3 takeaways from UNLV’s victory over Utah State

Three takeaways from the UNLV basketball team’s 66-59 victory over Utah State on Wednesday at the Thomas & Mack Center:

1. TALK ABOUT A BADLY NEEDED WIN

UNLV was going backward, having not only lost nine games in a row but also going down by double-digit defeats in the past three games.

There seemed to be a different feel about this game from the beginning, however, as the Rebels played with extra energy on Senior Night.

This victory comes at a particularly important time with the regular-season finale Saturday at Fresno State, followed by the Mountain West tournament next week.

“We need to have carryover,” said UNLV’s Tyrell Green, who had 19 points and 12 rebounds. “It’s nice to have the win, but it doesn’t mean anything if we go in and do all the same mistakes as before.”

That will be the key.

“I’m happy for (the players), but there’s that little part of me that’s like, ‘Damn, about time,’” UNLV coach Marvin Menzies said. “I mean, (Utah State) didn’t score a field goal in the last eight minutes, and we have that in us. I kept seeing that in practice and said, ‘Why can’t we get that to carry over into the games?’ I don’t want to be a sour puss. Of course, you’re happy for them to a certain degree, but let’s call it what it is. It’s our fourth win in conference.”

2. DEFENSE COMES UP BIG

Both teams went back and forth throughout, but UNLV then held Utah State without a field goal over the final 8:11.

That helped allow the Rebels to close the game on a 12-3 run.

“The intensity level was more on the defensive end,” Green said. “We need to keep with that mindset. We were talking. We were active. It was good for us.”

Part of the man-to-man defensive effort was holding Utah State’s Koby McEwen to 12 points on 3-of-9 shooting. He made 10 of 13 shots and scored 28 points in the first meeting.

3. THE FUTURE HAS BEGUN

Coaches are spending plenty of time recruiting, and they received a payoff Wednesday when Tervell Beck, a 6-foot-6-inch forward, committed to the Rebels.

Beck said he chose the Rebels over Arizona State, Houston and Mississippi. He said he saw a great opportunity to make an impact at UNLV, which is in a rebuilding phase.

“I feel like I wanted to go somewhere and do my own thing and build my own, and UNLV is the best place to do that,” Beck said.

Beck, who attends OnPoint Hoops Academy in El Reno, Oklahoma, is the third member of this year’s recruiting class.

Prep guard Jay Green signed in November, and junior college forward Anthony Smith committed in January.

Those players fill out the three available scholarships the Rebels have to offer, but more are expected to clear up because of player turnover. UNLV remains in the running for San Diego 6-11 center Brandon McCoy, rated by ESPN.com as the nation’s sixth-best prospect.

“They showed me a lot of love,” Beck said. “I feel comfortable.”

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