Three takeaways from UNLV’s exhibition victory

Three takeaways from UNLV’s 96-80 victory over Dakota Wesleyan in Tuesday’s exhibition basketball game at the Thomas & Mack Center:

1. Sophomore guard Kris Clyburn should be a fan favorite.

Whether it was flying in to grab an offensive rebound or stealing the ball and finishing with a dunk, Clyburn was all over the floor in finishing with 22 points, 11 rebounds and five steals. He will be a good piece to help build around in the coming seasons for first-year coach Marvin Menzies.

Clyburn signed with UNLV after earning Defensive Player of the Year honors for the North Texas Junior College Athletic Association. He also made 59.9 percent of his shots in junior college, including 50.8 from behind the 3-point arc.

Against Wesleyan, he made 11 of 14 shots, though Clyburn didn’t take any 3-pointers.

“My main focus was to get some offensive rebounds,” said Clyburn, who had five. “Once you’re able to rebound, the game comes to you.”

2. UNLV’s defense has to get a lot better.

The Rebels struggled to defend on the dribble and off the ball, making Wesleyan sometimes look like Air Force with its many backdoor cuts in scoring 80 points. If this is how UNLV defends against an NAIA Division II school, how with the Rebels perform when they actually have to defend Air Force?

This was to be expected to some degree, a UNLV team with only three returning players learning how to play together. The Rebels always were going to need time to gel, and they were without forwards Dwayne Morgan (hip) and Cheickna Dembele (right heel), who will be important players when they hit the court in the coming weeks.

But, no matter who was or wasn’t available to play, this defense wouldn’t confuse anyone with San Diego State’s.

“I thought we were a little bit further along defensively,” Menzies said. “So I’m a little shocked by the amount of game slippage we made.” xxx

3. The Rebels are inching closer to settling on a point guard, but they haven’t arrived.

Sophomore Jalen Poyser started at the spot, and he showed flashes in finishing with 15 points and five assists. The Rebels also tried junior Jovan Mooring, freshman Zion Morgan and junior Larry Bush.

The Rebels committed eight turnovers in the first half, the main reason the Tigers were able to hang around. UNLV committed just three turnovers in the second half, but expect the auditions to continue at that position.

If UNLV had a regular-season game to play tonight, however, Poyser would be the one getting the ball.

Contact Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow @markanderson65 on Twitter.