Cold-shooting UNLV loses 64-57 to Texas State

No Jonah Antonio, no offensive rhythm, not enough defensive stops.

That combination Wednesday night produced a disappointing result for UNLV, which lost 64-57 to Texas State at the Thomas &Mack Center.

The Rebels scored six points during a nearly nine-minute stretch late in the second half as Texas State took control. UNLV led 44-43 with 9:44 left, but the Bobcats went on a nine-point run and never trailed.

Antonio didn’t play because of an injured left hand, and UNLV coach T.J. Otzelberger called him day to day. Otzelberger said he didn’t know whether Antonio would play Saturday when Southern Methodist visits.

Amauri Hardy led the Rebels (2-4) with 18 points and Donnie Tillman added 13.

Nijal Pearson scored 25 points for Texas State (4-2).

1. The result was not surprising

Texas State was the worst kind of opponent the Rebels could have faced from a perception standpoint.

The Bobcats have almost zero name recognition with UNLV fans, but they have a higher Kenpom rating than UNLV — No. 137 compared to No. 170 for the Rebels. And the Rebels were only favored by 4½ points.

That won’t ease the anxiety of many Rebels fans, and this game underscored UNLV’s shortcomings and the long road ahead for its first-year coach.

But this week also made clear that change is coming. UNLV announced the signing of six players for a roster with only three scholarship seniors. Plus, the Rebels might sign another player or two in the late period.

So maybe patience is in order, but if the Rebels look this out of sync against a Texas State-like opponent a year from now, then start worrying.

2. UNLV played Texas State’s tempo

UNLV had its offense going early in building a 26-16 lead, but the Bobcats responded with an 8-0 run to change the game’s tenor. The Rebels couldn’t get into their transition game and didn’t score any fastbreak points in the second half.

Otzelberger pointed to the lack of defensive stops, which made it difficult to get into transition.

“We’ve got to maintain our focus, our toughness and our competitive spirit throughout the game to get the game going the way we want it,” he said.

Hardy said pushing pace is still emphasized.

“Sometimes I do feel we get away from that,” Hardy said. “That’s something we have to continue to focus on. Then again, if we don’t get stops, we have to play in the half court, and I don’t think that’s something we really want to do right now.”

3. Otzelberger went deep into rotation

This is the first time Otzelberger has played more than seven or eight players, but he experimented with several lineups. Nine players received playing time in the first half alone, with six getting in for double-digit minutes.

“With Jonah not playing, we need to be more open-minded to getting more guys on the floor,” Otzelberger said. “He’s a guy who’s played heavy minutes, and he’s used to it. The other part is Tillman picked up his second foul early and then picked up his third foul, so that caused us to make some decisions deeper in the rotation as well.”

Otzelberger shaved back on the rotation in the second half, going with more of a seven-man rotation.

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @markanderson65 on Twitter.