Dec. 26, 2001

LAS VEGAS - UNLV will be home for its third straight game at the Thomas & Mack Center (18,500) on Friday, Dec. 28, as it hosts Tennessee State at 7:35 p.m. The game may be heard live in Las Vegas on KBAD 920 AM (ESPN Radio) and worldwide on the internet at UNLVRebels.com with Ken Korach and Glen Gondrezick calling the action. There is no television scheduled for this game.

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Fri., Dec. 28Tennessee State at UNLV7:35 p.m. PST

Game at Thomas & Mack Center (18,500), Las Vegas, Nev., Game may be heard live on KBAD 920 AM (ESPN Radio) in Las Vegas and worldwide on the internet at UNLVRebels.com

THE RUNNIN' REBELS

UNLV (5-4) has won two of its last three games falling on Saturday to Texas 87-78 in the Las Vegas Showdown on Saturday. UNLV was down by 18 points in that game with 14 minutes left and came back to close the gap to one point with 4:20 left, but that was as close as it got with losing by nine. The Runnin' Rebels defeated UNR 87-75 at home in their previous game and before that they recorded their first road win of the year, a 70-68 win at Loyola Marymount. The Runnin' Rebels were down by 16 points at halftime, but came back to win at LMU. UNLV had lost three of four games before the win at Loyola. The Runnin' Rebels are 4-1 at home this year. UNLV is under new leadership as Charlie Spoonhour is in his first year running the Rebel program. UNLV returns nine players and welcomes seven new faces to this year's roster. Junior forward Dalron Johnson is leading the team in scoring with 16.9 ppg and rebounding with 7.1 rpg. Two other Rebels are in double figures in scoring average (Marcus Banks: 14.9, Lou Kelly: 13.7). Last year, the squad finished with an overall record of 16-13 and placed fourth in the Mountain West Conference with a 7-7 mark.

THE TENNESSEE STATE TIGERS

Tennessee State (3-6) has lost its last three games and six of its last seven. TSU has played three straight road games, falling at Oral Roberts 87-71, at Middle Tennessee State 88-79 and at Murray State 103-72. The Tigers are 0-6 on the road this season. TSU is led by senior forward Kyle Rolston in scring with 13.3 ppg and is led in rebounding by junior center Arvid Caldwell with 5.1 per game. Two other Tigers are averaging in double figures in scoring. They are sophomore guard Garrett Richardson with 13.0 ppg and junior guard Josh Copperwood with 11.7 ppg. Head Coach Nolan Richardson III is in his second year at the school with a career head coaching record of 13-25 (.342). Tennessee State returns eight letterwinners and two starters off last year's team that went 10-19 overall and finished sixth in the Ohio Valley Conference with a 7-9 mark.

SERIES HISTORY

This marks the first meeting between UNLV and Tennessee State in men's basketball.

VS. OHIO VALLEY CONFERENCE

UNLV is 4-0 all-time vs. teams from the Ohio Valley Conference.

DALRON JOHNSON - MWC PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Dalron Johnson was named the Mountain West Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week on Dec. 17 after posting a double-double in the Runnin' Rebels 70-68 win at Loyola Marymount. Johnson helped UNLV erase a 16-point halftime deficit and pull out a two-point victory over the Lions. He collected his first double-double of the season and the 10th of his career with 23 points and 10 rebounds. He shot 47.6 percent from the field, blocked two shots and had a career-high six steals. It was Johnson's first player of the week honor of his career.

TIME CHANGE

The start time for the basketball doubleheader at the Thomas & Mack Center scheduled for Dec. 30 has been moved up one half-hour. The UNLV men's basketball team originally was scheduled to host Old Dominion at 7:35 p.m., while the women's team was scheduled to host UC Santa Barbara at 5:00 p.m. Both games will still be held at the Thomas & Mack Center, however the women's game will now start at 4:30 p.m. and the men's game will begin at 7:05 p.m. The change was made to accommodate Old Dominion's travel plans.

