Rebels find second wind against Lobos

But Willis was explosive from the beginning, Thomas found the strength to dominate at the end, and the Rebels proved to be road warriors again.

Willis scored a season-high 25 points, and Thomas had a career-high 19 points and 13 rebounds to lift UNLV to a 77-74 overtime victory over New Mexico on Wednesday night.

"I definitely feel like now we’re moving in the right direction," Thomas said. "It shows that we can grind games out."

With their second Mountain West Conference road win in five days, the Rebels (21-7, 9-5) moved into third place and firmed their grip on an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Their first major step toward that goal was a victory at Colorado State on Saturday.

"Obviously, it’s a huge, huge win," coach Lon Kruger said. "These were big steps, no question."

Thomas, a 6-foot-8-inch sophomore forward, scored six points in overtime despite obvious fatigue.

"I was exhausted down the stretch. I was definitely fighting as hard as I could," Thomas said. "I didn’t want to come out of the game because I felt like I was giving us the best chance to win."

Dairese Gary scored 26 points to lead the Lobos, who erased a 15-point deficit in the second half. Gary missed an off-balance runner from 12 feet with two seconds left in regulation, sending the game into overtime tied at 67.

"It was a great comeback," New Mexico coach Steve Alford said. "Dairese made big play after big play. I wish that shot would have gone down at the end of regulation. It would have been a fitting end for him."

Gary and Thomas traded layups to open overtime. UNLV forged ahead 74-71 on Anthony Marshall’s strong drive for a layup with 1:45 to go.

Thomas blocked a driving attempt by Gary, and Willis passed to a cutting Thomas for a layup to extend the lead to 76-71 with 1:06 left.

Oscar Bellfield made one free throw with 17 seconds left to keep the Rebels in front by three, and the Lobos’ Phillip McDonald missed a 3-point attempt from the corner and another from the left wing in the final five seconds.

Bellfield drove hard for a tying layup with 16 seconds left in regulation and finished with 15 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals in 44 minutes.

UNLV missed 10 free throws, including six consecutive in the last eight minutes of regulation, and was called for 31 fouls but found ways to overcome it all before a raucous crowd of 15,346 in The Pit.

"You see how hard we’re playing? We’re playing hard, and we’re playing smarter," said Willis, whose 13 points propelled the Rebels to a 35-29 halftime lead.

Willis barely participated in the pregame shootaround because of knee problems. But the senior guard shot 5-for-5, hitting all three of his 3-point attempts before halftime.

"I didn’t think I was going to play. I’ve been gimpy. It was kind of a game-time decision," he said.

Willis scored 11 of the Rebels’ first 14 points. His fifth 3-pointer gave UNLV its largest lead, 51-36, with 14:08 remaining. A blowout seemed to be beckoning, but Gary brought the Lobos (17-11, 5-8) back, and his 3 pulled New Mexico within 57-56 with 9:40 to go.

Thomas shot 7-for-12, grabbed six offensive rebounds and made the most of a season-high 27 minutes in the Rebels’ first OT game of the season.

"Quintrell was a beast," Willis said. "I was missing layups, trying to create a little contact and get to the line, and he was cleaning it up. He was getting every board weak side, and he was finishing."

For the first time this season, Kruger put two big men — Thomas and Brice Massamba — on the floor together. It worked well on the offensive end, and the Rebels contained New Mexico power forward Drew Gordon, who still had 15 points and 14 rebounds.

Junior forward Chace Stanback, UNLV’s leading scorer this season, fouled out with 10:13 left and scored two points.

A week ago, Willis promised the Rebels would look "new and improved," and that vow has come to fruition. "We said, ‘From now on we’re going to be a different team,’ and we’re showing it," he said.

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