Jovan Mooring’s 3-pointer helps UNLV hold off Air Force, 81-76
AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. — Jovan Mooring had been in a shooting slump. But when UNLV badly needed a shot, he was the one who took it.
And the one who made it.
Mooring delivered a long 3-pointer with 18.6 seconds left to give the Rebels a five-point lead and help them hold off Air Force 81-76 on Wednesday. It was UNLV’s first win at Clune Arena since 2014.
Mooring made 4 of 8 3-pointers and scored 15 points, breaking out of a skid that saw him shoot 5-for-29 in his previous three games. He said he made 2,000 shots Sunday at the Mendenhall Center.
“I put in the work, but when you go in a slump and the shots don’t fall, you’ve got to put in more work,” Mooring said. “It was about doing what I can to improve.”
UNLV (13-4, 2-2 Mountain West) heads into its bye with a badly needed victory after a rough start to conference play. Its only other Mountain West victory was an 82-76 overtime win at San Jose State.
Jordan Johnson led UNLV with 20 points and made some key plays down the stretch, including a 3-pointer with 4:24 left to give the Rebels the lead for good. Kris Clyburn added 16 points.
For Air Force (6-10, 0-4), Lavelle Scottie scored 26 points, making 4 of 6 from 3-point range and 10 of 17 overall.
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Contact Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @markanderson65 on Twitter.
