Tarkanian’s Walkin’ Rebels Defeat Fullerton

Titan Gym, not exactly one of college basketball’s more renowned pits, always takes on a new look when Nevada Las Vegas comes to town. The Cal State Fullerton fans turn out in force, and the atmosphere is one worthy of a Big East showdown on CBS.

The television audience for Saturday’s Las Vegas-Fullerton game wasn’t a national one (the game was televised in Orange County on local cable), and there were just 3,824 fans in the gym. But there were fans who had painted their bodies blue and orange, a lot of people throwing play money at the Rebel bench and a few signs that read “Remember Feb. 24, 1983.”

UNLV Coach Jerry Tarkanian hasn’t forgotten when the Titans upset his No. 1-ranked Rebels and ended their 23-game winning streak. And that’s probably why he said, “I’m delighted anytime we win on the road,” after Las Vegas sleepwalked to a 62-51 Pacific Coast Athletic Assn. win over the Titans Saturday.

Fullerton had the crazy fans, the home-court advantage and the momentum of a big win over rival UC Irvine Thursday night. But, as Coach George McQuarn is quick to point out, that’s not nearly enough for the Titans to beat the 10th-ranked Rebels.

“Against Vegas, we’ve got to make every free throw, get every loose ball, really play a perfect game . . . and then it would probably come down to one play,” McQuarn said.

“I saw the film of them play North Carolina. They played well enough to win (UNLV lost, 65-60) and North Carolina is No. 1. From a coaching standpoint and a talent standpoint, they have as much of a chance of winning the national title as anyone.”

Fullerton (3-4 in conference and 10-9 overall), again playing without injured stars Kevin Henderson and Richard Morton, fell behind the somewhat lethargic Rebels by 10 at halftime.

The Titans employed a triangle-and-two defense (three players in a zone underneath and two playing man-to-man) in an attempt to slow down UNLV’s Freddie Banks and Anthony Jones.

“I’m no fan of gimmick defenses,” McQuarn said, “but those two are their best players and I wanted somebody on each of them man-to-man for 40 minutes. At least it made them think instead of play instinctively, and that took away their running game.”

Las Vegas (7-0, 17-2) doesn’t have to run to win anymore, though. At least they didn’t have to Saturday.

“Fullerton wasn’t even looking to shoot in the first half,” Tarkanian said. “They were just hoping we’d make a mistake and they’d get a layup. We pressured them early and did a pretty good job, but then we got up by six or eight and we decided not to chase them.

“With Henderson and Morton out, they’re not a very good outside shooting team. Our zone wasn’t very active, but we stayed in it anyway.”

The Rebels were content to match half-court offenses. And why not? When you’re matching the jumpers of Jones and Banks against Kerry Boagni (who made just 3 of 15 field-goal attempts) and Alexander Hamilton (3 of 10), who wouldn’t?

The Titans put together a pair of small rallies in the second half and cut their deficit to eight points on four occasions and finally to seven with two minutes remaining on a soaring fast-break dunk by 6-foot 7-inch sophomore Henry Turner. The Titans started fouling, but the Rebels sank 10 straight in the last two minutes, including six by Richard Robinson, a 54% free-throw shooter.

Turner led the Titans in scoring with 15 points and in rebounding with 8.

“We played hard, but it just wasn’t enough to win,” he said. “All the stuffs and jams (which impressed Tarkanian) don’t mean anything if you don’t win.”

There was time when the Rebels scored in the low 60s when they didn’t win. That time, according to Tarkanian and his players, is gone.

“We’ve been labeled the Runnin’ Rebels . . . the Rebels of ‘77, but we can slow it down and win, too,” said Jones, who finished with 14 points and a team-leading 6 rebounds. “When the game dictates a slow pace, we can play that way, too.”

Banks, who led UNLV with 20 points, says the Rebels still like to run. The difference is, they no longer have to run.

“Everybody else is more concerned with our fast break than we are,” he said, smiling.

Right now, McQuarn is more concerned about getting his team back to full strength--and at full speed--in time for the PCAA tournament.