NCAA BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT : Loyola Gets Rude Awakening : West Regional: The Lions’ dream run through the tournament ends as UNLV keeps pace with the fast tempo to win, 131-101.

Before Sunday’s West Regional final, all of Nevada Las Vegas’ starters approached Loyola Coach Paul Westhead, wished him luck and acknowledged his team’s special journey through the NCAA tournament.

After the game, players from both sides embraced at halfcourt.

But for the 40 minutes in between of playing time, UNLV handed the Lions their most lopsided defeat of the season, ending their emotional quest with a 131-101 victory to advance to the Final Four in Denver.

The crowd of 14,298 at Oakland Coliseum Arena gave the Lions’ Bo Kimble a standing ovation when he left the game for the last time in a Loyola uniform with 1:03 to play. But UNLV had effectively ended the game much earlier.

In playing what Coach Jerry Tarkanian called their best game of the season, the Rebels dominated every aspect--shooting (59% to 37%), rebounding (61-43) and playing a smothering defense that made it difficult for Kimble and Jeff Fryer to find shooting room. The Lions committed 24 turnovers.

UNLV happily agreed with Loyola’s desire for a fast pace. Junior forward Stacey Augmon got the Rebels going early, scoring 25 of his 33 points before halftime, when they had a 67-47 lead. Augmon, who had 11 rebounds and helped hold Kimble to 14-of-32 shooting, was named the regional’s most valuable player. Kimble had 42 points.

UNLV forward Larry Johnson finished with 20 points and 18 rebounds, and Anderson Hunt added 30 points and 13 assists, making four three-pointers. Point guard Greg Anthony had 21 points and eight assists.

“I was thinking about a 10-point game if we played good,” Tarkanian said. “I thought we played as well as we’re capable of playing. We put together a great game.”

Westhead, who said he considered UNLV a Final Four candidate when the teams played in November, said the Rebels “certainly deserve to be in the Final Four. We got the pace we wanted. Las Vegas was just the better team today. I think the pace helped them today.”

UNLV (33-5) will play Georgia Tech Saturday in the semifinals. Tarkanian is making his third appearance in the Final Four, having lost in 1977 and 1987.

The early pace was scorching but it seemed to favor the Rebels, who pulled away from a 4-4 tie with a 12-0 run. UNLV took a 65-44 lead with a 13-2 run midway through the half and had a 63-second, 13-0 burst later. Augmon had 25 points by halftime and the Rebels were outrebounding Loyola, 30-19, while shooting 62%.

The Lions mounted one threat before halftime, using two three-pointers from Kimble and another by Terrell Lowery. Kimble drew a standing ovation when he made a free throw left-handed, his tribute to the late Hank Gathers, and then made the second right-handed to pull Loyola within 41-37 with 5:22 to play in the half.

But Anthony made a three-pointer and a three-point play and Hunt got one of his five first-half steals in the 13-point burst that made the score 56-39.

Kimble came out shooting three-pointers to open the second half--he made eight of 11 in the game--and Loyola pulled to 71-60 with 16:50 to play. Kimble scored 26 points in the second half.

But the Lions’ press failed to disrupt the UNLV attack, and the Rebels quickly rebuilt the lead as Hunt made three three-pointers in the next six minutes and Johnson began asserting himself inside.

By the 12:25 mark, UNLV had a 94-72 lead, and when Kimble drew a technical foul with 10:22 to play, Hunt made the free throw for a 100-74 lead. The Lions were out of surges.

Westhead said that despite its 23 turnovers, UNLV successfully dodged the press early by having its big men pass over the defenders to Hunt up the middle, so he adjusted the press after halftime.

“We took more risks . . . but if you take more risks that means there’s bigger gaps,” Westhead said. “You either (force turnovers) and get back in the game, which I thought we almost did in the second half, or you open up the advantage.

“So I think Hunt got us early and then our own excessive pressure got us late.”

Getting past the press meant easy shots for the Rebels. Augmon made 13 of 20, mostly on layups and short pullup jump shots. Anthony made eight of 10 shots, Johnson 10 of 14.

Loyola could rarely find an opening. Fryer finished with 21 points but made only seven of 24 shots. Lowery was the only other Lion to score in double figures with 18.

“I thought we got back real fast and took away a lot of their transition game, which is really about 80% or 90% of their offense,” Tarkanian said. “We had three things we had to do: We had to press, we had to score when we got the numbers and we had to get back fast to stop the transition. I thought we did all three.”

While UNLV continues on to Denver, the Lions returned to Los Angeles with their second-best record ever at 26-6. They can look back on their own final four--their three tournament victories preceding Sunday’s loss after Gathers’ death, a period during which they received national attention.

In the tournament, Loyola defeated New Mexico State, 111-92; defending champion Michigan, 149-115, and Alabama, 62-60.

Westhead said this was one time winning was secondary to him. “Today was the way the last three should have been, proof the last three were unexplainable,” he said. “They were examples of the human spirit rising above occasions. But we’re not angels, and we can’t always rise above.

“I’m not devastated. When we entered this tournament I made the decision this wasn’t for winning or losing, but to play hard for Hank. We were playing basketball on another level. It wasn’t on the level of wins and losses. To play hard and care and do quality things, that’s enough.”

He said he hopes fans--and his own players--recognize his team for its talent as well as for its emotional commitment in the last three weeks.

“One thing I was fearful of, was the more you keep winning, the more you begin to think there’s something special at work, there’s a magic wand touching you,” Westhead said.

“I never wanted it to seem that to get into this tournament this was a magical team that is blessed. We got in to play the best basketball we could.”

The Lions finished with an NCAA record 122.4-point average and a record 28 games in triple figures. Kimble, who finished the season with a 35.7-point average to join Gathers as back-to-back national scoring champions, smiled when he left the court. He, Augmon and Johnson embraced and said they would see each other in the NBA.

“I think we’ll be remembered as a team that had heart and showed its love for Hank Gathers and basketball,” Kimble said.

Sunday, in a 30-point loss, that seemed enough.