Rebels work late shift, beat Salukis to remain undefeated

By the time UNLV fifth-year guard EJ Harkless pulled up for the game-sealing shot in Monday’s 56-49 win against Southern Illinois, it wasn’t Monday anymore.

“I’ve never started a game this late,” Harkless said.

Playing their first game of the SoCal Challenge and their first game on the road this season, Harkless and the Rebels were scheduled to start Monday’s game against the Salukis at 10 p.m. Then, the tournament’s first game went to overtime. Tipoff didn’t arrive until 10:20.

So when Harkless drove left, pulled up near the elbow and nailed a mid-range jump shot with 38 seconds remaining to keep UNLV ahead by two possessions, the clock read 12:08 a.m. It was officially Tuesday.

Harkless, the recently crowned Mountain West Player of the Week, scored 16 points in 36 minutes, and sophomore guard Keshon Gilbert added a team-leading 18 points to help UNLV outlast Southern Illinois at the Pavilion at JSerra in San Juan Capistrano, California.

The Rebels (5-0) remain unbeaten to start the season after earning a third consecutive comeback win.

“We have to handle everything that comes across us if we want to play late in the season, and be one of those teams that does great things,” Harkless said.

UNLV will face Minnesota (4-1) in the SoCal Challenge title game at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. The Golden Golphers edged California Baptist 62-61 in overtime in the first game Monday.

While the late start might have slightly affected the Rebels, the Salukis (3-2) certainly made things difficult. A similarly defensive-oriented team, Southern Illinois bothered UNLV all night. It took the Rebels 12 minutes to score their 10th point of the game.

“They made it tough on us early,” UNLV coach Kevin Kruger said. “Their physicality, their help, it just gave us a little bit of pause in the first half. We were just kind of a step slow, or a half-step slow, reacting.”

The Rebels also caught the Salukis on a hot shooting night. Southern Illinois entered the game shooting 26.6 percent from 3, but it went 6-for-13 (46.2 percent) from distance during the first 20 minutes, punishing UNLV’s decision to bring a double team in the low post.

Just like it did against Dayton and High Point, though, UNLV regrouped in the second half. The Rebels attacked the paint after struggling from the perimeter, with Harkless, Gilbert and sophomore Jackie Johnson III reaching the rim almost at will.

UNLV also got another Swiss Army knife performance from senior Luis Rodriguez, who had 14 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals and went 2-for-3 from 3.

But it was the Rebels’ defense that, once again, brought them through the storm.

UNLV held Southern Illinois to just 19 points in the second half on 28.6 percent shooting, and the Salukis went almost eight minutes without a point after senior forward Marcus Domask made a layup with 10:03 remaining.

UNLV came up with 21 turnovers, mostly by forcing Southern Illinois into travels, but Gilbert and Harkless drew big charges down the stretch.

“I think it’s just something you’ve got to want to do,” Gilbert said. “It’s a part of winning. You’ve got to scrap. You’ve got to get dirty. So I think that’s just a part of winning. If you want to win, take charges.”

Defensively, the Rebels also got important work from senior forward Victor Iwuakor, who played most of the team’s minutes at center during the second half. He finished with two points, six rebounds and a steal.

“He can guard anybody, he can rebound, he can do anything on the floor,” Harkless said.

Contact reporter Andy Yamashita at ayamashita@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ANYamashita on Twitter.