SPOONHOUR TO COACH 500TH GAME AT DIVISION I LEVEL VS. TSU

UNLV Head Coach Charlie Spoonhour will coach his 500th game as a Division I head coach on Friday vs. Tennessee State. Spoonhour has a career record of 324-175 (.649) in his 17 seasons as a Division I head coach.

UP NEXT

After Tennessee State, UNLV will host Old Dominion on Sunday, Dec. 30 at 7:05 p.m. The start time was moved up one half-hour to accommodate Old Dominion's travel plans. The game will be preceeded by the UNLV women's basketball team's game vs. UC Santa Barbara, which starts at 4:30 p.m. at the Thomas & Mack Center.

DIVISION I DEBUTS

Two Runnin' Rebels played their first NCAA Division I college basketball game in the season opener vs. Wisconsin. Marcus Banks scored 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting, grabbed 6 rebounds, had 4 steals, 1 assist, 1 blocked shot and 5 turnovers in 38 minutes. Jamal Holden (who left the team on Dec. 18) scored 2 points and had 5 rebounds in 11 minutes. Against Nicholls State, three more Rebels made their debut. Ernest Turner scored 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting including 3-of-5 3-pointers and had 3 assists in 17 minutes. Louis Amundson had 8 rebounds, 4 points, 2 assists and 1 steal in 13 minutes. Lamar Bigby scored 6 points with 3 rebounds and 1 blocked shot in 12 minutes.

16-POINT HALFTIME DEFICIT TURNED INTO 2-POINT WIN

At Loyola Marymount, UNLV trailed by 16 points at halftime (41-25) and came back to win by two. The Runnin' Rebels shot 27.8 percent (10-of-36) from the field and 18.2 percent (2-of-11) from 3-point range in the first half. UNLV turned things around in the second half by making 10 of its first 12 field goal attempts. For the second half, the Runnin' Rebels shot 64.3 percent (18-of-28). For the game, UNLV had a season-high in steals with 16 and a then-season-low in turnovers with 12.

SECOND-HALF COMEBACK - AGAIN - BUT NOT QUITE ENOUGH

Against Texas, UNLV found itself down by 18 points at 50-32 with 14 minutes left in the game and cut the deficit to only one point (73-72) with 4:20 left. Texas, however, held on for the win.

SHOOTING FOR THE FG'S

In its first two games, UNLV shot a combined 58.5 percent from the field. In their game against Nevada, Reno, the Runnin' Rebels shot 52.4 percent. UNLV is 3-0 in games in which is shoots 50 perent or better. As a team after nine games, UNLV is shooting 46.3 percent from the field, while limiting its opponents to 44.5 percent.

ON THE MARK

Of the seven players who have seen action in all nine games, two are shooting over 50 percent from the field. They are Omari Pearson (18-of-31: .581) and Chris Richardson (28-of-51: .549). An additional four players are at 42 percent or better.

FROM THE STRIPE

After missing his first free throw attempt of the season vs. Wisconsin, Dalron Johnson made 14 consecutive free throw attempts. He missed his first attempt of the game at LMU, so his streak ended at 14. He is shooting free throws at 82.6 percent (19-of-23) this year. Lou Kelly leads the team in free throw percentage (28-of-33, .848).

FIRST CAREER DOUBLE-DOUBLE

Senior Chris Richardson recorded his first career double-double vs. Nevada, Reno with 13 points and a career-high 12 rebounds.

FIVE PLAYERS SCORE 10 OR MORE

Against Nevada, Reno, five Runnin' Rebels scored in double figures. That marked the first time all year that has happened. UNLV has had four players score 10 or more points in the same game two other times this year.

STEALS TO TURNOVERS

For the third consecutive game, UNLV has had equal or more steals than turnovers. UNLV had 14 steals and 14 turnovers vs. Texas. The Runnin' Rebels had 11 steals vs. UNR and only committed a season-low seven turnovers. At LMU, the Runnin' Rebels stole the ball a season-high 16 times and only turned it over 12 times. UNLV had more turnovers than steals in its first six games.

