Report Card: UNLV vs. UC-Riverside

 

When it came to winning time, Patrick McCaw made all the big plays at both ends. He scored a team-high 17 points, but more important were his career-best seven steals. The sophomore shot 6-of-11 and added eight rebounds and three assists. Ike Nwamu had 11 points and five boards, but if UNLV is to reach its true potential this season, fifth-year senior point guard Jerome Seagears (six points on 3-of-9 shooting in 29 minutes) has to make better decisions with the ball and not force shots during critical stretches of the game. Seagears continues to try to do too much instead of making the simple basketball play. UNLV did turn 22 turnovers by the Highlanders into 23 points.

 

 

Freshman forward Stephen Zimmerman Jr. was limited to 13 minutes due to foul trouble, which allowed a very good player in UCR senior Taylor Johns to go for 21 points and 13 rebounds in 39 minutes. Ben Carter (15 points and five rebounds) did a nice job picking up the slack as Zimmerman sat, but the Rebels continue to get hurt on the boards. They allowed 14 offensive rebounds at Wichita State on Wednesday and 16 more against the Highlanders, which led to 20 second-chance points for the home team. Even with Zimmerman on the bench, that’s far too much.

 

BENCH: C-plus

UNLV needed all of Carter’s numbers as a once 18-point second-half lead was cut to four with under a minute remaining. Derrick Jones Jr. added 12 points and four rebounds in the first half, but was limited to six second-half minutes with foul trouble. Jordan Cornish continues to struggle mightily for the Rebels. The sophomore is shooting 29 percent through 10 games, including 1-of-24 on 3-pointers.

 

 

It’s a road win, and those are to be coveted in college basketball. Dave Rice and his staff did a good job getting players to bounce back with energy and purpose following the loss at Wichita State and the Rebels smartly attacked with better athletes Saturday in building a 14-point halftime lead. But the issues with rebounding at the defensive end aren’t going away, and UNLV is line to play much bigger and better opponents, beginning this week at home to Arizona State on Wednesday and at Arizona on Saturday. It needs to get fixed. Fast.

 

Ed Graney can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4618. He can be a heard on "Seat and Ed" on Fox Sports 1340 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. On Twitter: @edgraney.