Bailey’s offense on rare display

But in a game Saturday night that had the feel of a scrimmage open to the public, Bailey showed off some moves.

The 6-foot-5-inch forward scored 11 points in 16 minutes to help the Rebels defeat Nicholls State 64-42 at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Bailey had nine points in the first half, when UNLV built a 24-point lead.

"I think I took a step in being more aggressive," Bailey said. "I know I can do it in every game, but sometimes I focus more on defense than I do on offense."

The announced attendance of 10,317 was greatly exaggerated, and none of the fans were on the edge of their seats. The three-day Duel in the Desert tournament has featured four blowouts.

Now that the laughers are out of the way, it’s time for a serious game.

The Rebels (10-3) meet Minnesota (10-1) at 4 p.m. today for the tournament championship.

"I think our guys look forward to the challenge," UNLV coach Lon Kruger said. "Minnesota is really a quality team that will fare well in the Big Ten. They’ve got good depth, size and perimeter shooters."

Behind senior forward Dan Coleman’s 24 points, the Gophers coasted past Kennesaw State 83-66 in Saturday’s early game.

The arrival of coach Tubby Smith has made a major difference as Minnesota already has surpassed its win total from last season, when it finished 9-22.

"We’ve got to look at Minnesota like the Arizona and Louisville games," said junior guard Wink Adams, referring to two nonconference games the Rebels lost at home. "It’s going to be a fight."

Adams, who finished with a team-high 13 points Saturday, sank a 3-pointer to put UNLV up 10-0 after three minutes.

The Rebels hit only 3 of 15 3-pointers in the first half but led 35-11. Matt Shaw scored 10 points in the half while Bailey had nine and Adams eight.

Bailey shot 5-for-9 and did his scoring on two mid-range jumpers, two dunks and a 3-pointer.

"We always tease Corey about being more aggressive and say, ‘Go dunk the ball,’ because he’s one of the best athletes on the team," Adams said. "Corey hasn’t come out of his shell yet, but when he does that he can be a great player."

Kruger praised Bailey, who has started all 13 games, but said UNLV needs more production from reserves other than Shaw and point guard Marcus Lawrence. Shaw had 12 points and six rebounds.

"In the second half, we had a lot of different combinations and a lot of different looks," Kruger said. "We need to find someone coming off the bench who’s going to give us more of a spark. We’re a little stagnant when we go to the bench and we can’t afford that."

The Rebels shot just 4-for-23 from 3-point range and were outscored 31-29 in the second half.

Anatoly Bose scored 17 points to lead Nicholls State (4-10) of the Southland Conference.

One key for UNLV will be getting senior point guard Curtis Terry going again. Terry was the team’s leading scorer after nine games, but in the past four games he has averaged 3.0 points on 5-for-22 shooting.

"I’ve got to find my shot or else we’re in a tough spot," Terry said. "I’ve got to be able to knock down some open shots."

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