UNLV Rolls Past UC Irvine

These weren’t the Runnin’ Rebels of old, but they did succeed in running up the score on UC Irvine in No. 22 Nevada Las Vegas’ 115-97 victory Saturday night.

The crowd of 14,727 in the 20,000-plus capacity Thomas & Mack Center for Rollie Massimino’s first home game as UNLV coach was subdued compared to the years when Jerry Tarkanian was coach. There were no sharks in sight, the crowd-meter flickered mildly, and only when J.R. Rider scored off Dexter Boney’s behind-the-back pass on a fast break did the crowd break into chants that used to echo almost constantly.

UNLV scored more than 100 points for the first time under Massimino, and only the second time over the past two seasons.

The game, the Big West Conference opener for both teams, was special for Irvine point guard Lloyd Mumford, who was kicked off the Villanova team by Massimino in 1991 after being charged with attempting to break into two homes. Mumford was later cleared of all charges except a misdemeanor disorderly conduct offense after a judge accepted his claim that he was only looking for a girlfriend’s home.

Mumford scored a personal-best 21 points, teammate Keith Stewart had 24 and LaDay Smith added 18. But the Anteaters’ defense did little to slow Rider, who finished with 27 points, or Evric Gray, who had 26.

Irvine (1-3), plagued by turnovers and poor shooting, trailed by as many as 12 points during the first half, but cut the lead to seven with 11 seconds left on Stewart’s three-pointer. But Rider came right back with a three-pointer at the buzzer for a 55-45 halftime lead.

Irvine trimmed the lead to seven in the first minutes of the second half, but UNLV stopped it there. A 16-4 run keyed by Gray, Dexter Boney and Ken Gibson helped UNLV go ahead, 75-56, in the first seven minutes of the second half.

Irvine trailed by as many as 23 points and got no closer than 14.