BLOCKED SHOT STREAK SNAPPED

Dalron Johnson didn't record a blocked shot vs. UAB, so his streak of eight games blocking at least one shot dating back to last season is done. Johnson, who is No. 6 on UNLV's all-time blocked shot list, has blocked at least one shot in eight of UNLV's nine games this year. Last year he blocked at least one shot in 22 of his 27 games and during his freshman year he blocked at least one shot in 21 of 31 games, so for his career he has blocked a shot in 51 of 67 games.

NICE FIRST HALF

It would be difficult to imagine Dalron Johnson having a better first half than he did against Nicholls State. Johnson was 8-of-9 from the field, 3-of-3 from 3-point range, had 19 points, 3 rebounds and an assist, a block and a turnover in 13 minutes of action. He ended up scoring a career-high 29 points for the game on 13-of-16 shooting including 3-of-5 from 3-point range. He also tallied 5 rebounds in a total of 19 minutes.

MARGIN OF VICTORY

UNLV's 43-point victory over Nicholls State was its largest margin of victory since defeating Sacred Heart by 47, 103-56, on Nov. 14, 1998.

UNLV'S RANK IN THE MWC

As of Dec. 26, UNLV leads the Mountain West Conference in steals with 9.78 per game. UNLV is second in turnover margin at +2.33 (UNLV's opponents are averaging 2.33 more turnovers per game than UNLV), and is third in offensive rebounds with 13.00 per game. Individually, Marcus Banks leads the confernce in steals with 2.22 per game, while Dalron Johnson is second with 2.00 per game. Johnson is third in scoring with 16.9 ppg and third in blocked shots with 1.78 per game. Lou Kelly is fourth in free throw percentage with .848.

UNLV WINS VS. MOUNTAIN WEST

The Runnin' Rebels are the only Mountain West Conference team with a better than .500 record all-time against the other seven members of the conference. Air Force (12-1), BYU (6-5), Colorado State (13-5), New Mexico (11-8), San Diego State (21-5), Utah (10-9), Wyoming (13-8).

UNLV BOASTS BEST HOME RECORD IN MWC

Out of the eight Mountain West schools, UNLV has the best all-time winning percentage on its home court. UNLV is 246-43 (.851) at the Thomas & Mack Center. Utah is second at .823 (404-87).

IN OVERTIME

UNLV is 35-17 (.673) all-time in overtime games. Last season, UNLV was 1-2 in overtime games. Additionally, UNLV is 28-14 in single overtime games, 5-3 in double overtime and 2-0 in triple overtime. The Runnin' Rebels have a record of 6-3 in overtime games at the Thomas & Mack Center.

MOVIN' UP THE CHART

With 117 blocked shots for his career, Dalron Johnson is No. 6 on the all-time Runnin' Rebel blocked shot list. Stacey Augmon is No. 5 with 128.

UNLV IS 34-6 IN LAST 40 GAMES AT THE MACK'

The Runnin' Rebels are in their 19th season in the 18,500-seat Thomas & Mack Center. UNLV has posted an all-time record of 246-43 (.851) in the arena since it opened in 1983. This year, the Runnin' Rebels are 4-1 at home. They were 12-3 at home in 2000-01 and were 18-2 during the 1999-00 season, so UNLV has won 34 of its last 40 games at home. UNLV has been edged at home by four points or less 17 times and the 43 losses has been by an average of 7.9 points (339 total points).

HOLDEN LEAVES PROGRAM

Jamal Holden was granted a release from the UNLV men's basketball program on Dec. 18. Holden, a 6-10 center, who transferred to UNLV from Westark (Ark.) College prior to this season, had played in five games, averaging 8.0 minutes per game. He also averaged 2.2 points and 2.2 rebounds per game. "Jamal has decided that it is in his best interested to pursue other opportunities in college basketball closer to his home," Spoonhour said. "He is a fine young man and we wish him nothing but the best in the future."

FOR OPENERS

After defeating Wisconsin in this season's opener, UNLV is 34-10 all-time in season openers and is 26-4 when opening the season at home. The Rebels have never lost at the T&M in a season opener as they are 11-0. UNLV has won its season opener each of the last seven seasons.

