Backcourt duo helps lift Rebels

“This is when you come out of your slump,” Terry said to Adams before Wednesday’s game.

Adams answered with his actions, scoring 16 points and adding six assists to help the Rebels defeat Northern Arizona 83-74 before 2,138 fans at the Walkup Skydome.

Terry did his part, too, finishing with 16 points, eight rebounds and five assists as UNLV improved to 6-2, including 2-1 on the road.

“I think I’m back to my old self,” said Adams, who also had four rebounds and two steals. “My shots were falling, I was playing defense, and I got my teammates involved. That’s how I want to play the rest of the season.”

Adams, shooting just 34.5 percent after seven games, made 5 of 8 field goals, including two 3-pointers, and hit all four of his free throws.

Terry shot 4-for-6, also hitting two 3-pointers, and made 6 of 7 free throws.

“I like playing on the road because it’s a challenge,” said Terry, who had 11 points in the first half, when the Rebels raced to a 22-point lead. “Every game, I think we’ve gotten a lot better. It’s a lot more fun when everybody contributes and the team is successful.”

Junior forward Joe Darger and sophomore center Matt Shaw scored 14 points apiece.

Darger shot 2-for-12 from the field but made up for that by making 9 of 11 free throws. UNLV shot 27-for-32 at the free-throw line.

Rebels coach Lon Kruger used 10 players, and his deep rotation helped offset the effects of playing at an elevation of 7,000 feet.

“We feel very good about a road win,” Kruger said. “We like the idea of being able to play a lot of guys.”

But the Lumberjacks (4-4) cut the deficit to seven points late in the game, causing Kruger to say “they outscrapped us in the final 20 minutes.”

One player Kruger was able to put in for the first time was freshman guard Kendall Wallace, who missed the first month of the season with a stress fracture to his right fibula. Wallace debuted with a bang by converting a four-point play on his first shot.

“It’s a good way to start your career with a four-point play,” Kruger said with a smile.

Wallace hit a deep 3-pointer, was knocked on his back and made the free throw 7:26 into the game. That was in the middle of a 23-6 run that extended the Rebels’ lead to 34-14.

“I told Kendall that will go down in school history because he’s probably the only player who’s done that,” said Adams, who had the assist. “He’s another guy who can shoot it.”

Wallace had nine points in 12 minutes. Sophomore forward Lamar Roberson also contributed off the bench with six points and five rebounds.

Northern Arizona fought to within 59-49 with 11:30 remaining before baskets by Rene Rougeau, Wallace and Roberson helped UNLV go on a 7-2 run and protect its lead.

The Rebels shot 15-for-31 from the field and 9-for-9 on free throws in the first half and led 45-28 at the break.

“We came out and had a great first half,” Terry said. “We did a good job of distributing the ball, making plays for each other and knocking down shots. Everybody got involved in the offense and the defense.

“In the second half, we didn’t make as many shots, but we made enough plays to finish out the game.”

Kyle Landry and Josh Wilson each scored 15 for the Lumberjacks.

“We just dug ourselves that same first-half hole that we always seem to dig against these guys. We just couldn’t get all the way out of that hole,” Northern Arizona coach Mike Adras said. “I give them a lot of credit because they were really able to dictate the tempo in that first 20 minutes.”

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

UNLV 83

Northern Arizona 74

UNLV Min FG-A FT-A R A PF TP

Bailey 21 0-3 1-2 5 1 2 1

Shaw 25 5-9 4-5 3 0 3 14

Darger 26 2-12 9-11 3 0 2 14

Adams 32 5-8 4-4 4 6 1 16

Terry 33 4-6 6-7 8 5 1 16

Rutledge 9 1-2 0-0 3 0 1 3

Roberson 15 3-3 0-0 5 1 4 6

Wallace 12 2-4 3-3 0 0 0 9

Lawrence 13 0-1 0-0 2 3 1 0

Rougeau 14 2-5 0-0 1 0 3 4

TOTALS 200 24-53 27-32 36 16 18 83

Field goals–45.3%. Free throws–84.4%.

Three-point goals–8-22 (Wallace 2-3, Adams 2-4, Terry 2-4, Rutledge 1-2, Darger 1-6, Bailey 0-1, Shaw 0-2). Team rebounds–2. Blocked shots–2 (Roberson 2). Turnovers–12 (Adams 3, Roberson 3, Terry 2, Bailey, Lawrence, Rougeau, Team). Steals–2 (Adams 2).

N. ARIZONA Min FG-A FT-A R A PF TP

Landry 27 6-13 3-6 11 1 4 15

Comagic 18 3-6 0-2 4 0 2 8

Johnson 32 3-6 0-0 3 5 3 6

Geiser 27 4-13 0-0 1 3 3 12

Wilson 29 7-13 1-3 2 4 2 15

Jones 13 1-3 0-0 3 2 0 2

Bishop 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0

Sharp 7 0-0 0-0 2 1 1 0

McCurdy 17 3-6 4-5 2 2 3 10

Filzen 12 2-5 0-0 1 0 4 6

Larson 17 0-3 0-0 3 0 1 0

TOTALS 200 29-68 8-16 38 18 23 74

Field goals–42.6%. Free throws–50.0%.

Three-point goals–8-25 (Geiser 4-8, Comagic 2-2, Filzen 2-5, Jones 0-1, Larson 0-2, Johnson 0-3, Wilson 0-4). Team rebounds–6. Blocked shots–2 (Landry 2). Turnovers–10 (Johnson 3, Wilson 3, Larson 2, Jones, McCurdy). Steals–6 (Comagic 3, Geiser, Wilson, McCurdy).

A–2,138. Officials–Verne Harris, Michael Irving, Brian Shelley. Technical fouls–None.

UNLV 45 38 — 83

Northern Arizona 28 46 — 74