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Saturday, Dec. 18 12:00pm ET
Alexander keys Cowboys' 17-2 run | |||||
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BOX SCORE
LAS VEGAS (AP) -- For one half, UNLV appeared ready to show it could beat a ranked team. Then Glendon Alexander took over, and Oklahoma State (No. 15 ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll , No. 14 AP) put on a show of its own. UNLV's bid to show it could play among the nation's elite fell apart in the second half as Alexander scored 10 straight points in a 2-minute burst and the Cowboys cruised to an 89-75 win.
"They kind of forgot about the instant offense I have," Alexander said. "In the second half I just kind of went out and let it go." Down 42-38 early in the second half, Alexander keyed a 17-2 run that put Oklahoma State ahead for good and quieted the crowd in the second game of the Las Vegas Showdown. The Cowboys took advantage of a miserable shooting night from the outside by the Runnin' Rebels and controlled the game inside in the second half to move to 9-0 on the season. "Glendon hit some big shots and let us get out in front of them," Oklahoma State coach Eddie Sutton said. "In the second half we just played more intense. It was the first home loss for UNLV (6-2), which made just one of its first 22 3-pointers before connecting on two in the final minutes. Alexander, who averages 12.1 points a game off the bench, scored his points in the span of 2 minutes as the Cowboys went on a 14-0 run to take a 55-44 lead with 14:26 left. Alexander had 18 points for the Cowboys, who were led by Desmond Mason with 23. "We played hard, but the bottom just fell out on us," UNLV coach Bill Bayno said. With Oklahoma State trailing 44-43, Alexander hit a short jumper and followed it with a dunk off a steal for his first points. He then made two 3-pointers before Mason put the finishing touches on the run with two free throws. UNLV could get no closer than 64-56 with 9:39 left, as Oklahoma State slowed the game down and tried to take as much time off the clock as possible with each possession. Kaspars Kambala led UNLV with 18 points, while Trevor Diggs had 14. Diggs, however, hit only one of his first 11 3-pointers before making one in the final minutes. "I thought he had a bunch of wide open shots," Bayno said. "He's a shooter and he has to take those shots. The game was the second half of the Las Vegas Showdown. In the opening game, No. 4 Arizona beat Nebraska 80-59. UNLV, which had lost only to North Carolina, forced the tempo with defensive pressure in the first half. It paid off with the Runnin' Rebels forcing 15 turnovers and making eight steals. There were 10 lead changes in the first half, with UNLV taking a 40-38 halftime lead on Kambala's layup with 4 seconds left. A basket by Dickel to open the second half gave UNLV its biggest lead at 42-38. But the Cowboys went on a 17-2 run and never looked back. | ALSO SEE Mens College Basketball Scoreboard
AUDIO/VIDEO   Desmond Mason takes the back-door feed from Doug Gottlieb.avi: 558 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1 nullavi: 609 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1 | |||||
