Jan. 23, 2002

LAS VEGAS - UNLV will be back on the road for a Mountain West Conference game at San Diego State on Saturday, Jan. 26. The game will be played at Cox Arena at Aztec Bowl (12,414) at 7:35 p.m. It will be televised live on Las Vegas One (Cable 39 on Cox Cable) by SportsWest with Dave McCann and Blaine Fowler providing the commentary. 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.

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Sat., Jan. 26UNLV at San Diego State7:35 p.m. PST

Game at Cox Arena at Aztec Bowl (12,414), San Diego, Calif., Game televised live on Las Vegas One (Cable 39 on Cox Cable) by SportsWest, 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 (9-7, 2-3 MWC) snapped a two-game losing streak with a 75-68 home win over Colorado State on Monday. The Runnin' Rebels are 7-2 at home and 2-5 away from the Thomas & Mack Center this season. The team is under new leadership this season as Charlie Spoonhour is in his first year running the Rebel program. Dalron Johnson leads the team in scoring (17.6) and rebounding (7.1). Marcus Banks is second in scoring (15.0) and leads the team in assists (2.9) and steals (2.3). Lou Kelly is the only other Runnin' Rebel averaging double figures in scoring (12.7). 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 SAN DIEGO STATE AZTECS

San Diego State (11-7, 1-3 MWC) is coming off an 88-85 overtime loss to Wyoming on Monday night. SDSU defeated Colorado State 81-69 on Saturday. Saturday's game will mark the third straight at home for the Aztecs. San Diego State is 8-1 at home and 2-6 on the road this season. The Aztecs are led in scoring by senior forward Randy Holcomb with 18.0 ppg. He also leads the team in rebounding with 9.8 per game. Three other Aztecs are scoring in double figures: junior guard Tony Bland 16.8, senior guard Al Faux 18.6 and junior center Mike Mackell 10.1. Head Coach Steve Fisher is in his third year at SDSU with a record of 30-44 (.405) and in his 11th year overall as a head coach with a career mark of 214-126 (.629). SDSU returns eight letterwinners and four starters off last year's team that went 14-14 overall and finished seventh in the MWC at 4-10.

SERIES HISTORY

UNLV leads the all-time series with SDSU 21-5. SDSU won the last meeting, which was in San Diego, 83-66 on Feb. 24, 2001. The team's split the season series last year with UNLV winning 82-72 in overtime at the Thomas & Mack Center on Jan. 27, 2001. UNLV has won 10 of the last 11 meetings in the series. The last time UNLV won at SDSU was an 85-64 victory on March 2, 2000. The series began in 1966 in San Diego. UNLV lost that game 91-62.

UPCOMING PROMOTIONS

Fans wearing NFL apparel to the DePaul game on Superbowl Sunday (Feb. 3) will receive plaza level tickets at balcony level prices.

UP NEXT

After San Diego State, UNLV will be back home for a non-conference game against DePaul on Sunday, Feb. 3 at 11:05 a.m.

SPOONHOUR WINS IN 500TH GAME

UNLV Head Coach Charlie Spoonhour coached his 500th game as a Division I head coach vs. Tennessee State on Dec. 28. The win gave Spoonhour his 325th career win. Spoonhour is in his 17th season as a Division I head coach and has a career record of 328-178 (.648).

JOHNSON NEARS 1,000 CAREER POINTS

Dalron Johnson has scored 955 points in his career. With 45 more points, Johnson will become the 30th Runnin' Rebel to score at least 1,000 career points in a UNLV uniform. Kaspars Kambala was the last player to score 1,000 carer points at UNLV. He scored his 1,000th career point during the 1999-00 season and finished his career with 1,699. (Evric Gray, who was left out off the career scoring leaders in this year's media guide, scored 1,019 points for his career and is No. 29 on the UNLV all-time list.)

MOVIN' UP THE CHART

With 130 blocked shots for his career, Dalron Johnson is No. 5 on the all-time Runnin' Rebel blocked shot list. At BYU, Johnson blocked two shots to pass Stacey Augmon, who was previously fifth with 128. Keon Clark is No. 4 with 138.

