Rebels pass high-profile test

Twice this season, UNLV failed high-profile nonconference home tests.

Junior guard Wink Adams made certain it did not happen a third time.

Adams had 20 points and seven assists Sunday as the Rebels rolled to their most important victory yet, 81-64 over Minnesota in the Duel in the Desert championship at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Adams was named Most Valuable Player of the four-team tournament. He walked away with a T-shirt and a video game for his efforts, and UNLV's players hoisted a pint-sized trophy.

But more important to the Rebels was beating a quality opponent after losing to two ranked teams, Arizona and Louisville.

"This was a big-time game for us," Adams said. "At the beginning of the season, we knew Louisville, Arizona and Minnesota were going to be our three tough challenges. We dropped two, and we knew we needed this win."

UNLV improved to 11-3 before opening Mountain West Conference play Saturday at Colorado State.

Adams did not stand alone in a thorough whipping of the Golden Gophers (10-2). He had lots of help from teammates Matt Shaw, Curtis Terry, Corey Bailey and Joe Darger.

The 6-foot-8-inch Shaw posted the Rebels' first double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Terry shot 4-for-6 from 3-point range and had 14 points. Bailey had 12 points. Darger scored six while holding Spencer Tollackson, Minnesota's 6-9, 270-pound center, to six points and one rebound.

"That was the best defense I've seen Joe play," Terry said.

Shaw and Terry were named to the all-tournament team. Shaw was especially impressive with 38 points and 24 rebounds in three games.

"Matt definitely gives us that inside presence that we need," Terry said.

UNLV's long-range assault was led by Terry, who emerged from a four-game shooting slump in which he averaged 3.0 points per game.

"It's about time," Terry said. "It's been a while since I made shots in a game.

"For us to come out here and dominate defensively like we did, and make shots, put those two together and we're going to be a good team. We pretty much shut down a very good Minnesota team. We can take this and keep building on it and keep getting better."

The Rebels ran out to an 8-0 lead and never trailed. They shot 25-for-54 (46.3 percent) from the field and made 11 of 22 3-pointers.

Adams and Terry each hit a 3-pointer in the final minute of the first half to put UNLV up 42-28 at the break.

After Darger drilled a 3, Terry blocked a shot by Minnesota's Blake Hoffarber, and Adams took the ball the length of the floor for a layup to extend the Rebels' lead to 52-31 with 15:32 remaining.

"We need all those guys -- Curtis, Wink and Joe -- to be hitting on all cylinders for us to play as well as we possibly can," UNLV coach Lon Kruger said. "It's really a big lift going into conference play."

Hoffarber came off the bench to score 13 points, and the Gophers' leading scorer, senior forward Dan Coleman, was held to 10.

Kruger credited the Rebels for being "very disruptive defensively," and it's obvious that smothering defense is the team's strong suit.

"We knew were going to be in for a fight because those guys are big," Shaw said. "We battled them hard, and I'm confident saying we won the battle.

"We take pride in our defense and not giving up any easy baskets."

• NOTES -- The Gophers' Coleman and Lawrence Mc-Kenzie also made the all-tournament team with Anatoly Bose of Nicholls State. ... Ryan Bathie had 22 points and Bose 21 as Nicholls beat Kennesaw State 84-68 in Sunday's other game.

UNLV 81

Minnesota 64

MINNESOTA Min FG-A FT-A R A PF TP

Coleman 33 5-9 0-0 8 1 2 10

Tollackson 16 2-4 2-7 1 1 2 6

McKenzie 23 2-11 2-2 1 3 2 8

Westbrook 17 2-6 3-3 5 1 4 7

Abu-Shamala 17 2-6 0-0 5 1 1 4

Nolen 26 1-5 2-2 1 0 3 5

Payton 10 1-2 0-0 0 1 0 2

Busch 5 0-1 0-0 0 1 0 0

Williams 17 1-3 0-0 4 2 2 2

Hoffarber 23 5-8 0-2 4 0 1 13

Johnson 13 3-6 1-2 5 1 4 7

Totals 200 24-61 10-18 38 12 21 64

Field goals--39.3%. Free throws--55.6%.

Three-point goals--6-19 (Hoffarber 3-6, McKenzie 2-5, Nolen 1-3, Payton 0-1, Abu-Shamala 0-2, Westbrook 0-2). Team rebounds--4. Blocked shots--3 (Williams 2, Abu-Shamala). Turnovers--14 (Nolen 4, McKenzie 3, Coleman 3, Payton 2, Abu-Shamala 2). Steals--4 (Coleman, Westbrook, Johnson, Williams).

UNLV Min FG-A FT-A R A PF TP

Bailey 30 5-7 1-2 2 0 0 12

Darger 31 2-6 0-0 4 3 4 6

Adams 32 5-10 8-9 5 7 2 20

Rougeau 18 1-3 0-0 6 2 4 2

Terry 34 4-10 2-2 3 4 1 14

Rutledge 11 3-6 2-2 3 1 0 9

Roberson 10 1-2 0-0 0 0 1 2

Wallace 2 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0

Lawrence 9 1-3 0-0 0 2 1 2

Shaw 23 3-6 7-9 10 0 2 14

Totals 200 25-54 20-24 34 19 15 81

Field goals--46.3%. Free throws--83.3%.

Three-point goals--11-22 (Terry 4-6, Adams 2-4, Darger 2-4, Bailey 1-2, Shaw 1-2, Rutledge 1-3, Wallace 0-1). Team rebounds-- 1. Blocked shots--2 (Rougeau, Terry). Turnovers--11 (Shaw 2, Lawrence 2, Terry 2, Rutledge, Darger, Roberson, Rougeau). Steals--7 (Lawrence 4, Bailey, Adams, Darger).

A--11,615. Officials--Scott Thornley, Verne Harris, Mike Giarratano. Technical fouls--Minnesota, Westbrook. UNLV, None.

Minnesota 28 36 -- 64

UNLV 42 39 -- 81