Marshall Shoots UNLV Past UTEP, 65-54
LAS VEGAS, NEV. ? Anthony Marshall scored 20 points ? 11 above his season average ? and hit a series of big shots down the stretch as UNLV slipped past UTEP, 65-54, on Wednesday at the Thomas & Mack Center.
The Miners (2-5) went toe-to-toe with the Runnin? Rebels (10-2), who are 7-0 at home this season and beat then-#1 North Carolina nearly three weeks ago. UTEP trailed 49-48 with a little over five minutes to play before Marshall scored 10 points in a game-ending 16-6 run.
Marshall hit two three pointers during the spurt. The first, at the 5:05 mark, lifted the Rebels into a 52-48 lead. The second, with 3:53 to go, extended the cushion to 57-49. After Michael Perez?s three-point play closed the gap to 59-54 with 2:21 left, UNLV scored the game?s final six points, including a Marshall dunk for the exclamation point with 18 seconds remaining.
?When you get down to it, Marshall was the difference. He made three big shots in the final four minutes,? UTEP coach Tim Floyd said. ?We felt like if we could be within two or three in the final two or three minutes, we?d give ourselves a shot. He has been a 27 percent shooter from the three-point line, and made three consecutive big baskets.?
Marshall finished 6-for-12 from the field, 2-for-6 from outside and 6-for-8 from the line. He was the only Rebel starter in double figures, but UNLV received 25 points from its bench led by Justin Hawkins (12 points) and Carlos Lopez (11).
Perez scored 17 points for the Miners, but was charged with eight of the team?s 20 turnovers. Gabriel McCulley and Julian Washburn chipped in with 15 and 12 points respectively. McCulley has scored in double figures in back-to-back games for the first time in his career.
UTEP?s slow-down style resulted in the Rebels scoring 15 points under their season average. It marked UNLV?s lowest point total in a home game this year.
?We turned it over too much. We had the crowd out of it for the most part because of our approach,? Floyd said. ?We did not want to get them into a street game, because they excel at it. Right now we?re still trying to grow in that area. It?s not who we?re going to be all year long.?
UTEP took its largest lead, 14-8, on a jumper by Cedrick Lang midway through the first half before falling behind 24-21 at the break. Marshall broke a 46-all tie and gave the Rebels the lead for good on a free throw with 5:43 to go. He missed the second foul shot, but Mike Moser ? the national rebounding leader ? tipped it in for a three-point UNLV lead. Moser collected 11 boards.
?We got hurt a little bit those seven minutes when [Jacques] Streeter wasn?t on the floor with two turnovers that led to two consecutive threes,? Floyd said. ?It was a five point turnaround with two points we could?ve gotten and three that they got. And there was a big offensive rebound by Mosher on a free throw. In games like that, it?s usually just a couple of plays that stand out.?
The Miners shot 41.2 percent and made just 1-of-10 three point tries.
?We?re a team that doesn?t have a lot of points in us. We?re growing in that area,? Floyd said. ?I saw some good things out of Julian Washburn tonight and Gabriel McCulley again played really well. But the low post coverage could have been better and our attention to Marshall late could?ve been better.?
UTEP will play back-to-back home games against Southern on Saturday and McNeese State on Monday. Tip-off for both is 7 p.m. MT.
Source: UTEP Athletics