DOUBLE-FIGURE SCORING STREAK

Dalron Johnson has scored 10 or more points in 11 straight games. For the season, he has scored in double figures in 15 of 16 games.

BLOCKED SHOTS STREAK

Dalron Johnson has blocked at least one shot in 10 straight games. Before the UAB game he had another streak of eight straight games with at least one blocked shot, so Johnson has blocked at least one shot in 18 of his last 19 games. Johnson is No. 5 on UNLV's all-time blocked shot list. 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 58 of 74 games. That is 78.4 percent of the games.

STEALING THE BALL

UNLV holds a decisive advantage this year over its opponents in steals. UNLV has recorded 162 steals to its opponents' 100. That is a 10.1 to 6.3 average.

TURNOVERS DOWN

UNLV was averaging 19.0 turnovers per contest during its first six games. During its last 10, the team is averaging 13.4 turnovers per game. For all 16 games this season, UNLV is averaging 15.5 turnovers a game.

SHOOTING 50 PERCENT

When UNLV shoots 50 percent or better from the field, it wins. The Runnin' Rebels are 6-0 in games in which they shoot over 50 percent. UNLV shot 56.4 percent vs. Wisconsin, 60.3 percent vs. Nicholls State, 52.4 percent vs. Nevada, Reno, 58.2 percent vs. Tennessee State, 52.5 percent at Air Force and 54.2 percent vs. Colorado State. As a team after 16 games, UNLV is shooting 45.5 percent from the field.

BANKS WAS ON A ROLL

During a four game stretch from Dec. 20 through Dec. 30, Marcus Banks averaged 27.0 ppg, shot 58.3 (35-of-60) percent from the field and 60 (6-of-10) percent from 3-point range. In each of those four games, he set a new career-high in scoring (22, 26, 29, 31).

100 POINTS

For the fourth consecutive season, UNLV has scored 100 or more points in a game. UNLV scored 101 vs. Tennessee State on Dec. 28. Last year, the Runnin' Rebels scored 100 or more points in a game three times.

RUNNIN' REBELS IN THE MOUNTAIN WEST STATS

Through games of Jan. 22, UNLV leads the MWC in two team statistical categories. UNLV is No. 1 in steals with 10.12 per game and is first in turnover margin at +2.62 (opponents turn the ball over an average of 2.62 more times per game). Individually, Dalron Johnson is near the top in the following categories: blocks (2nd with 1.81 per game), steals (2nd with 1.94 per game), offensive rebounds (T2nd with 2.75 per game), scoring (3rd with 17.6 ppg) and free throw percentage (4th with .837). Marcus Banks leads the MWC in steals with 2.25 per game and Chris Richardson is third in field goal percentage at .568.

LAST TIME OUT - COLORADO STATE (JAN. 21)

Lou Kelly scored a career-high 23 points as UNLV fought off a second half surge by Colorado State for a 75-68 win Monday in Mountain West Conference action. UNLV (9-7, 2-3 MWC) jumped to an early 7-0 lead, but the Rams (8-9, 0-3) worked to keep the game close, coming within three points in the first half. The Rebels led 36-26 at halftime. In the second half, Colorado State shot 72 percent from the field with help from junior forward Brian Greene, who scored a career-high 32 points and pulled down 11 rebounds. Colorado State came within four points with 2:29 to go, but the Rebels outlasted them down the stretch. Dalron Johnson added 13 points and four steals for UNLV.

UNLV IS 37-7 IN LAST 44 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 249-44 (.850) in the arena since it opened in 1983. This year, the Runnin' Rebels are 7-2 at home. They were 12-3 at home in 2000-01 and were 18-2 during the 1999-00 season, so UNLV has won 37 of its last 44 games at home. UNLV has been edged at home by four points or less 17 times and the 44 losses has been by an average of 7.9 points (349 total points).

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 17 points at 50-33 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.

FROM THE STRIPE

When Marcus Banks missed his fifth free throw attempt of the game vs. Wyoming, his streak of 22 consecutive made free throws came to an end. He was 9-of-10 from the line vs. Tennessee State, 11-of-11 vs. Old Dominion and 5-of-9 vs. Wyoming.

