Southern Illinois University
6-6
UNLV
7-5
UNLV closes game with big run to beat Men's Basketball, 68-61
12/19/2016 | 11:52:00 | Men's Basketball
LAS VEGAS, Nev. — UNLV used an 18-6 run during the final eight minutes to claim a 68-61 win over Southern Illinois in a Mountain West-Missouri Valley Conference Challenge game on Monday night.
The Runnin' Rebels (7-5) were led by Tyrell Green's 23 points. He made 4-of-5 from 3-point range, including a clutch trey with 1:09 remaining that broke a 61-61 tie. SIU came up empty on its final three possessions with two turnovers by Leo Vincent and a missed shot by Mike Rodriguez.
The Salukis (6-6) had a victory within their reach. Trailing by seven at halftime, they took a 42-41 lead on a conventional three-point play by Rodriguez with 15:55 remaining. The lead changed hands six times until Southern went on a 7-0 run that included a dunk by Armon Fletcher off a nice feed from Vincent, followed by a deep 3-pointer from Fletcher that put the Salukis up 53-48 with 9:58 to go. Fletcher and Rodriguez led SIU with 15 points apiece.
There were too many defensive breakdowns and missed offensive opportunities down the stretch, however, as UNLV reclaimed the momentum with a triple by Jalen Poyser and a pair of inside buckets by Cheickna Dembele.
"We panicked," said SIU head coach Barry Hinson. "We had two, big mental breakdowns (on defense). You can't make those when you're playing on the road. We had great looks, great opportunities (on offense). No one around, we missed six layups at the basket. You just can't do that when you play on the road."
UNLV played three freshmen in its depleted eight-man rotation that was missing its top two forwards — Dwayne Morgan (shoulder) and Christian Jones (ankle) — who are injured. They still held a commanding 36-22 advantage on the glass. Despite shooting 57 percent from the field, the Runnin' Rebels were sloppy at times on offense, with a whopping 23 turnovers.
"That's a really experienced, scrappy Saluki team," said first-year UNLV head coach Marvin Menzies. "I thought SIU did a really good job defensively. We had some unforced turnovers, but they were really good defensively. They did a good job of taking us out of our stuff at times and jamming us when we picked up our dribble. They capitalized on all our mistakes."
Hinson said the tough schedule has taken a toll on his team. Last year, the Salukis started the season 18-3. They didn't lose their sixth game until Feb. 3 at Wichita State. Last year's non-conference schedule was the weakest in the MVC at No. 325, however, and this year's schedule currently ranks third-best at No. 65.
"Has it shaken up our confidence?" Hinson asked. "I think it has, right at this point in time, but will it pay off in conference? We'll soon find out. I think this is the byproduct of playing this tough a schedule. We weren't counting on losing home games, but what happens is, when you lose your confidence, it puts more on your home games as well."
SIU plays four of its next six games at home, beginning with the final non-conference game of the season versus UT Martin on Thursday at 7 p.m.
