Moser helps UNLV set fast tempo, blast Canisius
A running attack seems to suit Mike Moser just fine. He sprinted from one end of the court to the other Thursday night as if he was in a race against time.
The 6-foot-8-inch sophomore forward looks tailored for UNLV’s new offensive transition system, and his teammates are fitting into it, too.
"Any team that likes to get out and run is going to have trouble doing that against us," Moser said. "It’s funny because I don’t think there was a point where we really got tired."
Moser had 19 points and nine rebounds to help the Rebels run and shoot their way to an easy 95-70 victory over Canisius at the Thomas & Mack Center.
Senior point guard Oscar Bellfield finished with 14 points and 10 assists and junior guard Justin Hawkins had 14 points and five steals. Five players scored in double figures for UNLV, which raised its record to 3-0.
But the Rebels failed to reach 100 points, something they last accomplished in a 103-56 victory over Norfolk State on Dec. 18, 2006. A 3½-minute scoring drought at the end continued a 163-game streak without hitting triple digits.
UNLV coach Dave Rice said he had "no idea" the streak has lasted so long, and neither did Hawkins.
"If I was aware of it," Hawkins said with a smile, "I think myself and my teammates would have tried to go for 100 points."
Three games into his tenure, Rice’s plans for the Rebels to develop into a transition team began to take shape.
"There’s another opportunity where we can probably get 100," said Bellfield, who made 4 of 5 3-pointers.
The Golden Griffins started three guards and were willing to play an up-tempo pace with UNLV, which shot 61.1 percent from the field and recorded 28 assists on 33 made field goals.
"The style was really conducive to how we want to play," Rice said. "From an offensive standpoint, we made great improvement."
The Rebels shot 19-for-28 (67.9 percent) from the floor en route to a 54-33 halftime lead, and they added the first eight points of the second half on 3s from Anthony Marshall and Bellfield and a steal and layup by Moser.
The entire night was not a highlight film for Moser. Four minutes into the second half, he jumped from one step inside the free-throw line and had a dunk attempt denied by the rim. But the UCLA transfer played above the rim the rest of the time and finished one rebound shy of recording his second double-double.
Moser shot 8-for-12 from the field, 3-for-3 at the foul line and contributed five assists, three steals and two blocked shots in 27 minutes.
"Mike just continues to get better," Rice said. "He thinks every defensive rebound is his."
Hawkins, who entered as the team’s leading scorer at 19 points per game, came off the bench for the second straight time and made two 3-pointers to continue his surge.
"When you have success, the byproduct of that is confidence, and I think that’s the case with Justin," Rice said. "Justin has worked so hard. He’s such a high-character player who cares about the team."
Carlos Lopez and Chace Stanback each finished with 10 points and Kendall Wallace had nine on three 3s for UNLV, which shot 11-for-20 from long range.
"It’s good to see Kendall make some shots," Rice said. "We can be a very effective 3-point shooting team."
Wallace’s jumper put the Rebels up 75-44 with 13:11 remaining. Rice emptied the bench late and inserted walk-ons Barry Cheaney and Wade Norman. Rice said he hopes to redshirt the third walk-on, 6-11 freshman Bryan Glenn from Coronado High School.
Alshwan Hymes made 4 of 10 3-pointers and scored 16 points to lead Canisius (1-2).
The Rebels host Morgan State on Sunday and Cal Poly on Tuesday. They might soon see an opponent who’s unafraid to run with them, as a matchup with No. 1 North Carolina potentially looms on Nov. 26.
"We know it’s a tough schedule we’ve got coming up," Rice said.
Contact reporter Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907.