OPENING WITH WISCONSIN - PART I

This season the UNLV men's basketball team opened with Wisconsin at home and next year the UNLV football team also opens with Wisconsin at home.

RUNNIN' THE REBELS - CHARLIE SPOONHOUR

UNLV has a new head coach this year. Charlie Spoonhour became the 12th head coach in Runnin' Rebel history on March 29. He came to UNLV after spending two years out of coaching, but he didn't stray too far away from the game as he served in the media as an analyst on college basketball broadcasts. Prior to that he was the head coach at Saint Louis University for seven years. Before SLU, Spoonhour was head coach at Southwest Missouri State University for nine seasons. He has a 17-year Division I head coaching record of 324-175 (.649) and has led 11 teams to the postseason, including eight to the NCAA Touranment.

THE REST OF THE STAFF

UNLV also has three new assistant coaches. They are Deane Martin, Jay Spoonhour and Derek Thomas. UNLV has retained Dave Rice, who will serve this season as Director of Basketball Operations. Rice is in his ninth year on staff. Martin was most recently the associate head coach at Tennessee-Martin. Spoonhour (Charlie's son) was most recently head coach at Wabash Valley JC in Mt. Carmel, Ill., where he led the team to the junior college national championship with a record of 36-1 and was named the National Junior College Coach of the Year. Thomas was most recently with the NBA's Atlanta Hawks.

EARLY SIGNINGS

J.K. Edwards and James Peters have both signed a national letter of intent to enroll at UNLV and play basketball for the Runnin' Rebels beginning with the 2002-03 season. Both players will enroll at UNLV as juniors. Edwards, a 6-foot-8, 250-pound center from Indian Hills (Iowa) Community College, averaged 12.8 points and 6.4 rebounds last season. He was selected as a first team All-America last year and played in the Tournament of the Americas in Argentina this past August (on the same team as current Runnin' Rebel Marcus Banks). Edwards chose UNLV over Wisconsin, Tennessee and Iowa State. Peters, a 6-8, 215-pound forward from Butler County (Kan.) Community College, averaged 14.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and shot 59 percent from the floor last season. The second-team All-Jayhawk Conference selection chose UNLV over Illinois, Michigan State and DePaul.

44 YEARS OF BASKETBALL

The 2001-02 year marks the 44th season of Runnin' Rebel basketball at UNLV. Since the program's inception in 1958-59, the Runnin' Rebels have posted an all-time record of 917-355 (.721). In 1969-70, UNLV made the move to Division I and has since posted a record of 730-251 (.744) while competing at that level. In addition, UNLV has an all-time mark of 882-333 (.726) against Division I competition.

"THREE-POINT GOAL ..."

Since the 3-point field goal was adopted by the NCAA in 1986-87, UNLV has converted at least one 3-pointer in all 484 games played. During that span, the Runnin' Rebels have made 3,182-of-8,796 (.362) shots from behind the arc. The Big West Conference experimented with the 3-point shot in the 1982-83, 1984-85 and 1985-86 seasons. During that period, UNLV connected from 3-point range in 53 of the 64 games (the 3-pointer was used in some non-conference games). The Runnin' Rebels sank 194-of-505 (.384) 3-point attempts during that time. The UNLV streak for games in which it sank at least one 3-point shot stands at 501. The last time the Runnin' Rebels failed to make at least one 3-pointer came against Long Beach State on Jan. 25, 1986. So, UNLV has sunk at least one shot from behind the arch in 537 of the 548 games in which the rule was used. In the 548 total games, the Runnin' Rebels have shot .363 from this distance while sinking 3,376-of-9,301 attempts. UNLV holds the NCAA record for most consecutive games scoring a 3-point field goal. Prior to the beginning of the 2001-02 season, Vanderbilt was No. 2 on the list, three behind UNLV.

