Rebels get swagger back, rout Boise State
A sore right knee might be troubling Chace Stanback, but the UNLV senior forward had his mind in the right place and his shooting hand was working just fine Wednesday night.
Stanback and Justin Hawkins formed a potent 3-point shooting duo, Brice Massamba played the "unsung hero," and Anthony Marshall threw in a double-double. Add it up, and the Rebels had an easy time solving some of their problems.
"I was definitely looking to give my team a boost," said Stanback, who found his jump shot early in the game.
Stanback finished with 19 points and seven rebounds to lift No. 21 UNLV to a 75-58 victory over Boise State before 14,409 at the Thomas & Mack Center.
The Rebels (23-6, 7-4) stopped a two-game skid and pulled within one game of first-place New Mexico in the Mountain West Conference race with three games remaining.
As important, according to coach Dave Rice, UNLV’s players got rid of the ugly hitch in their step that was brought on by recent losses to New Mexico and Texas Christian.
"We felt like we lost a little bit of our swagger, and that happens when you lose games. I thought we got a little of that back," Rice said. "We were all disappointed last week. But we’ve got so much to play for, and that’s why we’re so positive. We don’t have time for negativity."
On the positive side, Stanback and Hawkins each hit four of the Rebels’ 10 3-pointers, and the team that was held to four second-half field goals Saturday in Albuquerque, N.M., returned to its running game.
UNLV shot 27-for-55 (49.1 percent) from the field and raced to a 21-2 advantage in fast-break points.
Massamba scored a career-high 14 points, filling the lane and earning the senior center more praise from Rice. "Brice continues to be the unsung hero," he said.
Marshall filled the stat sheet with 11 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, and Hawkins totaled 13 points, four rebounds and three assists off the bench.
Hawkins hit a pair of 3-pointers 33 seconds apart during a 15-3 run that stretched the Rebels’ lead to 66-43 — after Quintrell Thomas’ powerful rebound dunk — with eight minutes to go. Hawkins, a junior guard, celebrated by leaping and swinging his arms after his second 3 fell from the right corner.
"I was just happy to be able to hit consecutive 3s like that. It’s been awhile since I was able to shoot the ball well," said Hawkins, who stopped a streak of seven games without scoring in double figures.
Stanback had scored in double figures in only two of the previous six games, and his shooting slump triggered talk of a right knee injury that has bothered him all season and was worsening.
"I just wanted to have a great game for my teammates," said Stanback, who sank 7 of 11 shots. "I know they have been looking forward to me playing well, and I haven’t been able to do that the last few games."
Stanback showed few signs of being limited by the knee. He played 30 minutes, and Rice didn’t pull him until 1:44 remained.
"I can’t say enough about the job Chace has done," Rice said. "He gave us a big lift with the way he shot the ball. When he scores like that, it gives us a lot of confidence."
Stanback made two 3-pointers and scored nine of UNLV’s first 17 points. Marshall’s fast-break dunk extended the lead to 22-12 with 11:11 to go, and the Rebels went ahead 41-29 at halftime.
"It goes back to defense. We dictated what we wanted to do," Marshall said. "It allows us to get out in transition and really show our athleticism."
UNLV got by without a stellar night from sophomore Mike Moser. The team’s leading scorer and rebounder was held to six points and nine rebounds.
Thomas Bropleh and Anthony Drmic scored nine points apiece to lead the Broncos (13-13, 3-8).
Boise State, tied for last in the league with Air Force, made only 7 of 30 3-pointers and didn’t threaten after the first 10 minutes.
"We talked about getting back to playing defense with a sense of urgency," Rice said.
With an outside shot of still attaining a share of the regular-season title, the Rebels are refusing to look at the big picture and concentrating on the details.
"We’re definitely aware of everything that’s going on around the conference," Stanback said, "but ultimately our focus is on us and what we have to do."
Contact reporter Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907.