UNLV Outruns CS Long Beach in Second Half

LAS VEGAS —  Cal State Long Beach’s young basketball team came into the Thomas and Mack Center Tuesday night to find out if it belonged in the same class as a top 20 team. Nevada Las Vegas convincingly let the 49ers know that aren’t there yet.

The 12th-ranked Runnin’ Rebels broke open a tight game with a 19-2 run early in the second half and breezed to a 78-58 Big West Conference victory before 18,600.

The 49ers, 6-2 overall and 0-1 in the Big West, had hoped to outrun the Rebels and win with easy baskets. But it was Las Vegas that did most of the running.

“They beat us down the court and got so many easy baskets,” said Long Beach Coach Joe Harrington. “And we compounded it by not shooting well.”

The 49ers made only two baskets from beyond 15 feet. They made only 27.5% from the field for the game, only and 20% in the second half. They had shot 49% in their first seven games.

Most of the errant shots were launched against a zone defense, rarely used by Las Vegas.

Coach Jerry Tarkanian said he decided to abandon his pressure man-to-man defense in favor of the zone midway through the first half, specifically to stop the drives to the basket by guard Tyrone Mitchell. It worked so well that Tarkanian stayed with it the rest of the game.

“Our man-to-man defense just didn’t work at all,” Tarkanian said. “Tyrone Mitchell played tremendously for them.”

Forward Larry Johnson, the Rebels’ new star, scored 17 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, but it was guard Greg Anthony who impressed Tarkanian the most.

Anthony had 14 points, eight assists and three steals.

“I thought he played a super game,” Tarkanian said. “He got out on the fast break and was a terror out front on defense. His quick hands caused them problems.”

The Rebels (6-2, 2-0) led by 31 points late in the second half, running at will during a nine-minute period during which Long Beach scored only two points.

A three-point play by Mitchell had closed what had been a nine-point halftime lead to 41-37 two minutes into the second half. But then Mitchell lost the ball to Anthony, who converted the steal into a layup that began the 19-2 surge. By the nine-minute mark, the Rebels had extended their advantage to 60-39.

Three minutes later, after dunks by Johnson and Anderson Hunt, the score was 67-42.

“When they started getting the ball up and down the court we couldn’t stop them,” Harrington said.

The 49ers battled evenly with the Rebels for most of the first half, led by freshman guard Lucious Harris, who came off the bench to block a shot and make two three-point plays.

Harris wound up with 17 points to lead the 49ers. Mitchell scored 15 and Kevin Cutler had 11.