Adams, Rebels capture another Aussie victory

The senior guard scored 24 points to lead four Rebels in double figures as UNLV gained its third straight victory on its exhibition tour of Australia, routing the Queensland All-Stars 96-76 in Brisbane, the coastal capital of the state of Queensland.

Adams scored 17 points in the second half, helping UNLV lead by as many as 35 and improve its tour record to 3-1.

Senior forward Joe Darger added 17 points, while redshirt sophomore Tre’Von Willis and senior guard Mareceo Rutledge scored 14 apiece.

“We are used to playing in gyms like this one tonight,” Adams said of the Queensland Academy of Sport’s Athletics Centre. “It was pretty hot in there, and it felt good with the rims, the wooden floor and our fans here. It felt like we were back at home, so we were real comfortable.”

The Rebels made 13 3-pointers, led by Darger with four. Queensland made only four.

“We knocked down a lot of shots and we were creating a lot of looks for each other. Whenever we can do that and make our shots, we can always win games,” Adams said. “I thought the whole game we just made it easy on ourselves.”

For the second straight game, the Rebels were strong on the boards. Redshirt freshman Beas Hamga pulled down eight rebounds, while senior forward Rene Rougeau grabbed seven and Adams and Willis had six each.

UNLV also forced the All-Stars into 21 turnovers while committing only 12.

It was the team’s shooting, however, that had UNLV coach Lon Kruger smiling.

“We shot the ball very well, especially in the first half,” Kruger said. “We hadn’t done that in the first three ballgames, even though we have done some other things well, so it was good to see us shoot it like we can.

“We made the extra pass to one another and made good plays for each other. On three or four occasions, someone turned down an OK shot to make one more pass for a really good shot. I think that contributed to shooting the ball for a better percentage.”

In the first half, UNLV hit seven 3-pointers and shot 56 percent from the field while limiting Queensland to 28 percent from the floor and 1 of 7 3-pointers.

After falling behind 12-6, the Rebels went on a 24-6 run to end the first quarter. UNLV outscored Queensland 24-10 in the second quarter to take a 54-28 lead into halftime.

Unlike the American college game which uses halves, these exhibition contests are being played in quarters.

The Rebels’ largest lead was at 69-34 in the third quarter.

UNLV’s next game was played early today against the South West Metro Pirates in Brisbane.