Rebel Report Card: UNLV vs. Sam Houston State

BACKCOURT: C+

Cody Doolin and Rashad Vaughn were once again spectacular in the second half as the Rebels found a way to survive against an experienced NCAA Tournament-caliber team. They are both too good to have such a little impact as they did in the first half on Sunday night, however. Doolin did score seven points in the first half, but he had just one assist. While it’s important for him to score at times to keep defenses honest, UNLV is at its best when Doolin is getting in the lane and creating shots for his teammates. Sam Houston State limited him to just one assists and one turnover before the break. Vaughn was even more disappointing. He hit just 1 of 7 from the field and had two points at halftime, also committing two turnovers. Everything changed in the locker room. Vaughn made 6 of 12 shots and scored 16 points in the second half. Doolin had six assists and just one turnover in the final 20 minutes. Both struggled from the free-throw line and had costly misses that left the door open for the Bearkats in the final minute. Jelan Kendrick, the other starting guard, missed his only two shot attempts and played just 14 minutes.

FRONTCOURT: B-

Goodluck Okonoboh had a pretty simple answer when asked about blocking a total of 13 shots in his first two college games. “It’s just what I do,” he said. His ability to continue to be such a force in the paint on the defensive end will be pivotal to UNLV’s development as a team. He blocked six shots against Sam Houston State after swatting away seven in the opener on Friday. He added six points and 10 rebounds on Sunday. His presence has helped ease the loss of Khem Birch, who filled a similar role the last two years before departing school early for the professional ranks. Okonoboh’s running mate up front, Chris Wood, will be counted on to be more of an offensive force, was impressive in stretches. He made a pair of very explosive moves in the post and finished with seven points and six rebounds. The sophomore also blocked three shots. Wood was just 3 of 9 from the field, however and didn’t deliver offense in the post consistently despite Sam Houston State’s only legitimate post presence sitting long stretches with foul trouble. UNLV needs more out of Wood.

BENCH: B+

Jordan Cornish gave Dave Rice 11 very solid minutes off the bench, particularly late in the first half, after not playing at all on Friday night. Cornish had five points, a rebound and an assist, but proved to be a spark. “I just thought late in the first half we needed an energy boost and Jordan Cornish brings it every day in practice,” UNLV coach Dave Rice said of the freshman. Dwayne Morgan got 28 minutes and was incredibly productive. He had seven points and eight rebounds. Morgan also knocked down a 3-pointer as soon as he entered the game in the first half after a prolonged UNLV scoring drought. Like Cornish, Patrick McCaw provided great energy and made several hustle plays on both ends of the floor, adding two steals to his six points and three rebounds. Kendall Smith was a non-factor in three minutes.

COACHING: B-

The missed free throws really can’t be blamed directly on the coaching staff, but it has to fall somewhere. A great deal of work must be put in at the line in practice and Rice said as much during the post-game news conference. The zone defenses implemented by the staff once again paid dividends after a rough go of it in the first half. Rice’s rotation expanded to nine players with Cornish seeing significant minutes, though Smith barely played at all. Rice should be given credit for going with a senior point guard and four freshman down the stretch when the lineup was working and keeping more experienced players on the bench.