Troubled Rebels Suspend Jeter After Fight

A Nevada Las Vegas basketball player was suspended for three games Friday and a second could face disciplinary action after a brawl with Utah State players and coaches--the latest in a series of problems dogging the No. 12 Runnin’ Rebels.

Reserve center Chris Jeter was suspended for three games and Moses Scurry, who appeared to hit Utah State Coach Kohn Smith and at least one other player, was placed on probation by UNLV pending further review of the fight.

The NCAA previously suspended 10 UNLV players for one game each. Nine were penalized for not paying incidental charges at hotels where the team stayed last season and another player was ordered to sit out a game for failing to keep current on a student loan.

The lastest suspension resulted from a melee that started with seven seconds left in Thursday night’s 124-90 victory over Utah State.

The altercation began when Jeter butted heads with Utah State guard Gary Patterson. Jeter then exchanged words with guard Kendall Youngblood before striking him in the face, sending him reeling backward. Patterson and Youngblood required stitches.

“This type of behavior will not be tolerated by any UNLV men’s basketball player,” UNLV Coach Jerry Tarkanian said. “Chris was well out of line. We won’t want that kind of action again. We hope the message is delivered.”

Athletic Director Brad Rothermel said UNLV was studying the incident to decide whether to suspend Scurry.

Officials of the Big West Conference also met Friday night to consider further action.

The Rebels were ranked No. 1 at the beginning of the season before slipping to No. 12 with a 15-4 mark.

Officials stopped the game briefly, but allowed the final seven seconds to be played. When the game ended, the UNLV players met the Utah State players in front of their bench.

Several players exchanged blows and a television replay showed Scurry, who was serving a one-game suspension, striking Smith.

“I caught a couple,” Smith said. “I’m not very tough anymore. I was just trying to keep control.”

The incident overshadowed a spectacular performance by Stacey Augmon, who scored a career-high 34 points for UNLV. Augmon was one of the players decked in the brawl.