Aztecs Can’t Stop Rebels From Running

Fins to the left. Fins to the right. And San Diego State was the only bait in town.

With a swarming defense, attacking offense and killer instinct reminiscent of the past two seasons here, Nevada Las Vegas routed SDSU, 88-72, Monday night in front of 14,307 fans in the Thomas and Mack Center.

Never mind the fact UNLV lost five starters from a team many considered one of the greatest in college basketball history.

This new group and its supporting cast can still pour it on. It can still taunt and haunt. And extremely evident--from the outrageous display of shark paraphernalia in the stands throughout the game and before it--Tark the Shark, Jerry Tarkanian, is still the coach.

He will be gone at the end of the season and the Rebels will not play any postseason games because of NCAA sanctions stemming from 1977 infractions, but UNLV is making new believers each time it takes the court.

The Aztecs and Coach Jim Brandenburg, if they weren’t believers already, should be now.

After the Runnin’ Rebels raced to a 9-0 lead, there was little doubt about the outcome.

With its fifth consecutive victory and 38th consecutive in the Shark Tank, UNLV improved to 8-2. The Aztecs lost their third consecutive and fell to 2-8.

“We’re obviously lacking some leadership and must improve in many fashions, especially our shooting. But against that team, in this gym, you can either give up or stiffen up. I thought we hung in there and gave it a good run.” Brandenburg said.

Evric Gray, a 6-foot-7 junior forward, led UNLV with 28 points and 10 rebounds and made eight of 14 field goals and four of seven three-point attempts. Gray’s previous career best was 19 points. He had 22 by halftime.

Point guard Dexter Boney had 19 points, 10 assists and only one turnover for the Rebels, and Reggie Manuel made three three-pointers and finished with 13 points.

J.R. Rider, UNLV’s leading scorer, did not play because of a sprained right ankle.

Nelson Stewart and Courtie Miller were the lone Aztecs in double-figure scoring with 21 and 20 points, respectively. Miller had 12 in the first half, Stewart 17 in the second half to give him a career-high.

SDSU controlled the opening tip, but it was all UNLV from there as the Rebels raced to a 9-0 lead, increased that to 23-9 with 11:24 left in the first half, to 31-13 with 7:40 left and 49-29 by halftime.

SDSU played much better in the second half--outscoring the Rebels, 43-39, and pulling to within 10 at one point--but its fate became evident in the first few minutes.

In the first 3:18, the Aztecs had zero points, two fouls, two missed free throws and four missed field goal attempts, including one air ball and a blocked shot.

Miller broke the ice with two free throws at 16:42, then proceeded to make a 17-foot jumper from the baseline and a three-point shot from the top of the key to make it, 11-7. Less than two minutes later, it was 19-7.

Miller was the Aztecs’ only scorer until Robert Ringo made one of two free throws with 12:50 left in the half and the only Aztec with a field goal until Tony Clark made an eight-foot bank shot with 10:21 left.

After shooting 31% from the field in the first half, SDSU finished 26 of 63 (41.3%). UNLV shot 57.6% in the first half and 50.9% for the game.

Aztecs Notes

Jerry Tarkanian coming to SDSU next season? The far-fetched rumor, which started before Tarkanian announced June 7 he was resigning as the Rebels coach at the conclusion of this season, resurfaced again this weekend in Las Vegas with the arrival of SDSU. The Aztecs are on course to finish with a losing record for the seventh consecutive year. Tarkanian owns a house in Pacific Beach and has long been an admirer of SDSU Athletic Director Fred Miller, who gave Tarkanian his start at Cal State Long Beach. But Tark the Shark, as he is also known, says he has never talked to Miller about the SDSU job, and Jim Brandenburg, in his fifth year at SDSU, just received a one-year extension on his contract and has two years remaining. . . . How do these things get started? A page 2 story in Monday’s Las Vegas Review-Journal had the headline, “Latest Tark rumor: San Diego State,” and began with, “Like a good rumor?”. . . The Las Vegas Sun, an afternoon paper, ignored it and ran a story instead with the headline, “Coaching Aztecs isn’t easy.”