Overtime doesn’t pay off for Rebels

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It certainly wasn’t pretty. But it might well have been a prelude to next month’s Mountain West Conference Tournament.

UNLV and San Diego State grinded it out Tuesday at the Thomas & Mack Center, battling to stay in first place in the league. The Aztecs were a little grittier, eking out a 68-66 overtime win in front of 14,137.

"It definitely felt like a tournament game," Rebels senior guard Rene Rougeau said. "Lots of fouls and lots of physical play. You could see both teams really wanted it."

The loss ended UNLV’s 27-game home-court conference winning streak and dropped it to 17-5 overall and 5-3 in MWC play.

The difference was San Diego State’s Kyle Spain, who scored eight of his 17 points in overtime.

The Rebels’ Wink Adams tried to win the game rather than extend it, launching a 3-pointer with two seconds left in overtime and his team down by two. The shot caromed off the rim, and Oscar Bellfield’s putback try was late and off the mark.

"I was looking for the first open shot," Adams said, explaining why he didn’t try to go to the basket. "They were sagging off me so I had some room.

"I want to take that shot at the end. I just got to make it."

The Rebels struggled offensively, shooting 68 percent (21-for-31) from the foul line and 34 percent from the floor, including 7-for-20 on 3-pointers. And when the time came to deliver the big shot, they couldn’t.

"We got stops," said Adams, who led UNLV with 16 points. "Our defense was there. We just couldn’t execute offensively when we had to."

San Diego State (16-5, 6-2) came in with several injury issues but kept the Rebels off-balance most of the night. Aztecs forward Tim Shelton stayed home with a bad right knee, Richie Williams played with his left knee in a brace and Ryan Amoroso’s sore back held up through 13 minutes.

But none of that affected the Aztecs’ ability to disrupt the Rebels’ halfcourt offense or get back in transition.

Whether it was D.J. Gay pressuring the ball, Billy White helping in the paint or Spain extending his arms to alter a UNLV player’s shot, San Diego State defended well.

"They’re a long team, a rangy team," Adams said. "They definitely gave us problems in the halfcourt."

Still, the Rebels found a way to get the lead, using a 16-4 run to go up 54-50 with 5:30 left in regulation. They had a couple of chances to extend the lead, but Rougeau missed a transition layup and Kendall Wallace missed an open 3-pointer.

After a White free throw tied the game at 59 with 27 seconds left, UNLV had a chance to win the game in regulation. Joe Darger was left wide open in the left corner, but his 3-point try was way off.

Spain, a senior forward, took over in overtime, and UNLV was unable to match his output.

The Rebels start the second half of league play Saturday at New Mexico in a third-place pack that includes the Lobos and Brigham Young.

"Tough, tough ballgame," UNLV coach Lon Kruger said. "We struggled most of the evening to stay within reach, and we had some opportunities to extend the lead once we got it. But it comes down to big plays and big shots. Credit to San Diego State. They made the big plays. Great win for them. Tough loss for us."

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.