UNLV can’t finish the job again, loses at Colorado State

UNLV took Colorado State to the final seconds Saturday for the second time in three days.

Unfortunately for the Rebels, the Rams found a way to win both times.

Isaiah Stevens made a 3-pointer with 27 seconds left that gave Colorado State the lead for good, and Bryce Hamilton’s 3-point shot to tie the score as time ran down missed, preserving the Rams’ 83-80 victory at Moby Arena in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Colorado State swept the two-game Mountain West series after a 74-71 win Thursday. UNLV will play its second home game of the season when it meets Saint Katherine, a game it added to the schedule Friday, at 2 p.m. Tuesday at the Thomas &Mack Center.

Stevens led Colorado State (8-2, 5-1 MW) with 22 points and eight assists, and his 6-for-8 performance from 3-point range helped the Rams to a season-high 16 3-pointers.

“A lot of it is on us,” said UNLV guard David Jenkins, who scored a game-high 29 points. “I feel like just closing out on somebody is not good enough. We have to be there quicker. A lot of those 3s they made could have been taken away by us closing out and them not even getting the attempt up.”

Hamilton scored 28 for UNLV (1-6, 0-2) and Mbacke Diong added nine points and 15 rebounds.

Here are three takeaways from the loss:

1. 3-point disparity

While Colorado State was lighting it up from 3-point range at 55.2 percent (16 of 29), UNLV couldn’t find the range consistently.

The Rebels went 6-for-22 (27.3 percent), including 2-for-12 in the second half. Jenkins and Hamilton combined to shoot 23-for-40, but most of the shots came on midrange jumpers, which meant UNLV was often trading 2s for 3s.

“We were hopeful that when Jenkins really got going, with him and Hamilton, I want to trust guys who can score the ball and be confident,” UNLV coach T.J. Otzelberger said. “We feel like when we’re taking some of those shots, that if we can get some offensive rebounding, that will offset that difference in the 2s and 3s.”

The Rebels shot 64.1 percent from 2-point range and outscored Colorado State 12-9 from the free-throw line and 34-26 in the paint, but couldn’t keep the Rams from making 3s at crucial times.

2. Back and forth throughout

Unlike Thursday’s game, when UNLV blew a 13-point second-half lead, this one was close throughout.

Colorado State pulled away to a 21-13 lead and stayed in front for the rest of the first half, but the game went back and forth after halftime. The Rams build a 73-67 lead with 5:19 to go, but the Rebels answered with a 7-0 run to pull ahead. They led 78-76 with 1:42 left.

The Rams tied the score on a layup by David Roddy, who had 18 points and six assists, setting up Stevens’ late 3 that proved to be the difference. There were 12 ties, and the lead changed hands 18 times.

3. Wasted second chances

UNLV had a 34-24 edge in rebounds, including 12-5 on the offensive end, but it didn’t translate into points.

The Rebels outscored Colorado State 11-9 off second chances.

“That’s something we’re continuing to work on,” Otzelberger said. “We’ve got to get (offensive rebounds) and convert, whether that’s a putback at the rim, a kickout 3 or we get to the foul stripe.”

Contact Jason Orts at jorts@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2936. Follow @SportsWithOrts on Twitter.