Rebels roll after slow start in season opener

As the shots started falling for Tre'Von Willis and Kendall Wallace, a UNLV basketball team running low on self-esteem got an uplifting performance Saturday night.

Willis scored 17 points and Wallace added a career-high 16 as the Rebels rolled over Pittsburg State 91-52 in their regular-season opener before a crowd of 14,304 at the Thomas & Mack Center.

"We're definitely feeling better about ourselves," said Wallace, who hit 4 of 5 3-pointers.

Willis, who scored 13 points in the second half, shot 5-for-8 from the field and 7-for-7 on free throws.

UNLV set a school record with 52 free-throw attempts in the game.

The previous mark was 51 against Wyoming on March 3, 2001.

After a lackluster effort in a 62-52 exhibition victory over Washburn (Kan.) on Tuesday, the Rebels' open to the season was initially no better. The Gorillas, a Division II team from Kansas, led for most of the first 10 minutes.

"I think everyone felt pretty bad about Tuesday's game," Wallace said. "We came out kind of stagnant at the start of this game. So to win the way we did was a good feeling."

The Rebels extended a 43-26 halftime lead to 67-34 on Willis' steal and dunk with 11:52 remaining.

"We steamrolled the rest of the game," Willis said. "In the second half, it opened up for me. I just wanted to give us that extra boost and be more aggressive."

Freshman guard Justin Hawkins scored 11 points for UNLV, which can expect stiffer competition when it hosts UNR on Wednesday.

Senior forward Darris Santee came off the bench to produce nine points and six rebounds, and sophomore center Brice Massamba had nine points.

"We got much better activity out of our big guys," Rebels coach Lon Kruger said. "It was a much improved effort, a much better intensity level."

Eleven players scored for UNLV, including senior guard Steve Jones with eight points and Derrick Jasper, Chace Stanback and Anthony Marshall each with six.

The Rebels shot 24-for-58 (41.4 percent) from the field and 36-for-52 on free throws (69.2 percent).

But the most impressive aspect of their play was on the defensive end, where they forced Pittsburg State into 28 turnovers by cutting off passing lanes and pressuring full-court at times. Stanback had five steals and Oscar Bellfield four.

"We wanted to get on them defensively and make them uncomfortable," Willis said. "I don't think they got a back-door basket on us all night."

It was a rough beginning for the Rebels, who missed five of their first six shots and trailed 8-3 five minutes into the game. But Jones provided a spark off the bench, sinking a 3-pointer from the corner as UNLV surged ahead 25-19 with 6:32 left.

Wallace made a 3 to push the lead to 39-24 with 1:50 left in the half. He hit two 3-pointers in each half.

"We're the type of team, if we knock down 3s, we're very tough to beat," Willis said. "Kendall definitely got it going and was knocking down shots."

Rodney Grace scored 15 points to lead the Gorillas, who were coming off a 103-45 loss to No. 1 Kansas in an exhibition game Tuesday.

UNLV counted Saturday's game as a regular-season win, but it officially was an exhibition for Pittsburg State.

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