UNLV point guard stews over bad pass, defensive mistake at end against Aztecs

But no player probably feels worse about the last minute of the Rebels’ loss to San Diego State in the Mountain West Conference tournament semifinals Friday.

“It’s hard to get over it. It’s still there,” Bellfield said Monday, following a 20-minute shooting session after practice.

“It’s still in me. I still feel it. I’ve got to move past it.”

Bellfield can look ahead to the NCAA Tournament. Eighth-seeded UNLV (24-8) opens against No. 9 seed Illinois (19-13) at 6:20 p.m. Friday in the Southwest Region at Tulsa, Okla.

If the Rebels had finished off the Aztecs, maybe they’d have drawn a better seed in a four-team bracket that would not include Kansas. Failing to finish, though, is what bothers Bellfield.

He made a clutch 3-pointer to help UNLV overcome a 12-point deficit in the second half. With the score tied at 72 and 35 seconds to go, coach Lon Kruger called timeout and designed a play with two options.

Tre’Von Willis was supposed to screen for 6-foot-8-inch forward Chace Stanback near the right elbow, with Stanback cutting to the rim for a lob pass from Bellfield, who was on the left perimeter.

If the lob wasn’t open, Willis was popping out for a jumper, the second option. The lob to Stanback, a play that worked early in the half, was open.

“I hesitated a little bit,” Bellfield said. “But I thought the look was there.”

His pass was too low and the ball was deflected and stolen by the Aztecs’ Chase Tapley with 21 seconds left.

On the other end of the floor, San Diego State point guard D.J. Gay blew past Bellfield on the dribble and hit an 8-foot floater with 4.9 seconds to lift the Aztecs to a dramatic 74-72 victory.

“I kind of anticipated the screen coming on the left side, so I tried to flush (Gay) the other way,” Bellfield said. “But I should have just played it straight up. It’s all just a learning experience.

“To come back like that and fight through it and have the opportunity to win, that shows us a lot. We’ve just got to learn how to end games better and get over that hump.”

San Diego State bombed Brigham Young 72-54 in the championship game and drew a No. 2 seed in the West Region. The Rebels, meanwhile, must regroup and focus on the Illini, who finished in a four-way tie for fourth in the Big Ten.

Illinois is led by senior point guard Demetri McCamey, who averages 14.8 points and 6.1 assists and shoots 45.5 percent from 3-point range.

The Bellfield-McCamey matchup shapes up as a major key to the game. Bellfield, a starter in all 32 games, averages 11.1 points and 3.8 assists.

“When you get to the tournament, point guard play is so huge across the board. I know Oscar is looking forward to the opportunity,” Kruger said. “Oscar’s had a really good year, and he’s certainly disappointed coming out of the game against San Diego State.

“But he’s a veteran who’s been there before and he’s put in that position late in ballgames, and sometimes it’s going to work and sometimes it’s not. Either way, you have to bounce back and play the next one, especially now going into the NCAA Tournament.”

Bothered by a right wrist injury, Bellfield endured a shooting slump from late December to early February. The wrist improved and so has his shot, as he’s 18-for-44 (40.9 percent) on 3s in the past six games.

“Hey, Oscar is the MVP for this team, and we need him to play well for us,” Willis said. “We all were disappointed. Every loss to San Diego State was in the last two minutes. But we feel like we’ve got a great chance to make some noise with this run.”

In last year’s NCAA Tournament, UNLV was a No. 8 seed in Oklahoma City, and the Rebels’ run ended abruptly with a 69-66 first-round loss to Northern Iowa on a late 3-pointer.

“Just how we ended last year,” Bellfield said, “that’s something we know that we don’t want to feel that way again.”

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