Mountain West Tournament - Semifinal

(3) UNLV 70  (2) BYU 66

A barrage of early three-pointers and intense defense fueled the hometown UNLV Rebels to a 70-66 victory over the 15th-ranked BYU Cougars late Friday night in Las Vegas.

An announced sellout of 18,500 fans gathered in the Thomas & Mack Center, and no matter which team they were rooting for, all of them left with a familiar feeling. BYU still hasn’t won in over a decade against UNLV in Vegas.

The game began in a shootout, as both teams were launching and hitting threes like the NCAA had announced this would be the last game in which the three-point line would exist.  Of the game’s first 11 field goals, nine of them were from deep.

After things settled down, both teams traded baskets as the Cougars led 19-18 with around 12 minutes remaining in the first half, which was the last time BYU would enjoy any sort of lead for the next 29 minutes of play.  The game turned here after Jonathan Tavernari, the MWC Sixth Man of the Year, checked into the lineup. BYU turned the ball over on three straight possessions, with Tavernari being responsible for two of them.  UNLV took a 23-19 lead, and BYU found itself playing from behind the rest of the night.

One storyline of the game was the intensity of UNLV’s defense.  The Rebels took note of how the officials were allowing them to play, and took advantage by stepping up their pressure and being active with their hands.  The Rebels' guards, especially Tre’Von Willis, were getting right up into BYU superstar Jimmer Fredette, doing everything they could to slow him down. By the time the first half had come to a close, UNLV had hit 7-10 three-pointers and went to the locker room with a 41-34 lead.

UNLV maintained its lead until late in the game when the Cougars came to life.  BYU grabbed the momentum during a five-minute period where the Cougars held the Rebels to just two points and made multiple defensive stands sparked by switching their defense from man to zone several times.

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With four minutes left, Fredette hit a three to pull BYU within three, at 59-56.  On the next possession, Fredette was fouled by UNLV's Anthony Marshall on another 3-point attempt.  After going 23-of-24 on free throws the night before, Fredette calmly drained all three shots to tie the game at 59-59.  A Noah Hartsock steal led BYU on a fast break, and Michael Loyd, Jr. finished at the rim to give BYU the lead at 61-59.

The Rebels kept their composure, however, and Rebel big man Brice Massamba finished his strong performance by knocking down two free throws to retake the lead for UNLV.  Moments later, Willis, who had previously left the game injured on the Loyd lay-in, returned and knocked down a jumper plus two free throws, putting the game away for good.

Willis and Stanback led the Rebels with 18 and 17 points, respectively. Stanback also added six rebounds in the win.  Fredette led the Cougars with 30 points, and finished the tournament shooting 35-of-36 from the free throw line.

BYU starting guard Tyler Haws sat out the game with his left eye swollen shut and a broken orbital bone, injuries that resulted from being smacked in the face in Thursday’s win over TCU.

WHAT’S NEXT

UNLV faces San Diego State in Saturday’s championship game after the Aztecs pulled out a mild upset victory against New Mexico. The teams split their regular-season series, as both won by 10 points on their home floor. As usual, UNLV will enjoy a considerable home-court advantage. With the loss, BYU is teetering between the 5- and 6-seed lines, and will await Selection Sunday to see if it can draw a favorable matchup to end their long-standing NCAA tournament losing streak.

By: Brett Hein
DFN Sports Guest Writers