Rebels take Lobos with 76-68 win
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Just when it appeared UNLV’s season was a lost cause, freshman guard Patrick McCaw went to work on changing the script.
McCaw made three 3-pointers in the first six minutes. Goodluck Okonoboh started dropping shots in the low post. Jelan Kendrick and Chris Wood scored inside and out.
Three days after a pitiful offensive performance in a loss, the Rebels were off and running and resembling a totally different team.
“I had a lot of open 3s, and they just were falling,” said McCaw, who finished with four 3s. “It was just one of those games when the shots were falling and the team was playing together. We were out there having fun.”
McCaw scored 22 points as UNLV upset New Mexico 76-68 on a surprising Saturday at The Pit, sending the Lobos to their sixth straight loss.
Nearing the end of a conference season that has been more about misery than fun, the Rebels (15-12, 6-8 Mountain West) stopped a two-game losing skid and overcame the loss of injured leading scorer Rashad Vaughn by putting together one of their best offensive performances.
“There has been a lot of adversity,” McCaw said. “We’re losing and we lost Rashad. It’s tough on guys.”
UNLV shot 54 percent from the field and connected on 10 of 17 3-pointers, three days after scoring only 48 points and hitting 2 of 18 3s in a home loss to Boise State.
Kendrick scored a season-high 17 points, Wood also had 17, and Okonoboh finished with 12 points and five blocks. Kendrick, a senior guard, hit all three of his 3-point attempts while adding seven assists.
“Kendrick came out and hit some shots we weren’t expecting, and we let McCaw get going early,” New Mexico senior guard Hugh Greenwood said. “It’s a pretty numb feeling at the moment. We should never lose at home.”
McCaw’s third 3 put UNLV up 18-7. The Rebels shot 9-for-11 to open the game, and Wood’s three-point play pushed the lead to 23-9 with 13:11 to go.
The Lobos rallied, with a 3-pointer by Greenwood and a three-point play by Deshawn Delaney tying the score at 34 with 1:51 left. But Wood rebounded his own miss and dunked, and Kendrick hit a 3 at the buzzer to keep UNLV on top 39-34 at the half.
“You can’t get off to a start like that and keep battling back and think you’re going to get over the hump,” New Mexico coach Craig Neal said.
Every time the Lobos (14-13, 6-9) made a run to excite the crowd of 15,145, the Rebels responded and never lost the lead in the second half.
Wood’s 3-pointer from the wing put UNLV up 60-54 with 7:25 remaining. A steal and layup by McCaw was followed by Okonoboh’s fast-break dunk to extend the Rebels’ lead to 67-56 at the 4:32 mark.
“When Goodluck is making plays, that’s a big deal for us,” UNLV coach Dave Rice said. “His low-post game has improved so much.”
The freshman forward hit 6 of 9 shots, expressing himself on and off the court.
“I’ve always had the moves,” Okonoboh said. “It’s just about getting the touches and showcasing the moves. I’m just getting the opportunities now. Everyone has to play a bigger role because Rashad is gone, but I wouldn’t say I’m playing better because he’s gone. We all have to step up. Shots were just going in. I can’t really tell you why.”
Neal drew a technical foul with 13:22, when he slammed a container of Chapstick on the court near an official.
Not to be outdone, and to help prevent the momentum from shifting, Rice responded 28 seconds later by protesting a no-call on a missed layup by McCaw and drawing his first technical in his four years as coach.
“That’s a great refereeing crew,” Rice said. “I think (the players) know as a staff we’re fighting for them.”
Greenwood was the star in the teams’ first meeting on Jan. 21, when he hit six 3s and scored 22 points in New Mexico’s 71-69 win at the Thomas & Mack Center. This time, he was blanketed by defenders and held to 13 points on 3-for-10 shooting.
New Mexico staged a “Pink Pack” game with proceeds from an auction donated to Greenwood’s fund for breast cancer awareness, which was set up in honor of his mom, Andree, who is fighting breast cancer. The auction raised $18,000, according to a school official, and UNLV added a $5,000 donation.
Greenwood was taunted via Twitter by a supposed Rebels fan in January, and he used it as motivation for the game in Las Vegas.
“That means a lot from the bottom of my heart,” Greenwood said of the donation. “Thank you to UNLV.”
There was a moment of silence to remember late Rebels coach Jerry Tarkanian before tipoff, and the New Mexico fans ended it with a round of applause in a classy display.
At the end of the rivalry game, Rice said the Rebels’ season is not a lost cause.
“There has been a lot of adversity,” he said, “but the story is still yet to be written.”
Contact reporter Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907. Follow him on Twitter: @mattyoumans247.
