Rebels’ Marshall offers solutions coming off defeat by BYU

On a UNLV team with two seniors and three juniors in the starting lineup, sophomore Anthony Marshall has decided to be more assertive as a leader.

Marshall said the 25th-ranked Rebels, who were humbled in an 89-77 home loss to No. 15 Brigham Young on Wednesday, need to rally emotionally and avoid allowing one poor game to send the team into a tailspin.

"When you see one guy down, stuff like that can be a domino effect. One guy gets down, then another gets down and so forth," he said. "As leaders of the team, we've got to bring each other together and get past that.

"We have stretches where we look really good, and then we have stretches where we don't look so good. I wouldn't say there's a sense of frustration, because guys are hungry to do better."

UNLV (12-3) attempts to even its Mountain West Conference record at 1-1 against Texas Christian (9-7, 0-1) at 7 p.m. today at the Thomas & Mack Center. The Horned Frogs opened league play with a 66-53 home loss to No. 6 San Diego State.

Marshall, a 6-foot-3-inch guard, scored a career-high 26 points off the bench against BYU. But he was overshadowed, to say the least, by the 39-point game produced by Cougars senior Jimmer Fredette.

The Rebels' defensive flaws and assorted other shortcomings were exposed by Fredette and a BYU team that played with more fire.

Marshall said UNLV must get back to "scrambling around" on defense. In studying the game tape, he said the players learned a lot about why things fell apart.

"You can be in a game and feel that you're doing something, but once you watch that film, it shows that you're not," Marshall said.

The Rebels led the Cougars 25-15 with less than seven minutes to go in the first half. UNLV's next two possessions resulted in turnovers by Tre'Von Willis and Chace Stanback.

The half closed with the Rebels missing four layups and five of seven free throws. BYU took a 38-35 lead into the half and opened the second half with a 14-3 run.

"We have to do a better job of finishing those opportunities," UNLV coach Lon Kruger said. "We've got to do things with more urgency and do things more aggressively when the opponent is making shots. It took a little bit of our sting away."

Junior center Brice Massamba turned in one of his better performances with 10 points and six rebounds, but backup big men Quintrell Thomas and Carlos Lopez contributed little.

"Brice has got a good feel for what's going on out there," Kruger said. "We need more punch from the inside. We would like for them all to be consistent."

As veterans Stanback and Derrick Jasper faded into the background, Marshall emerged by shooting 9-for-12 from the field and 6-for-8 on free throws. He also made 2 of 3 3-pointers after previously struggling from the perimeter.

UNLV went 10-1 with Marshall as a starter. As a reserve, he wants to increase his impact in part, he said, by "trying to be more vocal."

Marshall is about to cross paths with a former prep rival, TCU point guard Hank Thorns from Valley High. Thorns, who transferred from Virginia Tech, is averaging 9.3 points and 5.4 assists.

■ NOTES -- The Rebels swept the Horned Frogs last season, winning 78-62 in Las Vegas and 79-70 on the road. ... Point guard Reggie Smith, who recently received his release to transfer from Marquette, is making an official visit to UNLV this weekend. The 6-foot freshman is from Thornton High in Chicago's south suburbs.

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