Jr. saw his first action and had eight points and seven rebounds in 17 minutes.
Each of those players could expect to see significant playing time as the season progresses.
Contact Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow @markanderson65 on Twitter.
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