NOTEWORTHY NOEL

For the first time, the UNLV men's basketball team has one of its players writing a weekly diary for UNLV's website UNLVRebels.com. Noel Bloom will write an entry each week and it will be posted at http://unlvrebels.fansonly.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/noel-diary-index.html. Just go to the men's basketball page at UNLVRebels.com and click on the Noteworthy Noel graphic on the right-hand side of the page. This feature on the web gives fans a look inside the team from a different perspective. Previous entries are archived for later viewing.

RUNNIN' REBELS ON THE AIR

All Runnin' Rebel games are carried live on KBAD 920 AM (ESPN Radio) in Las Vegas and on the internet at UNLVRebels.com. Ken Korach and Glen Gondrezick are in their 10th season calling Runnin' Rebel basketball. Broadcasts will start one-half hour prior to the beginning of each game with the pregame show and the postgame show will feature a live interview with head coach Charlie Spoonhour followed by fan call-ins. The broadcasts are also available inside the Thomas & Mack Center by tuning to 99.5 FM. The fan call-in number is (702) 876-8585.

UNLV SPORTS NETWORK

For the first time Runnin' Rebel games are being heard on a regional network of stations. ESPN Regional at UNLV and Lotus Broadcasting have teamed up with PV Radio and KZBZ Radio to help create the first-ever UNLV Sports Network, a seven station grouping that will reach across the state and into parts of Arizona, California and Utah. The stations are in Las Vegas (Network Flagship - 920 AM), Pahrump, Nev. (95.9 FM), Amargosa Valley, Nev. (96.7 FM), Beatty, Nev. (93.5 FM), Scotty's Junction, Nev. (94.3 FM), Death Valley, Calif. (91.1 FM) and Pioche, Nev. (98.9 FM - Lincoln County and most of Southern Utah).

COACH'S SHOWS

"Game Time with UNLV Hoops" television show is shown Sundays at 9:00 p.m. on Las Vegas One (cable channels 1 and 39) and on KLAS TV-8 at 11:30 p.m. The show is hosted by Chris Maathuis and features head coach Charlie Spoonhour. (no show is scheduled for 12/30)

"The Charlie Spoonhour Radio Show" may be heard live Tuesdays from the ESPN Zone at New York-New York Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. The show airs from 7-8 p.m. on KBAD 920 AM (ESPN Radio) in Las Vegas and may be heard on the internet at UNLVRebels.com on an archived basis. (no show is scheduled for 1/1, 1/15 and 2/5) It is hosted by Ken Korach and Glen Gondrezick and features head coach Charlie Spoonhour.

TICKET INFORMATION

Individual game balcony tickets are priced at $15 and $12. Individual game seats on the plaza level for men's basketball will go on sale only 24 hours prior to each game. Those tickets are $25. Also on sale are Family Four Packs, which include 4 balcony level tickets, 4 hot dogs, 4 popcorns, and 4 sodas, all for $56. Family Four Packs are only available for purchase at the Thomas & Mack Center Box Office. Individual game tickets may be purchased at the Thomas & Mack Center Box Office, at all Tickets.com locations, by calling Tickets.com at (888) 464-2468, and by logging onto UNLVRebels.com. For more ticket information, please call (702) 895-UNLV.

LUNCHEONS

UNLV Sports Marketing luncheons featuring Charlie Spoonhour will be held at the Si Redd Room at the Thomas & Mack Center. Luncheons have been held on Nov. 15 and Dec. 18. The remaining luncheons are scheduled for Jan. 23, Feb. 14 and March 5. Luncheons begin at noon and are $10 for the public. Media interested in attending should RSVP to Andy Grossman. For more information, please call (702) 895-UNLV.

REBELS ON TV

UNLV is scheduled to appear on television at least 18 times this season. The Runnin' Rebels are scheduled to appear on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN+plus, ABC, SportsWest and ESPN Regional at UNLV.

MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT

The 2001-02 Mountain West Conference Basketball Championship will be played Thursday-Saturday, March 7-9, at the Thomas & Mack Center. All eight teams will compete in the tournament with the champion receiving the MWC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. This is the third year that the MWC Tournament will be played at the Thomas & Mack Center and the sixth straight year a conference tournament will be played at the TMC (The WAC held its championship at the TMC from 1997-99).

