Rebels shake fatigue, finish Canada conquest

MONTREAL - Six days in Canada left Anthony Marshall with several positive memories. He said he enjoyed touring two cities and checking out different architecture. He was introduced to a new language but did not learn to speak any French.

He got to spend quality time on the road with his teammates. "The bonding experience was the best thing," he said.

What the UNLV senior also will remember is winning four games in as many days.

"Each game we play, we expect to win," he said. "You don't go into a game just to play. We pride ourselves on winning."

Marshall scored 17 points, and the Rebels capped their exhibition tour Tuesday with a 74-59 victory over McGill University before an estimated 400 fans at Love Competition Hall. The picture the teams painted was far from a masterpiece.

But the postcard sent home will say UNLV went 4-0, with an average victory margin of 16.8 points, and coach Dave Rice considered it a perfect week. Rice found plenty to like and a few weaknesses he can use for teaching points.

"Overall, I'm very pleased with the benefit of the trip," Rice said. "The four games were very valuable for us. We got better, without question. We've got a chance to have a very good team, but we've got a long way to go.

"It's always important for our program, anytime we put our jerseys on, to go out and find a way to win the game, regardless of the opponent. It was extremely important to us to win all of our games, because that's always the goal."

Marshall shot 7-for-12 from the field and hit a 3-pointer to stretch the Rebels' lead to 51-33 with four minutes remaining in the third quarter. But offensive highlights were hard to find.

UNLV made just 3 of 19 3-pointers and totaled 18 turnovers and nine assists. Junior forward Mike Moser fouled out in the fourth quarter, and freshman guard Katin Reinhardt didn't suit up for the second consecutive game because of a sore left knee.

"Certainly, we were not at our best today," Rice said. "We could say, 'Hey, it's our fourth game in four nights,' and it's easy to have a letdown. It's always a little different when you go on the road for an international tour. But it's not enough of a sustained effort for us.

"We need to get a better effort. We just want to be more consistent. Priority No. 1 is getting in better shape, and getting ready for practice that will start in October."

Marshall had an opportunity to get adjusted to his new role as the starting point guard. He was one of five returning players on the tour, along with Moser, senior guard Justin Hawkins, senior forward Quintrell Thomas and junior forward Carlos Lopez.

Four freshmen - Reinhardt, Daquan Cook, Savon Goodman and Demetris Morant - and sophomore transfer Bryce Dejean-Jones took advantage of valuable playing time and got introduced to Rice's system and new teammates. Reinhardt, Goodman and Dejean-Jones were standouts.

"We've got a lot of freshmen. There's still a lot of people learning things," Thomas said. "That's the best thing that came out of this. They got to learn how to play with us, and we got to learn how to play with them."

Thomas described the tour as "pretty much all business," but the entire team didn't make the trip.

Three more newcomers are waiting to get unveiled. Anthony Bennett, a freshman forward from Findlay Prep, and transfers Khem Birch and Roscoe Smith were ineligible to compete this month. Bennett is cleared to play in November, Birch becomes eligible in mid-December, and Smith's status with the NCAA is in limbo.

The team UNLV eventually puts on the floor will look different from the team that toured Canada, mostly because Bennett and Birch will strengthen the front line.

"We're excited about the fact that we've got a deep team with a lot of pieces. The competition in practice should be pretty fierce, and guys are going to need to earn their minutes," Rice said. "But the foundation of any team is always the returning guys and their experience, and there's no substitute for that."

Marshall walked out of the locker room Tuesday with ice on his right knee, feeling some pain from playing four days in a row.

"Right now, we're not in game shape," he said. "It's a starting point for us."

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