Rebels down Air Force, 76-71, in overtime thriller

For the first time since the season opener, Bryce Dejean-Jones was not in UNLV's starting lineup. But when the sophomore guard was needed most Saturday night, he was there to finish.

Dejean-Jones' go-ahead 18-foot baseline jumper with 12.8 seconds remaining in overtime helped the 24th-ranked Rebels escape with a 76-71 victory over Air Force at the Thomas & Mack Center.

"I had to step up," said Dejean-Jones, who scored 10 of his 18 points in overtime. "It was my night."

UNLV (14-3, 1-1 Mountain West) extended its winning streak against the Falcons to 11 games, but not without some serious drama.

Despite an illness that left him gasping for air at times, freshman forward Anthony Bennett totaled 22 points and 16 rebounds for the Rebels.

Junior forward Mike Moser, who returned to the starting lineup in place of Dejean-Jones, finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Moser, who suffered a dislocated right elbow on Dec. 9, was slowed by back spasms after scoring 12 points in the first half.

With his team in desperate need of offense, coach Dave Rice looked to neither Bennett nor Moser.

"We made the decision in overtime that Bryce was going to be our go-to guy," Rice said. "He was terrific. He made big shots. When he plays under control and lets the game come to him, he's a special player."

Mike Fitzgerald scored 22 points and Michael Lyons 19 for Air Force, a 14-point underdog. Fitzgerald and Lyons each had a shot to win the game.

Lyons missed a driving 8-footer with the Falcons trailing by one in OT, and Khem Birch rebounded for the Rebels with 1.8 seconds left. Birch made two free throws, and after an Air Force turnover, Dejean-Jones was fouled and made both free throws for the five-point margin.

Lyons made the first of two free throws with 39.8 seconds left to put the Falcons up 71-70 before Dejean-Jones hit what proved to be the winning shot.

Air Force (9-5, 1-1) had an opportunity to win in regulation, but Fitzgerald missed a 3-point attempt with three seconds to go.

"The end of regulation worked perfect. We got an open shot for a very good shooter, and it just rimmed out," Falcons coach Dave Pilipovich said. "In the overtime, they did take us out of our initial set, so we had to improvise. We got it to our best driver, and Lyons got to the middle of the lane, rose up and it just didn't fall. Those were two very good players. We'll live with that.

"We were the preseason No. 9 team in the conference out of nine teams, but we don't believe we're ninth. We're hurting. This one stings more than any I've ever been through. We're capable of winning these games."

The Rebels tied it 62-62 on Dejean-Jones' two free throws with 38 seconds left in regulation. He took over while Bennett and Moser struggled down the stretch.

"Bennett wasn't feeling good, so I had to keep taking him in and out," Rice said. "He was having a hard time breathing. He was a warrior, and he gave us everything he had."

Senior point guard Anthony Marshall, who finished with 12 assists and two turnovers in 43 minutes, said he gave Bennett a pep talk.

"With his body language, you could just tell he wasn't feeling good," Marshall said. "I told him to carry himself like he was the best player in the nation, and he kind of did that."

UNLV, which led 38-30 at the half, went into an offensive funk against the Falcons' zone and lost control of the game. The Rebels shot 8-for-25 from the field and missed 12 free throws in the second half.

"We did get a little bit stagnant," Rice said.

Lyons' fast-break layup cut the Falcons' deficit to four with 11:08 left, and he scored again to bring Air Force within 54-52. Kyle Green's 3-pointer put the Falcons on top 55-54 with 5:41 remaining, and he added two free throws to stretch the lead to three.

The Rebels tied it at 58 on Justin Hawkins' 3-pointer with 3:37 to go.

Dejean-Jones scored 10 of his team's 14 points in overtime, including a clutch baseline jumper that tied the score at 70 with 1:07 remaining.

He said he "didn't really have a reaction" to Rice's decision to bring him off the bench for the first time since Nov. 12.

"I always want to get in there and play," he said. "Everybody has different roles, and I just got in the flow of the game."

UNLV next plays at No. 16 San Diego State on Wednesday. The Aztecs also won in overtime on Saturday, defeating Colorado State.

Contact reporter Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.comor 702-387-2907. Follow him on Twitter: @mattyoumans247.