Willis shines on Senior Night as UNLV tops Wyoming

When the season opened in November, UNLV senior Tre'Von Willis was sidelined by a suspension. He hopes to make that chapter of his story forgettable by turning the end into something more memorable.

"It's getting to the point of the year where everything is at stake," he said. "We all want to leave some kind of legacy."

Willis put a positive spin on his final regular-season home game by scoring 15 points in the Rebels' 90-77 victory over Wyoming at the Thomas & Mack Center on Saturday night.

Before a Senior Night crowd of 15,398, Willis made all three of his 3-point attempts en route to 14 points in a fast-paced first half.

Chace Stanback finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds, and Oscar Bellfield and Quintrell Thomas added 15 points each as UNLV improved to 22-7 overall and 10-5 in the Mountain West Conference.

The Rebels threatened to turn the game into a rout by building a 20-point lead late in the first half, but they lost focus after halftime and allowed the Cowboys (10-18, 3-11) to make interesting.

Willis pulled the trigger to set a fast pace early. After sinking a 3-pointer from the left corner, he made another from the opposite corner to put UNLV up 35-23.

The Rebels shot 21-for-32 (65.6 percent) from the field, including 6-for-10 from 3-point range while racing to a 54-39 halftime lead.

"The fact it's our last regular-season home game, we felt like we had to come out with a lot of energy," said Willis, who shot 5-for-6 and made three 3s before the half.

Wyoming rallied to within 69-60 on JayDee Luster's layup with 7:05 remaining. But UNLV put it away on Bellfield's 3-pointer and a dunk by Anthony Marshall, who had 10 points and was the fifth Rebels player to score in double figures.

Amath M'Baye scored 24 points to lead the Cowboys, and Desmar Jackson added 19.

UNLV committed 23 turnovers, 15 in the second half. That was the only displeasing aspect to coach Lon Kruger, who said, "We got sloppy and careless."

Willis had six rebounds but was critical of his mistakes.

"We had a lot of turnovers, and I had six. As a basketball player, you don't want to see that," he said.

Still, Willis called it a "special night." The 6-foot-4-inch guard from Fresno, Calif., was joined on the floor in a pregame Senior Night ceremony by six family members, including his 5-month-old daughter, Tremiyah.

"My family got a chance to see me play one more time," he said. "It was fun. You could just feel the love in the atmosphere. That's what being a Rebel is about."

Willis, who was arrested in the offseason and served a four-game suspension, said he was moved by the fans' applause.

"The fans received me well, and I can't say how appreciative I am of that," he said. "It felt warm. I had goose bumps going through my body."

All four seniors saw action, as Kruger inserted local walk-ons Mychal Martinez (The Meadows School) and Tyler Norman (Faith Lutheran High) in the final minute. Norman scored on a layup with 33 seconds to go.

Senior guard Derrick Jasper, from Paso Robles, Calif., scored two points in 12 minutes as a reserve.

"It was a special night, and I got to share it with three other great guys -- Derrick, Mike and Tyler," Willis said.

After the Rebels' fourth consecutive win, Kruger saluted his seniors.

"Those four guys have all contributed in different ways," Kruger said. "Tre and Derrick have won a lot of games. Tyler and Mychal are absolutely great. You couldn't ask for more in terms of work ethic, character and all the intangibles."

UNLV, which currently would be the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament, next plays at Utah on Saturday.

"We (seniors) won some good games. But we're trying to go out with a bang," Jasper said. "We're trying to win some tournament games. We're peaking at the right time at the end of the season."

Contact reporter Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907.