UNLV’s Birch returns to good graces, helps upend UNR

On the court, UNLV center Khem Birch is a lot of things - a rebounder, shot blocker and improving post scorer, to name a few.

The sophomore is also conscientious to an impressive degree, especially after making a minor mistake off the court. It was not even his mistake, but he took the blame anyway.

"I wanted to show I'm responsible," he said. "I wanted to impress my coaches. I didn't want to be like a bad person or anything."

If he needed to make amends for something, Birch did so Tuesday night, totaling 14 points and seven rebounds to help lift the Rebels to a 66-54 victory over UNR at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Birch was granted permission to leave the team and attend his father's wedding in Ontario, Canada, on Saturday, with the understanding he would return for Sunday's practice.

But he failed to make it back to Las Vegas on time, after being delayed by U.S. Customs officials and missing his flight.

"I got stuck at the border. They ask you a lot of questions, sometimes for no reason," Birch said. "I was disappointed. It was a big deal. I deserved not to start."

UNLV coach Dave Rice was not as disappointed. But he made the decision to bring the 6-foot-9-inch Birch, who had started the previous six games, off the bench. Birch said he was motivated, and showed it.

"Khem continues to get better," Rice said.

Birch shot 5-for-9 from the field, 4-for-6 on free throws and added three steals and two blocks in 24 minutes as the Rebels (17-4, 4-2 Mountain West) prevailed in a defensive struggle.

Freshman forward Anthony Bennett had 13 points and nine rebounds, and sophomore guard Bryce Dejean-Jones returned to the starting lineup and produced 11 points and eight rebounds.

UNLV did nothing particularly well offensively - shooting 39 percent and committing 13 turnovers - but did enough to put away an opponent limited by an obvious size and talent disadvantage.

"We could never quite get into an offensive flow. But I thought our defense was solid," Rice said. "I know 66 points is not a very good point total for us. We need to get more easy baskets in transition. We know we have a lot to work on, a lot of room for improvement."

Deonte Burton and Jerry Evans Jr. scored 14 points apiece for the Wolf Pack (11-9, 2-4). Burton, a junior point guard, was the best player on the floor for most of the game, but he was constantly harassed by multiple Rebels defenders, most often Anthony Marshall.

UNR trimmed a 14-point deficit to 59-52 on Malik Story's free throw with four minutes remaining. A jumper by Mike Moser and a Birch dunk helped UNLV hold off the rally.

Moser and Birch both came off the bench, replaced by Quintrell Thomas and Dejean-Jones, as Rice continued his search for the right lineup combinations.

"Different situations call for different lineups," said Rice, who watched the fast break get mostly eliminated from his team's offense by the Wolf Pack's transition and zone defenses. The Rebels were held to seven fast-break points.

"Anytime we missed a shot, they sprinted back, and that's what teams are going to do against us," said Marshall, who had eight points and six assists. "If you're going to stop us on the fast break, we're a pretty good half-court team, too."

That point is debatable. Freshman guard Katin Reinhardt did manage to bail out UNLV at key junctures by hitting three 3-pointers.

Dejean-Jones, a reserve in the previous four games, provided the offensive punch that Moser has been missing. He said he also encouraged Birch to get more aggressive.

"We have to get on him a lot sometimes," Dejean-Jones said. "Quit passing up wide-open jumpers. He's a good shooter, and he usually makes it when he does shoot."

Birch's second-best offensive output of the season was a major factor in the Rebels defeating the Wolf Pack for the seventh straight time and for the first time as Mountain West rivals.

"I've been feeling confident for a long time," Birch said. "I just showed it more tonight."

Contact reporter Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907. Follow him on Twitter: @mattyoumans247.