Rebels fan support helps us through ups, downs

What a great atmosphere we had in the Thomas & Mack Center on Saturday, when we beat San Diego State, 65-63.

It was a terrific college basketball game, and the energy in the building was something special. It is so great to see our student section, The Rebellion, so organized and fired up to support our team. I have said many times that a fantastic student section at games is so valuable and helps the team, but it is also something that we can use as a recruiting tool.

We made a lot of big plays in the game against the Aztecs. We were able to build a lead, and then San Diego State made a nice run. We made some huge defensive stops down the stretch and were able to come away with the win. A huge assist goes to our crowd.

It was a quick turnaround for Tuesday's game at Texas Christian. We played very well offensively for most of the game and had stretches where we were very good defensively. However, we did not do a good enough job of guarding the 3-point line or in defensive rebounding. Former Valley High School star Hank Thorns had a terrific game, and we found ourselves in our fourth overtime game of the year.

Our 102-97 loss was very disappointing, but we have a team that has bounced back from all adversity we have had this year. We understand the huge challenge that we will face going to the Pit on Saturday to face a New Mexico team that is playing very well.

We must practice hard and be ready for Saturday's game. It is all part of the process of building a program, as difficult as it is for all of us to go through.

Once again, thanks to the fans for their tremendous support. We are pleased with our progress. We know that we have had some setbacks this season, but we are very confident about the future of our program, and we are thankful for the continued support.

UNLV basketball coach Dave Rice writes a weekly column for Rebels Report.