Long Beach Still Can’t Win at Las Vegas

Long Beach State rarely feels good after playing Nevada Las Vegas. Those bad feelings returned in a big way Saturday night.

UNLV gave Long Beach its first Big West Conference defeat, 85-72, before 9,473 at the Thomas & Mack Center. UNLV easily broke Long Beach’s 1-3-1 half-court zone defense and shut down the 49ers’ interior offense.

The Rebels outhustled the 49ers throughout the game. They built a 14-point first-half lead that was more than the 49ers could overcome.

Guard Jermaine Smith had 21 points for UNLV. Forward Clayton Johnson had 18 points and 12 rebounds, and forward Warren Rosegreen had 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Long Beach guard James Cotton led all scorers with 22 points.

UNLV (5-7, 2-2 in the Big West) leads the all-time series, 33-9. Long Beach (7-5, 2-1) has not won at Las Vegas since the 1987-88 season. UNLV’s 92-75 victory over Long Beach last season prevented the 49ers from earning a share of the Big West title.