UNLV edges Canada squad to open exhibition tour

OTTAWA, Ontario - It was only an exhibition, and the setting was a tiny gym lined on both sides by 10 rows of bleachers and cement walls. It still seemed like a big stage to Katin Reinhardt.

In his UNLV debut Saturday, the 6-foot-5-inch freshman guard played as if it was the most important night of the season.

"I know it's not a regular-season game," Reinhardt said, "but it's my first game of playing college basketball and I just had a great time."

Reinhardt poured in 12 of his 19 points in the second half, and senior Anthony Marshall scored five points in the final 22 seconds to lift the Rebels to a 74-70 victory over Carleton University.

"One thing about Katin is he loves the big stage and he loves when the game is on the line," UNLV coach Dave Rice said.

The Rebels opened a four-game exhibition tour in Canada by winning the type of game they repeatedly lost on the road in February and March. At that time, Reinhardt was watching from afar while at Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei High School.

His ability to sink long-range shots made the difference in UNLV's first win away from home since Jan. 28 at Air Force. It's not an official victory in the record book, but Rice counted the result as significant.

"It's always important to try to find a way to win a game," Rice said. "Is it the World Series? No. But anytime we put our uniforms on and go on the court, it's very important that we find a way to win."

The Rebels, wearing their black practice uniforms, were backed by about 100 of their fans among the estimated crowd of 550 at Fenn Gymnasium, which was only slightly larger than a sauna and felt as hot and sweaty as one.

Carleton, the two-time defending Canadian Interuniversity Sport champion, is coming off a 34-0 season. The Ravens, a hard-working team with good guards, were similar in style to Colorado State of the Mountain West Conference.

"We had a lot of fans come out and support us, so when the game was kind of stagnant, they gave us a boost of energy," said Marshall, who finished with 14 points and seven rebounds.

Reinhardt's 3-pointer put UNLV up 63-60 with 5:50 to play, and the lead was 70-68 after Marshall hit the first of two free throws with 22 seconds left.

Marshall jumped over a screen on the perimeter, and his steal and dunk gave the Rebels a four-point edge with 6.9 seconds left. After a short jumper by Carleton's Dan Penner, Marshall was fouled and hit both free throws with a second to play.

"Anthony showed great leadership," Rice said. "It's a big deal for us to go to the line and make big free throws. It's all part of the process of improving on some things that were difficult for us at times last year.

"It was important for us to do better on the road. It's just a first step of many steps of trying to get ready for November. We have a long way to go, but certainly progress was made."

Reinhardt shot 4-for-8 from 3-point range as UNLV made 10 of 20 from behind the arc.

"We know he's a shooter and what he can do. That's expected of him," Marshall said. "A game like this that goes down to the wire is a very good learning experience."

After a sloppy offensive showing, the Rebels went into halftime tied at 38. The Ravens made seven 3s in the first half but only three after the half.

"It was a little ragged to start, but we made some very big plays down the stretch," Rice said. "It's always hard in these games because the guys are still in summer mode defensively. We didn't get enough stops in the first half. We're at our best, like every team is, when we get defensive stops and rebounds and push the ball.

"We made adjustments on the fly. We found Katin, and he made some tough, hard shots. He's certainly going to be a big part of what we do this year."

Junior forward Mike Moser hit two 3s early in the second half and finished with 10 points. Bryce Dejean-Jones, a sophomore transfer from Southern California, scored nine.

For Dejean-Jones and UNLV's four freshmen, the exhibition was an icebreaker.

"I love it," Reinhardt said. "It was exciting. The team has faith in me that late in the game when we need shots, I'll knock 'em down. I'm just happy I get to play with this team all year."

Contact reporter Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907.