TEXAS IN REVIEW (DEC. 22)

Chris Owens had 18 points and 16 rebounds and Brandon Mouton and T.J. Ford added 15 points each as Texas beat UNLV 87-78. What appeared to be a runaway for Texas turned into a close game as UNLV rallied in the second half behind guard Marcus Banks. UNLV closed to 73-72 on a basket by Dalron Johnson with 4:20 left, but Texas countered with an 8-2 run. Banks ended up with a career-high 26 points for UNLV, and Lou Kelly added 22. Texas led 36-21 at halftime, and took its biggest lead, 50-32, with about 14 minutes left. But UNLV went on a 13-4 run to get back into the game, and crept closer on a pair of 3-pointers by Kelly, the last coming with 5:16 left. Both teams had trouble at the foul line, with Texas making 12 of 25 free throws and UNLV hitting 19 of 31.

NEVADA, RENO IN REVIEW (DEC. 20)

Marcus Banks led five players in double figures, scoring 22 points to lead the Runnin' Rebels past Nevada, Reno 87-75. Chris Richardson recorded his first career double-double with 13 points and a career-high 12 rebounds. Garry Thomas-Hill led the Wolf Pack with 23 points. UNLV made 33-of-63 from the field, had 20 assists and had only seven turnovers, a season-low. After Nevada ran off the game's first four points, the Rebels responded with a 17-2 run and never trailed again. UNLV built its biggest lead of the first half to 14 on three occasions. The Rebels led 40-28 at halftime. In the second half, the Rebels' lead grew to as many as 16 points three times, the last at 62-46 with 8:39 remaining. The Wolf Pack later cut the lead to 66-57 with 4:59 left, but got no closer.

AT LOYOLA MARYMOUNT IN REVIEW (DEC. 15)

Marcus Banks' layup with 19 seconds remaining helped UNLV complete a frantic second-half comeback and defeat Loyola Marymount 70-68. Loyola Marymount had two chances to either win the game or at least send it to overtime, but Kent Dennis missed a 3-pointer with five seconds left and Greg Lakey's follow bounced off the rim as time expired. Midway through the game, LMU was in control. The Lions shot 56 percent from the field during the first half and led 41-25 at halftime. UNLV quickly turned it around after intermission, making nine of its first 10 shots en route to shooting 64.3 percent from the field in the second half. A 3-pointer by Lou Kelly with 11:54 left erased the last of UNLV's halftime deficit and the game turned into a seesaw affair. Dalron Johnson led UNLV with 23 points and 10 rebounds and Banks scored 14 of his 18 points in the second half.

VS. UAB IN REVIEW (DEC. 8)

P.J. Arnold scored 16 of his 20 points in the second half to lift UAB to a 74-68 victory over UNLV in the Arby's Hardwood Classic. The Blazers made 14 of 18 free throws in the final seven minutes to keep the Runnin' Rebels from getting back into it. Arnold hit three 3-pointers in a two-minute span to key a 16-2 UAB run and break a 41-41 tie midway through the second half. UNLV cut it to seven points on Dalron Johnson's layin with 2:50 left. UAB was 26 of 34 from the free throw line for the game. Blazers sixth man Morris Finley had 15 points and Will Campbell added 12. Myron Ransom collected nine points and 13 rebounds for UAB. Dalron Johnson was held to three points in the first half but finished with 17. Lafonte Johnson was 4-of-8 from 3-point range for 12 points and Lamar Bigby added 10. The Blazers took a 36-34 lead into halftime. UNLV had jumped out to a 17-9 lead before Finley scored eight straight points to spark a 12-2 run.

GEORGIA SOUTHERN IN REVIEW (DEC. 1)

Lou Kelly scored a game-high and a career-high tying 19 points as UNLV defeated Georgia Southern 79-64. The Rebels went on a 12-4 run to end the first half and led 39-31 at the break. UNLV started the second half with a 20-8 run to build the lead to 59-39 with 11:02 left in the game. The Rebels scored 10 straight at one point in the run, with Kelly and Vince Booker hitting consecutive 3-pointers. Kelly also tallied a game-high and career-high 6 assists. Marcus Banks added 13 points for the Runnin' Rebels and Omari Pearson and Booker each scored 12 (both career-highs). Frank Bennett and Julius Jenkins each had 14 points to lead Georgia Southern. UNLV held the Eagles to 34 percent shooting from the field.

