Jan. 27, 2010

LAS VEGAS - UNLV men's basketball junior Derrick Jasper suffered an injury near the end of the first half of Tuesday's win against Air Force, and a MRI on Wednesday morning revealed he has a second-degree sprain of his left medial collateral ligament. UNLV's athletics training staff and team physicians said that Jasper won't see game action for approximately five weeks.

Jasper, a 6-foot-6-inch guard from Paso Robles, Calif., has started all 21 games for the Runnin' Rebels this season. He has averaged 6.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.1 steals per game, helping his team to a 17-4 overall record, including 5-2 in Mountain West Conference play.

"We are very disappointed for Derrick given how hard he has worked to rehab his knee," UNLV head coach Lon Kruger said. "But on the other hand, the news could have been a lot worse and we are excited about having him back for the last part of the conference season."

Jasper sat out the 2008-09 season at UNLV after transferring from Kentucky, where he played two seasons. He underwent microfracture surgery on his left knee before the 2007-08 season.

The Runnin' Rebels' next game is at Wyoming on Wednesday, Feb. 3.