Illinois Fighting Illini vs UNLV Rebels Match Player Stats On Dec 10, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Dec 10, 2017

Jovan Mooring scored 27 points, Brandon McCoy added his seventh double-double of the season, and UNLV held off Illinois 89-82 Saturday night at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

UNLV (8-2) led by as many as 11 early in the second half, but a 14-2 run capped by an Aaron Jordan 3-pointer pulled Illinois ahead 50-49 with 14:32 remaining. The Illini (7-4) made 11 of 25 beyond the arc.

From there, the teams battled through five ties and five lead changes inside the eight-minute mark.

Trailing 73-68, