Rebels run out of gas on road, fall to Colorado State, 66-61

FORT COLLINS, Colo. - With the game on the line, senior guard Dorian Green stepped to the free-throw line and made eight straight for Colorado State.

When he finally missed a shot - a 3-point attempt with 40 seconds remaining - Pierce Hornung hauled down the offensive rebound. The Rams' formula for success Saturday was more simplistic than sensational.

"Our backbone is defense and rebounding, and that's what we did at the end of the game," Green said. "Then we stepped up at the free-throw line. That's what you have to do to win."

Green scored 24 points as Colorado State rallied late to defeat UNLV 66-61 and extend its winning streak at Moby Arena to 24 games.

After a 3-pointer by Anthony Marshall put the Rebels on top 59-56 with 3:42 to go, they unraveled and came up empty on five of their final six possessions, a formula that led to more frustration on the Mountain West road.

"We didn't make the plays needed down the stretch, and a lot of that falls on me being the point guard," said Marshall, who scored 15 of his 21 points in the second half.

Freshman guard Katin Reinhardt scored 11 points for UNLV (15-4, 2-2 MW) on a day stars Anthony Bennett and Mike Moser were barely noticeable.

Colorado State (15-3, 2-1) closed the game on a 10-2 run and scored 14 of its final 16 points on free throws. Wes Eikmeier's jumper with 3:59 to play was the Rams' only field goal in the last 7½ minutes.

Green made eight free throws in the final 4:22, and Colorado State finished 19-for-21 at the line.

The Rebels, running short on energy after an emotional win at 15th-ranked San Diego State on Wednesday, lost for the fourth time, all by six points or fewer. UNLV opened conference play with a five-point loss at New Mexico.

"I think in the Mountain West, nobody has had a tougher two weeks than us," said Marshall, who shot 9-for-17 from the field and had six rebounds in 38 minutes. "But you can't use that as an excuse. We didn't play our best basketball."

At one point in the first half, Bennett walked up the court while breathing heavily, and coach Dave Rice used a timeout.

"We knew this was going to be a challenging week for us with two games on the road," Rice said. "We were tired to start the game. It's been tough travel this week, and playing in altitude. We were absolutely a tired basketball team."

Bennett, averaging 19 points, was held to a season-low nine for the second consecutive game. He was double-teamed on almost every touch by a combination of Hornung, 6-foot-10-inch Colton Iverson and forward Greg Smith. And when Bennett couldn't touch the ball, an irritated Rice contended, it was because he was being held.

"They were extremely physical in the post," Rice said. "Teams have been extremely physical with Anthony. He's always got two hands on him."

Moser left briefly in the first half after taking a hit to his right elbow, which was dislocated Dec. 9. He was ineffective after returning, scoring two points in 22 minutes and spending the final 6½ minutes on the bench.

"We think he's OK," Rice said. "He was available to go back in there."

UNLV shot 27.6 percent (8 of 29) to fall behind 31-26 at halftime. Rice adjusted the offense and put Marshall in command. Marshall used high screens to create offense from dribble penetration, and it worked until the closing minutes.

"I thought he was very effective," Rice said. "We kept calling his number. He made some tough plays. We were just having a hard time getting any post touches. The best thing for us was just to do something that was working."

The Rebels finished with six assists, 13 turnovers and zero fast-break points. Marshall was their lone reliable source for offense with Bennett and Moser all but out of the picture.

Rams coach Larry Eustachy gave a lot of the credit to Smith, who had 16 points and six rebounds, for getting physical with Bennett.

"When Bennett got the ball, we were on him," Eustachy said. "His eight shots, for the most part, were hard fought. We put numerous guys on him. We did a great job, because he has put up monster numbers."

With its three most difficult road games in the rear-view mirror, UNLV returns home with Wyoming and UNR next on the schedule.

"The guys are bitterly disappointed with the result," Rice said. "But we're a better team than we were two weeks ago."

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