Rebels beat Air Force 49-42

Little did she know she might never see an uglier basketball game, even if she lives to be 100.

Rebels coach Lon Kruger, 58, could not instantly recall witnessing one worse.

"It would rank right there with the top three for sure, and the other two don’t come to mind," Kruger said. "It wasn’t very pretty."

If he tells the story to his daughter someday, Willis can mention he was the leading scorer in UNLV’s victory over Air Force and leave out details such as the score, which was 49-42.

Eleven points were scored in the final 35 seconds, four by Willis at the free-throw line.

"You want to win a little prettier and a little smoother than that for the fans," said a smiling Willis, who scored all of his 13 points in the final 10:07. "But a win is a win. It counts as another ‘W’ in the standings."

And that, of course, is the bottom line for the Rebels, who were relieved just not to lose before one of the season’s smallest crowds (10,928) at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Three days after a deflating defeat to No. 6 San Diego State, UNLV appeared to be a team dealing with an emotional letdown.

"It seemed like everybody was flat," junior forward Chace Stanback said.

The Rebels (19-7, 7-5 Mountain West Conference) need to find their second wind by Saturday, when they visit third-place Colorado State for a game featuring major NCAA Tournament implications for both sides.

"We’ve got to understand how important that game is," Willis said. "We’ve got to approach every game from now on as a one-game season."

Kruger probably prefers to file away the game tape from Tuesday and forget it. UNLV shot 33.3 percent from the field, 2-for-14 from 3-point range and committed 15 turnovers.

"We didn’t do much good on the offensive end," Kruger said. "We would love to shoot it better."

Michael Lyons made a 3-pointer with two seconds remaining to lift the Falcons to a 23-22 halftime lead, marking the Rebels’ lowest-scoring half of the season.

But Air Force (13-11, 4-7) missed 12 of 14 shots to open the second half, and UNLV used a 13-0 run to grab a 37-28 lead after Willis’ two free throws with 5:39 left.

Derek Brooks hit back-to-back 3s to pull the Falcons, 15½-point underdogs, within 37-36 with 2:55 to play.

On the Rebels’ next possession, Willis backed into the lane and dropped in a jumper from close range. After Brooks missed a jumper, UNLV’s Oscar Bellfield made a 17-footer to stretch the lead to 41-36.

Willis, who made 9 of 10 free throws, hit four shots from the line in the final 25 seconds.

"Coach called my number. Coach put the ball in my hands at a crucial point in the game," Willis said. "I pride myself on making plays, and I’m ready whenever the opportunity comes."

Bellfield shot 3-for-11 but made the Rebels’ only two 3-pointers and finished with eight points.

Brooks and Lyons each scored 12 points for Air Force, which shot 6-for-24 on 3s and had 16 turnovers.

The late offensive surge helped the teams avoid playing the lowest-scoring game in the 12-year history of the Mountain West. The record low is 80 points in Utah’s 42-38 victory over Air Force in the 2003 conference tournament.

When asked about UNLV’s sluggish offense, Kruger said, "Sluggish is probably a kind word."

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