Stanback, Rebels rain down points in rout of Central Arkansas

Seven minutes into the game, Chace Stanback still was sitting, watching and waiting. The UNLV senior was benched for arriving late to a post-Christmas practice.

But he finally got his shot, and his timing was nearly perfect.

"I feel like I'm shooting the ball pretty well," Stanback said with a smile in his typical understated style.

Stanback sank nine 3-pointers on his way to 29 points in only 23 minutes Wednesday night, and the 19th-ranked Rebels rolled past Central Arkansas 124-75 in their highest-scoring performance since 1991.

Sophomore forward Mike Moser added 18 points and nine rebounds for UNLV, which upped its record to 14-2 and added some big numbers to its record book.

The Rebels reached 100 points for the first time since a 103-56 victory over Norfolk State on Dec. 18, 2006, stopping a 175-game streak without hitting triple digits. It also was their top offensive output since scoring 126 points at Utah State 20 years ago.

"We had a lot of fun running up and down the court and getting out on the break," Stanback said.

Bears coach Corliss Williamson reached for a stat sheet and said, "Did Stanback miss a 3?"

The 6-foot-8-inch forward made six 3-pointers in the second half and finished 9-for-11 from long range. Stanback was pulled from the game with 5:09 to play, just after he missed a 3-pointer that could have tied Freddie Banks' single-game school record of 10 set in 1987.

A basketball rim is 18 inches in diameter, although to a slumping shooter it can appear like the top of a Pringles can.

"The basket is probably four feet wide in Chace's eyes right now," coach Dave Rice said.

Stanback's eighth 3 gave the Rebels a 100-59 lead with 9:49 to go and drew a roar from the Thomas & Mack Center crowd of 14,401. He matched his career high in scoring set on Dec. 19, when he hit 8 of 9 3-pointers in a win over Louisiana-Monroe.

Seven players scored in double figures for UNLV. Carlos Lopez, Reggie Smith and Quintrell Thomas each had 13 points, and Justin Hawkins and Anthony Marshall had 10 apiece.

Smith hit three 3-pointers and Moser made two as the Rebels connected on 18 of 32 from the arc. They shot 47-for-70 (67.1 percent) overall, 71 percent in the second half, and totaled 40 assists while forcing 25 turnovers.

"We always talk about counting on our defense," Rice said, "but we never feel like we have enough points."

Marshall finished with a career-high 10 assists. Senior point guard Oscar Bellfield dished out seven, but was the only one of 12 UNLV players to go scoreless.

"Oscar is such a team guy that it really doesn't matter to him," Rice said. "The last thing in his mind is scoring. He wants to give someone else the basket."

Sophomore guard Karam Mashour scored eight of the Rebels' 82 points by their reserves -- a total aided greatly by Stanback, who had started the previous 14 games.

Moser's 14 points propelled UNLV to its highest-scoring first half of the season en route to a 63-39 lead.

The Bears (5-7) were willing to turn the game into a track meet, and they jumped ahead 11-6. But Moser dropped in two 3s, and the Rebels used a 21-2 run to blow it open.

"I think we had them rattled," Moser said. "As soon as the ball came off the rim, guys were gone. We definitely got a lot of fast-break points."

UNLV outscored Central Arkansas 37-4 on the fast break in what resembled a summer playground game, only with thousands of fans watching.

"Even when we tried to play zone, they were hitting 3s," said Williamson, who wanted to avoid a slow pace and instructed his players to stay aggressive. "We just wanted to play our game. We're in Vegas, so I guess we rolled the dice, and it didn't work out."

LaQuentin Miles scored 21 points for the Bears.

The Rebels next play at Hawaii on New Year's Eve.

"It really boosts everybody's confidence. Our chemistry got a lot better tonight," Stanback said. "I'm willing to do whatever my teammates need, and if that means coming off the bench, so be it."

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