Rebels run past Morgan State

Flying around the court in what resembled a playground basketball game at times, Mike Moser and Chace Stanback, a pair of 6-foot-8-inch wings, helped UNLV spread another opponent thin.

Moser attacked the rim, while Stanback struck from the perimeter.

With guards Oscar Bellfield and Anthony Marshall running alongside in the fast lane, the Rebels blew past Morgan State 92-55 on Sunday night in a Las Vegas Invitational first-round game at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Moser totaled 23 points and 17 rebounds, and Stanback scored 20 points as UNLV (4-0) topped 90 for the second straight game.

"When you have two bigs like Chace and Mike who can get it and go, it allows us to push full throttle," said Marshall, who had 13 points, eight assists and five steals. "It allows me and Oscar and the other guards to get out in transition and run. We are very dangerous."

The Rebels made 12 of 23 3-pointers, with Stanback shooting 5-for-8 and Bellfield going 3-for-5 and adding 12 points.

The Bears (0-3) tried a 2-3 zone defense in hopes of slowing the tempo, but Stanback, Bellfield and Kendall Wallace shot over it, and Moser flashed to the high post and cut up the middle.

"We're going to see a lot of zones this year, for a variety of reasons. There's a reputation that this is not a very good outside shooting team, and we're doing a pretty good job of proving that wrong," UNLV coach Dave Rice said. "We have good shooters.

"We talk about playing attacking defense and attacking offense, and it puts tremendous pressure on the other team when we're able to do that and play that hard. It starts on the defensive end."

The Rebels forced 23 turnovers, piled up a 29-2 advantage in fast-break points and had 29 assists on 35 made field goals.

"The last couple years, we've been a great defensive team, and we want to keep that going," Marshall said. "We had it clicking on all cylinders."

Moser was the catalyst. He shot 10-for-19, grabbed six offensive rebounds and had six assists and five steals. He displayed his explosiveness several times, but especially on an occasion with about five minutes remaining when he missed a short bank shot and followed with a one-handed slam.

Moser's rebound and outlet pass to Marshall for a breakaway dunk put the Rebels, who never trailed, ahead 22-12 with 9:20 left in the first half.

UNLV scored its next 12 on 3s from Wallace, Bellfield and Stanback, who hit back-to-back jumpers to extend the lead to 34-18. Moser's 10 points and nine rebounds were a big part of a 39-24 halftime margin.

"Rebounding is pretty easy. It doesn't take that much effort," said Moser, who has 57 rebounds after four games. "It flowed naturally for us once we started to push the ball."

Morgan State, led by 7-foot-2-inch, 270-pound Ian Chiles with 16 points, was unable to use its size and strength to keep Moser away from the basket or corral him in the open court.

"It's like playing with a big point guard," Stanback said. "Mike likes pushing the ball up the court when he gets the rebound, and he likes to find the open guy. It's really fun to play with him.

"Our team chemistry has just been phenomenal. Everybody is shooting the ball with more confidence this year."

The Rebels shot 35-for-67 (52.2 percent) from the field, and while they got careless in committing 17 turnovers, Rice pointed to the assists numbers and sharp passing as the factors that pleased him most.

"That's how we want to play, by making the extra pass and sharing the ball," Rice said. "Our ball movement is really impressive, and a lot of that is the fact we just have unselfish guys. We're far from where we can be. We can get better."

UNLV, which was playing its first of four games in seven days, hosts Cal Poly on Tuesday and faces Southern California on Friday. The eight-team event moves to Orleans Arena on Friday and Saturday, when the Rebels could meet No. 1 North Carolina in the finals.

"We know the competition is going to get steeper," Stanback said.

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