Giddens, Lobos slam Rebels

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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — If it was his final home game, New Mexico senior J.R. Giddens made it a memorable one by putting together a highlight reel of spectacular plays.

One play stood above the rest Tuesday night. Midway through the second half, Giddens led a fast break and threw down a powerful dunk over UNLV’s Rene Rougeau.

It was an NBA-quality slam worthy of a poster.

"It was a good one. It kind of happened fast. I finished the play," Giddens said, smiling. "Stuff happens."

Giddens stuffed the Rebels every way possible, finishing with 17 points, 15 rebounds and five assists to lift the Lobos to a 59-45 victory at The Pit.

The blowout brought the teams closer together in the Mountain West Conference standings. Second-place UNLV (22-7, 11-4) holds a one-game lead over third-place New Mexico (23-7, 10-5).

It was a win the Lobos desperately needed for their NCAA Tournament hopes.

In the postgame Senior Night ceremony, New Mexico coach Steve Alford took the microphone and resembled a rock star as he worked the sellout crowd of 18,018 into a frenzy.

"This is the last game these three seniors will play in The Pit because we will not be in the NIT," Alford guaranteed as the fans howled.

Alford then announced he will be back next season, which was his way of saying he will not pursue the coaching job at Indiana, his alma mater. The crowd continued to roar.

The Rebels, sitting in silence in their locker room, served as the piñata for the Lobos’ party.

"We got whipped, and we’ve been whipped a few times," UNLV coach Lon Kruger said. "It’s not like we’re going to play great every night."

Giddens’ show of strength was impressive. But the Rebels’ effort was equally weak.

Giddens scored four points as New Mexico, which led 24-22 at halftime, went on a 13-0 run to start the second half.

"In the second half, they came out with a lot of fire and energy and caught us off guard," UNLV senior Curtis Terry said. "I think guys are just disappointed in how we opened the second half. We didn’t have the emotion and the intensity and the desire."

The Rebels shot 18-for-54, including 4-for-21 on 3-pointers. Terry and senior forward Corey Bailey each shot 1-for-7.

It was Bailey’s missed layup that resulted in Giddens’ fast-break slam. He took an outlet pass, raced Rougeau to the rim and threw down a thunderous dunk to put the Lobos up 45-33 with 9:23 remaining.

Wink Adams, who led UNLV with 12 points, fouled out with 5:08 to go when he spun and knocked down New Mexico senior Jamaal Smith, a Foothill High School product. It was the third offensive foul for Adams, who went scoreless in the second half.

The Rebels missed four shots and had three turnovers to open the second half, but Kruger opted not to use a timeout to interrupt the Lobos’ momentum. After Chad Toppert made a 3-pointer to give New Mexico a 35-22 lead, Kruger finally stopped the clock.

It was too late to stop the bleeding.

"They got after loose balls and they rebounded more aggressively," Kruger said of the Lobos. "They won all those battles."

Rougeau had eight points and seven rebounds for UNLV, which could see New Mexico again next week in the Mountain West tournament in Las Vegas.

Giddens shot 6-for-15 from the field and made 5 of 6 free throws.

"That’s why he’s the MVP of the league," Alford said. "J.R. has had a phenomenal year for us."

The Rebels, who beat the Lobos 79-60 on Feb. 2, close the regular season Saturday against Utah at the Thomas & Mack Center.

• NOTES — Kruger is one of 12 finalists for coach of the year by the United States Basketball Writers Association. The other finalists are Rick Barnes (Texas), Keno Davis (Drake), John Calipari (Memphis), Mike Krzyzewski (Duke), Sean Miller (Xavier), Matt Painter (Purdue), Bruce Pearl (Tennessee), Rick Pitino (Louisville), Bo Ryan (Wisconsin), Herb Sendek (Arizona State) and Kevin Stallings (Vanderbilt). … Adams was named to the District 15 second team by the National Association of Basketball Coaches.