Nov. 1, 2011

Final Stats (html) l Final Stats (pdf) | Press Conference

LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - The Dave Rice era and the 2011-12 UNLV men's basketball season opened with a 58-50 win in an exhibition game over Washburn Tuesday night at the Thomas & Mack Center.

The Runnin' Rebels remained perfect against the Ichabods in the all-time series, improving their record to 6-0.

Powered behind six points from sophomore transfer Mike Moser, emphasized by a dunk with 18 seconds left, UNLV used an 11-3 run over the final four and a half minutes to solidify the victory.

The Ichabods, who shot just shy of 37 percent (21-of-57) on the night, couldn't find the basket in the waning minutes of the game, connecting on only two field goals in the final five minutes.

Anthony Marshall led the Rebels with 14 points and 11 rebounds, 10 of which came on the defensive end. Moser chipped in 14 points and nine rebounds, while classmate Carlos Lopez finished with 11 points in only 15 minutes of action.

The Runnin' Rebels first half production was paced from the charity stripe, where they recorded 12 of their 20 points. UNLV ended the game with 36 trips to the free throw line, hitting 26 for a 72.2 percent clip.

Washburn entered the locker room at halftime with a one-point advantage at 21-20. UNLV, plagued by a 17-percent shooting effort from the field in the opening half, bounced back to connect on 11-of-25 field goals (44.0 percent) in the second half en route to the win.

William McNeil paced the Ichabods, finishing with 21 points while Bobby Chipman hauled in a team-high six rebounds.

The eight-point win is the closest margin of victory in an exhibition affair since the Runnin' Rebels beat the EA Sports All-Stars, 62-56, in 2004.

This was the only open exhibition game for the Runnin' Rebels this season, giving them their 15th straight victories in such games. UNLV will open the regular season on Nov. 11 against Grand Canyon at 7 pm. at the Thomas & Mack Center.