FROM THE STRIPE 2

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 83.7 percent (41-of-49) this year. Johnson leads the team in free throw percentage. Lou Kelly is second at .797 (63-of-79).

EVERYONE SCORES

Every Runnin' Rebel that has suited up for a game this season has scored at least three points.

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.

MORE DOUBLE-DOUBLES

Junior Dalron Johnson has recorded his 10th, 11th and 12th double-double of his career this year. He had 23 points and 10 rebounds at LMU, 19 points and 10 rebounds vs. Tennessee State and 19 points and 14 rebounds vs. Old Dominion.

FIVE PLAYERS SCORE 10 OR MORE

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

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.

MARCUS BANKS - MWC PLAYER OF THE WEEK - DEC. 31

Marcus Banks was named the Mountain West Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week on Dec. 31 after leading the Runnin' Rebels to victories over Tennessee State and Old Dominion. Banks averaged 30 points, four rebounds, five assists and 3.5 steals in two victories at the Thomas & Mack Center. He shot 64 percent from the field (18-of-28), 67 percent from 3-point range (4-of-6) and 95 percent from the free throw line (20-of-21). In the 101-83 win vs. Tennessee State, Banks scored a then career-high 29 points on 9-of-13 shooting, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range and 9-of-10 from the charity stripe. He also had a career-high tying six assists, five rebounds and five steals in 30 minutes of action. Against Old Dominion, Banks led the Runnin' Rebels to a second-half comeback win, 84-76, with a career-high 31 points on 9-of-15 shooting, including 2-of-3 from 3-point land and a perfect 11-of-11 from the free throw line. He also had four assists, three rebounds and two steals in 35 minutes of action. It was Banks' first player of the week honor.

DALRON JOHNSON - MWC PLAYER OF THE WEEK - DEC. 17

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.

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. Jon Knoche saw action against Tennessee State and scored 3 points on a 3-pointer in 5 minutes of action.

UNLV WINS VS. MOUNTAIN WEST

The Runnin' Rebels have a .500-or-better record all-time against the other seven members of the conference. Air Force (13-1), BYU (6-6), Colorado State (14-5), New Mexico (11-8), San Diego State (21-5), Utah (10-10), Wyoming (13-9).

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 249-44 (.850) at the Thomas & Mack Center. Utah is second at .824 (408-87).

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.

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.

LEWIS WILL NOT PLAY THIS YEAR

Jermaine Lewis will sit out the remainder of the 2001-02 season and complete rehabilitation to return at full strength for the 2002-03 year. Lewis, a 6-4 guard from Houston, Texas, had surgery to repair his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in May. "We want to protect the integrity of the surgery," head coach Charlie Spoonhour said on January 9. "We want to give Jermaine the best chance to compete at 100 percent of his capabilities. He is progressing on a normal schedule for the surgery, which has a six-to-nine month complete healing period. To have him come back now would be premature." This season will count as Lewis' redshirt year and he will return to play for the 2002-03 season for his final year of eligibility.

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.

FOR CONFERENCE OPENERS

After falling to Wyoming in its MWC opener at the Thomas & Mack Center, UNLV is now 19-7 all-time in conference openers and 10-4 when opening the conference season at home. UNLV is 9-3 in conference openers at the Thomas & Mack Center. Last year, UNLV defeated Air Force at the Thomas & Mack Center on Jan. 8, 65-54, to open the conference season.

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 328-178 (.648) and has led 11 teams to the postseason, including eight to the NCAA Tournament.

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 921-358 (.721). In 1969-70, UNLV made the move to Division I and has since posted a record of 734-254 (.743) while competing at that level. In addition, UNLV has an all-time mark of 886-336 (.725) 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 491 games played. During that span, the Runnin' Rebels have made 3,220-of-8,901 (.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 508. 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 544 of the 555 games in which the rule was used. In the 555 total games, the Runnin' Rebels have shot .363 from this distance while sinking 3,414-of-9,406 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.

"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 Feb. 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. The remaining luncheons are scheduled for 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).

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.