AT WASHINGTON IN REVIEW (NOV. 28)

Washington's Curtis Allen scored a career-high 21points and dished out eight assists in the Huskies' 77-64 victory over UNLV. The Runnin' Rebels held a 50-47 lead with 12:10 remaining in the game, but Washington went on a 22-6 run over the next nine minutes to take control. Dalron Johnson scored 23 for the Runnin' Rebels, including nine of their first 11 points of the second half, but did not score in the final 14:45 of the game. Chris Richardson added 11 for UNLV. Washington's Doug Wrenn also had 21 points, while Grant Leep added 10. It was a see-saw game with neither team holding a lead bigger than three points over the first 15 minutes. There were 15 lead changes during that stretch. Washington led 36-33 at halftime.

AT CINCINNATI IN REVIEW (NOV. 24)

Steve Logan scored 18 of his 20 points in the second half as Cincinnati pulled away to a 74-61 victory over UNLV. Logan missed his first five shots and was only 1-of-6 in the first half but Cincinnati led 33-23 at halftime. In the second half, Logan made his first five attempts, including three 3-pointers, as the Bearcats surged ahead by 21 points. UNLV never got closer than 13 points the rest of the way. UC's Donald Little scored 14 points and had 8 rebounds. Two other UC players scored in double figures. Lou Kelly led UNLV with a career-high 19 points and also grabbed a career-high 7 rebounds. Dalron Johnson added 12 points for the Runnin' Rebels.

NICHOLLS STATE IN REVIEW (NOV. 20)

UNLV, led by Dalron Johnson's career-high 29 points, used a 25-0 run to defeat Nicholls State 97-54. NSU was leading 6-2 when the Runnin' Rebels took control of the game with the run. The Colonels were never able to get closer than 14 points after that, cutting the lead to 30-16 at one point. UNLV led 48-26 at the half. Johnson, who led all scorers, was 13-of-16 from the floor, including three 3-pointers. Ernest Turner had 12 points and Marcus Banks had 11 and 5 assists as UNLV hit 60.3 percent of its field goals, including 47.6 percent from 3-point range.

WISCONSIN IN REVIEW (NOV. 17)

In his Division I debut, Marcus Banks had 21 points as UNLV defeated Wisconsin 74-69 to give new head coach Charlie Spoonhour a victory in the season opener for both teams. Dalron Johnson added 18 points, Lou Kelly had 17 and Chris Richardson added 15 (career-high) for the Runnin' Rebels, who shot 56.4 percent from the field (31-of-55). The Runnin' Rebels scored the first nine points of the game and held a double-digit lead through most of the first half. Wisconsin trailed 36-29 at the half, and cut the lead to four, 43-39, with 16:02 to play. But the Badgers missed their next nine shots as the Rebels built the lead to 51-41 with 9:45 remaining. Wisconsin used a fast break and two 3-pointers to cut a 12-point UNLV lead to 59-55 with 3:41 remaining. Johnson's two free throws put the Rebels up 61-55, but the Badgers converted another layup to get back within four. Banks hit a 3-pointer with 2:33 left remaining to put the Rebels up 64-57. The Badgers never got closer than five points the rest of the way.

MEDIA TEAMLINK AND INFO CONNECTION

UNLV's release, statistics and latest box score are all available on the internet through www.mediateamlink.com. Media members may view documents on the internet or have the information e-mailed to them the moment it is updated. The service is free to all accredited members of the media. The same information is available on Info Connection and may be obtained by calling (770) 558-6000 from a fax machine. Media members without a PIN should call (770) 399-0096 to obtain one. The MWC's passcode is 692#. The Runnin' Rebel release code is 1906, the stats code is 1908 and the previous game box code is 1909.