Rebels seek revenge after January collapse against Boise State

Coach Kevin Kruger has consistently used one word to describe UNLV’s most recent performance against Boise State: uncharacteristic.

On Jan. 11, the Rebels welcomed the Broncos to the Thomas & Mack Center. UNLV seemingly entered the game on a high, coming off a win against a ranked New Mexico team. The Rebels played a strong first half, too, taking a two-point lead into the break.

Then, everything fell apart. UNLV surrendered 53 points in the second half on its way to an 84-66 loss.

UNLV (16-10, 5-9 Mountain West) gets another chance to play Boise State (20-6, 10-3) at 6 p.m. Sunday, when it travels to ExtraMile Arena in Boise, Idaho.

The Rebels are looking to avoid a third consecutive loss. A defeat would also make Boise State the fourth Mountain West team to sweep UNLV this season, joining Fresno State, San Diego State and San Jose State.

Kruger said the previous meeting with Boise State was the first time he felt the Rebels’ defensive effort didn’t live up to their expectations. Sophomore Keshon Gilbert was blunter about the team’s performance. When asked what he remembered about Boise State, he answered with just two words.

“They won,” he said.

The Rebels might be short-handed for the rematch. Fifth-year wing Elijah Parquet and senior wing Luis Rodriguez are questionable against the Broncos.

“We’re just trying to get that confidence and security back,” Kruger said. “We’ve proven to be a good team when we’re confident and have some security that good things are going to happen, so we’re just trying to work back to feeling that way.”

One player who might be working his way back into better form is senior David Muoka. The 6-foot-10-inch center scored four points in 22 minutes when the two teams met Jan. 11. Two games later, Muoka fell out of the rotation almost entirely, playing only reserve minutes when senior forward Victor Iwuakor was in foul trouble.

But Muoka fought his way back into the rotation. He was one of UNLV’s better players against San Diego State on Feb. 11, scoring 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting to go with three rebounds and two steals.

Muoka was rewarded with a start against San Jose State in the UNLV’s most recent outing. He scored eight points, grabbed four rebounds and added a block and a steal in his first start since Jan. 14. Kruger praised Muoka’s alertness and readiness once he was reintroduced into the rotation.

“Recently, I’ve just been trying to stay level-headed the entire game,” Muoka said. “I’m not trying to get too high, too low or anything like that. Just play my game the entire 40 minutes.”

Kruger didn’t announce whether Muoka had done enough to keep his starting spot going forward. The coach said personnel matchups will dictate who plays as the Rebels scrap for wins and look for a spark before the Mountain West tournament.

However, Kruger did say Muoka’s rim protection will be needed against Boise State, which scored 34 points in the paint and outrebounded UNLV 35-31 in January.

Muoka said the adjustments the Rebels have made to their defensive scheme — such as not switching every defender — will help put them in a better position against the Broncos.

“We just have to be more intense, honestly,” Muoka said. “Teams know how we play defense now. They’ve been scouting us. We’ve already played Boise once, so we just have to amp it up to another level.”

Contact reporter Andy Yamashita at ayamashita@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ANYamashita on Twitter.