UNLV’s Stanback gets back into form

UNLV junior forward Chace Stanback was benched for the first half Tuesday, forced to sit for not fulfilling his academic responsibilities over the summer.

Stanback took his punishment, levied last week by coach Lon Kruger, and then dished some out.

"I made some mistakes in the summertime and had to pay for them," Stanback said. "So now it's time to move on."

Stanback more than made up for lost time, scoring all of his 23 points in the second half to help the Rebels defeat Washburn 88-53 in an exhibition game at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Stanback's scoring surge covered less than 14 minutes. He made 9 of 10 field goals, including 4 of 5 3-pointers.

"Everybody else was warmed up," he said. "I had to get warm. Once I got out there, I let it flow."

Kruger said Stanback will start Friday when UNLV opens the regular season at home against UC Riverside.

"Chace shot the ball very well," Kruger said. "It's great to see him step in there and perform like he's been performing in practice."

The preseason revealed the Rebels can count on strong guard play again this season. It also exposed their interior defense and rebounding as areas of weakness.

The starting big men, 6-foot-10-inch center Brice Massamba and 6-8 forward Quintrell Thomas, combined to collect 10 fouls and seven rebounds. That was against the smallish Ichabods, a Division II team from Topeka, Kan.

"We've got a lot of work yet to do," Kruger said. "You're going to find plenty of things to worry about in the second exhibition game."

Kruger was encouraged by the effort from Carlos Lopez. The 6-11 freshman forward compiled 17 points and five rebounds.

"Carlos will keep getting better. He's a guy who's got good skills and good instincts," Kruger said.

Lopez, who redshirted last season, said he was not pleased after scoring 11 points in UNLV's 90-66 victory over Grand Canyon a week ago.

"It wasn't enough," Lopez said. "My mom always told me, 'Never be happy with the outcome. You can always do better.' My teammates and Coach Kruger always tell me to get tougher and meaner."

Senior guard Derrick Jasper was a force on the boards, pulling down nine rebounds to go with seven points and five assists.

The guards were the Rebels' top rebounders. Freshman Karam Mashour dunked twice and totaled eight points and seven rebounds.

Sophomore guard Anthony Marshall scored nine of his 11 points in the first half. During a two-minute stretch, he hit a 3-pointer before blocking a shot and taking off for a fast-break dunk.

"We feel pretty good about this as a starting point," Marshall said. "But we've got to rebound better and play defense better."

Stanback's shooting was about as good as it gets. His last 3-pointer put UNLV up 77-38 with 6:18 remaining.

Asked if he regretted having such a hot night in an exhibition, Stanback laughed and said, "Not at all. I feel like I could do it again."

■ NOTES -- Freddie Banks and Armon Gilliam were among the former Rebels to play in the annual Legends Game. … The early signing period opens today, and UNLV expects to receive a letter of intent from Grandy Glaze, a 6-6 forward from Notre Dame Prep in Fitchburg, Mass.

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