Rebels smack Wolf Pack after McCaw’s buzzer-beating 3 forces OT

UNLV essentially played six players Saturday and the last thing it needed was to be involved in an overtime game.

But in a strange season for the Rebels, why not play some extra basketball?

Exhausted and running on fumes, UNLV managed to outlast in-state rival UNR, 102-91, in front of an announced crowd of 14,640 at the Thomas & Mack Center in a classic in the series which dates to 1961.

"This is a tremendous effort, I couldn't be more proud of them," interim coach Todd Simon said as his team improved to 7-8 in the Mountain West, 16-12 overall. "We have six guys who keep digging in, blocking out all the negativity and rallied around each other. It just shows you the character of this group.

"They continue to answer the bell. They continue to find a way."

Marqueze Coleman appeared to have sealed the victory for the Wolf Pack (8-6, 16-10) with a tiebreaking 3-pointer from the top of the key with 3 seconds remaining to put UNR up 80-77. But Patrick McCaw raced the other way and his off-balance 27-foot shot went in, barely beating the buzzer to force overtime at 80-80.

"It was going in. There wasn't a doubt in my mind as soon as it left my hands," McCaw said. "I'm a little surprised they didn't try to foul me, but I guess they didn't think I'd make it.

"But I knew I had time to get the ball up the court, take two or three dribbles and then shoot. We practice these situations all the time."

Given new life, the Rebels opened OT with a 9-2 run and led 89-82 1:47 into the extra period. UNR never recovered as UNLV extended the lead to 96-85 with 1:04 to play.

"For us, it was a boost of energy," UNLV's Ike Nwamu said. "We just picked it up after that shot."

McCaw said: "Anytime you hit a shot like that, it's going to deflate the other team."

Jordan Cornish, who struggled with his outside shooting most of the night, finally found the range in overtime. He scored nine of his 17 points in the extra period and was a nice complement to McCaw, who finished with a team-high 25 points to go with 18 rebounds.

"It was great to see Jordan come through like he did," Simon said of Cornish, who shots 6 of 14 from the floor, 2 of 7 on 3-pointers.

All six scholarship players scored in double figures as Jerome Seagears had 21 points, Derrick Jones Jr. had 14, Nwamu 13 and Jalen Poyser 12.

"We shared the ball — 23 assists tonight," Simon said. "All six guys scored in double figures. We were tough, we were really tough. Say what you want, that's a really physical tough team in Reno and we matched them."

From a health perspective, things keep getting worse for UNLV as forward Dwayne Morgan was scratched from the lineup prior to tipoff after dislocating his right shoulder during the team's shootaround earlier in the day. Morgan was going for a rebound when he felt something in his shoulder pop.

The 6-foot-8-inch sophomore is expected to undergo an MRI on Monday to determined the extent of the damage, and his status for Tuesday's game at Boise State is uncertain.

"It was devastating to see that happen and at that time of the day," Simon said. "But the guys rallied around each other and that's what makes this win so special. We overcame a lot of adversity to get the win."

With Morgan out, the Rebels dressed only eight players for the rematch with the Wolf Pack. Simon tried to protect his guys by primarily playing a 2-3 zone defense to reduce the risk of contact.

But with the zone flat-lining and very little movement, UNR was able to attack it relatively easy and stay well within contact. After 20 minutes, Jones had three fouls while Nwamu, Seagears and Poyser had two each.

One of Nwamu's fouls was a technical, which he picked up for taunting the UNR bench after a made 3-pointer with 4:07 left in the half. It was the second straight game in which he got T'd up; Nwamu was dinged during Tuesday's loss at Air Force for uttering a profanity which the officials picked up.

But UNLV still led at the half, 35-33, and withstood Coleman, Eric Cooper Jr. and Cameron Oliver during the second half and overtime to get a much-needed win. Coleman scored 31 points while Cooper finished with a career-best 24 and Oliver had 14 points and 21 rebounds.

When asked if McCaw's tying 3-pointer deflated his team, UNR coach Eric Musselman said, "No. I thought we still had fight. But they made some hard shots early in the overtime and we weren't able to match them."

— Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj