UNLV Teams Up on Fullerton : College basketball: Titans hold Rider to seven points, but others step forward to lead a 78-65 victory.

Nevada Las Vegas swingman J.R. Rider has been touted as a lottery pick in the next NBA draft, but Cal State Fullerton had his number Saturday night.

The Titans, behind Bruce Bowen’s man-to-man effort and an occasional zone defense, did about as good a job on Rider as one could expect, limiting him to seven points--20 below his Big West Conference-leading average and Rider’s first single-digit point total in his two Rebel seasons.

But these 16th-ranked Rebels are no one-man team.

UNLV guard Dexter Boney scored 18 points, reserve guard Reggie Manuel scored 16 points--14 during the second half--and Dedan Thomas had 15 to lead the Rebels to a 78-65 Big West victory before 12,667 in the Thomas & Mack Center.

UNLV (6-0, 2-0 in the conference) extended the nation’s longest win streak to 29 games and nation’s longest home win streak to 52. Fullerton fell to 5-3, 0-1 in the Big West.

“If we did anything right, we created problems for J.R.,” Fullerton Coach Brad Holland said. “We made him give the ball up on the double team and did a good job on him defensively. But to Las Vegas’ credit, the other players stepped up, knocked the shots down and got it done.”

The Titans were within 52-49 midway through the second half when Manuel scored nine points on a variety of drives to the basket to help the Rebels take a 61-55 lead with 7:24 remaining.

Evric Gray’s three-point play, Manuel’s three-pointer from the left corner and Thomas’ two free throws then capped an 11-0 run as UNLV moved out to a 69-55 lead with 4:55 to play. The Titans never got closer than nine points the rest of the way.

“We all knew J.R. was having problems,” said Manuel, a sophomore from Macon, Ga. “It was time for someone else to step up, make the decision to play.”

Bruce Bowen led Fullerton with 19 points and 10 rebounds, 17 points coming in the first half. Sean Williams had 16 points.

“We played a scrappy, aggressive team tonight,” UNLV Coach Rollie Massimino said.