|
Wednesday, February 13, 2002
FIU falls short at UNLV,
83-77
 alron
Johnson scored 14 of his team-high 22 points in the second
half as UNLV overcame a 10-point deficit in an 83-77 non-conference
home win Wednesday over FIU. Jevon Banks added a career-high
16 points as the Runnin' Rebels won their third straight and
improved to 14-8.
Carlos Morban led the Golden Panthers with a career-high
22 points and Rodrigo Viegas and Taurance Johnson
added 17 points apiece, but FIU lost its fifth straight and fell
to 10-17.
FIU led 44-34 when Morban sank a free throw with 18:35 remaining
in the game before UNLV staged its rally. Down 49-40, with about
16 minutes left, the Runnin' Rebels went on an 11-0. A Lou
Kelly basket tied the game at 49, then a pair of Johnson
free throws with 13:35 to play gave UNLV its first lead since
midway through the first half.
The Golden Panthers fought back, tying the contest at 55 on
a Haven Jackson putback then grabbing a 60-55 advantage
with 9:39 to go. But UNLV went on another run, and on a Banks
breakaway layup after a steal, the Runnin' Rebels were up 63-60,
and would never trail again.
That steal could have proved very costly for the Golden Panthers
as Johnson, attempting to stop the breakaway and appeared to
dislocate his right shoulder. He did return with 4:07 to play
but by that time UNLV was in control.
With nine lead changes and eight ties in the first half, FIU
closed out the period on a 12-5 run and led at the intermission,
41-34. With Viegas playing only four minutes because of early
foul trouble, it was Morban who led FIU with 16 points.
UNLV was up 29-23 with approximately seven minutes in the
half when the Golden Panthers scored 11 straight , nine of those
from the hands of Morban.
But the Runnin' Rebels turned up the pressure, especially
on Morban, in the second half. The freshman picked up his fourth
foul of the night and was forced to sit with 14:11 still remaining
in the contest and UNLV helped themselves connecting on 21 of
25 second-half free throw attempts.
"We did things the way we wanted to in the first half
and we saw early that this was a team we were going to be able
to compete against," said FIU head coach Donnie Marsh.
"But they pressured us in the second half and for some reason,
we just couldn't handle it.
The Golden Panthers return to conference action next Thursday
on the road at Arkansas State, then closes out the regular season
on Saturday, Feb. 23 at Arkansas-Little Rock. Hear all the action
on WAXY 790 AM. |