Vaughn’s late 3-pointer caps Rebels’ comeback

A freshman was the best player on the floor Friday night, and in his first college game when everything was on the line, he was left wide open on the wing. Rashad Vaughn never hesitated to fire the shot.

“I had the confidence to shoot it,” he said, “and I knew it was good.”

Vaughn scored 26 points and sank a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 1:06 remaining to lift UNLV to a 60-59 victory over Morehead State in the teams’ season opener at the Thomas & Mack Center.

The Rebels erased an 11-point deficit in the second half and needed a defensive stop in the final seconds to secure the win before a crowd of 12,582.

“I just wanted to do what it took to win,” Vaughn said. “It was an amazing playing in the Mack in front of all those fans.”

Angelo Warner, who scored 21 points, made two free throws with 47 seconds to go to pull the Eagles within one. The Rebels followed with an empty possession as Patrick McCaw drove the lane and missed the rim on a runner. Chris Wood rebounded, but the shot clock expired.

Morehead coach Sean Woods used a timeout with 12.1 seconds on the clock to set up a potential winning shot.

Warner drove the lane through heavy traffic and left a contested floater short with two seconds to go.

“Down the stretch, we made a lot of tough plays for a young team,” said UNLV senior point guard Cody Doolin, who briefly tied up Warner on his drive. “Those are the types of games you have to grind out.”

The Rebels will host Sam Houston State at 5 p.m. Sunday in their second game in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, and they will practice today with the feeling of relief that comes with surviving a close call.

Vaughn carried UNLV on the offensive end, shooting 8 of 18 from the field and 8 of 11 on free throws.

But the former Findlay Prep standout was 1-for-7 from 3-point range before connecting on the biggest shot of the game.

“I thought that was really brave the huge shot he took,” Doolin said. “It showed what kind of player he is.”

Wood, a sophomore forward, finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Rebels, who got most of their scoring from two players.

“We found a way to win a very difficult basketball game,” UNLV coach Dave Rice said after his fourth season opener. “You’re watching a young basketball grow up and grow up in a hurry.”

The Rebels had to make up a lot of ground in a second-half comeback.

The Eagles took a 44-33 lead two minutes into the second half on Brent Arrington’s two free throws. But they went cold from the field, and the Rebels slowly mounted a comeback.

“Cody kept saying, even when we were down 11, ‘We’re winning this game,’” Rice said.

McCaw made consecutive 3-pointers, the second pulling the Rebels even at 47-47 with 9:44 remaining. Doolin penetrated the lane, fed Wood with a bounce pass, and Wood dunked to put UNLV up 51-47 at the 6:55 mark.

Wood dunked again, off another pass from Doolin, to bump the Rebels’ lead to 57-52 with 3:10 to go.

Warner’s 3 cut Morehead’s deficit to 57-55 at the 2:32 mark, and Kareem Storey scored on a fast-break layup to tie it with 1:30 left.

The Rebels opened a six-point lead midway through the first half before bogging down against a zone defense. UNLV made only 1 of 10 attempts from 3-point range before the break.

In the second half, the Eagles shot 7-for-32 (21.9 percent) from the field as the Rebels turned the tables by using a zone that was effective in forcing bad shots.

“I think it’s always kind of fun when you feel like you smother the other team,” said Doolin, who had three points, seven assists and six rebounds in his first game for UNLV. “We held a pretty good team to 59 points. I thought our defense was just phenomenal.”

Freshman forward Goodluck Okonoboh had seven blocked shots for the Rebels, who outscored the Eagles 16-10 at the foul line.

Karam Mashour, a transfer from UNLV, turned in an inspired effort for Morehead and contributed seven points and eight rebounds.

But the night belonged to Vaughn, who started his college career and finished the game with a bang.

“Rashad is a guy who feels it and wants the ball,” Rice said. “He wants to take big shots.”

Contact reporter Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907. Follow him on Twitter: @mattyoumans247.