UNLV’s Home Finale Too Much for Irvine

No matter how far Nevada Las Vegas goes in its quest to repeat as NCAA champions, Saturday night was the final time the home fans could see this remarkable Rebel team at the Thomas & Mack Center, and 19,826 came out to bid farewell to a senior class that includes Larry Johnson, Stacey Augmon and Greg Anthony.

In an arena where indoor fireworks are routine, UNLV officials called this event one with “a little extra flash.” Including the ritual lights-out introduction of the lineups, it lasted 20 minutes, delaying tip-off to 8:25 p.m.

It was merely a delay of the inevitable. The top-ranked and defending NCAA champion Rebels won their 36th consecutive game with a 114-86 victory over UC Irvine before the second-largest crowd in the history of the arena. It is surpassed only by the crowd of 20,321 that saw UNLV defeat Navy and David Robinson on Dec. 29, 1986.

UNLV’s fans also gave retiring Irvine Coach Bill Mulligan a standing ovation as he was presented with farewell mementoes by UNLV Coach Jerry Tarkanian. The two have been friends for more than 30 years since meeting as young men when Tarkanian was coach at Redlands High and Mulligan was coach at Long Beach Poly.

In a touch of nonchalance--or studied self-assurance, take your pick--UNLV spotted Irvine a four-point lead at the outset. With six seniors, Tarkanian sent all of them out for the opening tip, taking a technical rather than sit a senior down.

While Mulligan smiled agreeably at the sentimental move, Irvine’s Jeff Von Lutzow hit both technical free throws and Jeff Herdman added a basket on the possession.

It seemed a reasonable risk on Tarkanian’s part: UNLV (25-0, 16-0) defeated Irvine by 41 points last month.

Irvine (9-19, 4-11) led by five points twice, and the score was tied, 17-17, slightly less than seven minutes into the game.

But then an Augmon dunk was followed by a dunk by Anthony off a steal, and then Augmon followed that with another dunk off an Anthony assist.

That was beginning of the end, and Irvine has seen enough of those runs by UNLV to know what it meant.

Johnson added a three-point play in the midst of an 11-2 run, and Irvine quickly was down by nine points.

It was not the most awesome UNLV run of the night. That came in the second half, when UNLV, leading by 17, hit four three-point baskets in a row in the middle of a 14-0 run that was part of a 26-3 rally.

Augmon had 27 points, Anderson Hunt had 23 and Johnson had 19 points and 12 rebounds.

Irvine was led by Cornelius Banks’ 21 points.