Slumping UNLV offense seeks shot of confidence

Shooting slumps can be contagious, and the Rebels’ key shooters have caught a cold that they can’t shake.

“Honestly,” Bellfield said, “I’m not really sure what’s going on.”

It has been going on for more than a month. In the nine-team Mountain West Conference, UNLV ranks seventh in field-goal percentage (.413) and last in 3-point percentage (.244) through nine games.

“People and teams have their downfall and their slumps,” said Bellfield, a junior point guard whose shooting accuracy has been in sharp decline.

It’s unlikely to be an offensive beauty pageant when the Rebels (17-6, 5-4) hook up with Texas Christian (10-14, 1-8) at 5 p.m. today at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum.

The last-place Horned Frogs are expected to be without their leading scorer, junior guard Ronnie Moss, who was suspended Jan. 28.

UNLV has shot 50 percent from the field only once in its past 15 games, and that was in an 83-49 victory over TCU on Jan. 8.

“We’re 17-6 and it feels like we’re 12-11,” coach Lon Kruger said. “It’s like we’re pulling teeth to score. We’re trying to keep some level of confidence, and we don’t have a lot.

“We’ve got to keep promoting confidence and keep plugging away until it turns a little bit offensively. We haven’t shot the 3 very well. We haven’t done anything offensively as well as we were earlier.”

While opening the season 9-0, the Rebels shot 50 percent or better in six games and at least 47 percent in each game. But the offensive production has dropped off since the second half of a loss at Louisville on Dec. 11.

Based on the numbers, it’s looking more like UNLV’s hot-shooting November was a mirage, and perimeter threats Kendall Wallace and Matt Shaw are sorely missed.

“In the beginning of the season, we were great,” Bellfield said. “It’s just a matter of time before it comes back.”

Every player in the backcourt has been firing bricks, beginning with Bellfield. He shot 1-for-11 in the Rebels’ 78-64 loss at Brigham Young on Saturday and is 2-for-19, including 1-for-9 from 3-point range, in the past two games.

In 12 games since injuring his right wrist in mid-December, Bellfield is 32-for-109 (.294) from the field, 8-for-42 (.190) on 3s. He said the wrist feels “a lot better” after a recent cortisone shot, but he’s not completely recovered.

“It messed up my confidence,” he said. “I’ve just got to brush it off and stay in the gym.”

Bellfield has plenty of company with his shooting misery. Senior guards Tre’Von Willis and Derrick Jasper, junior forward Chace Stanback and sophomore guards Justin Hawkins and Anthony Marshall have endured tough stretches.

Willis, who has hit 26.7 percent of his 3-pointers, went 7-for-27 in two losses against BYU. Jasper, 8-for-26 with 21 points in nine conference games, is passing up open shots and was demoted to a reserve role mostly because of his passive play.

Stanback, the team’s purest shooter, went 4-for-17 in a loss at San Diego State on Jan. 12 and 5-for-20 on 3s in the past three games.

Hawkins, who shot 8-for-11 in the first two league games, is 7-for-28 in the past seven. Marshall plays harder than anyone else and is never shy to pull the trigger, but he’s 2-for-17 on 3s in the past eight games.

Kruger said he has considered playing freshman Karam Mashour in search of an offensive spark. Working the ball inside more often to big men Quintrell Thomas and Carlos Lopez is another option.

“We need a couple guys to jump out and make a couple shots,” said Kruger, adding that despite all their problems the Rebels are “not totally out of any picture” in terms of reaching the NCAA Tournament.

“If we don’t focus on these games coming up, if we mess around and lose a few, then we probably won’t have a chance,” Bellfield said. “We really don’t have wiggle room.”

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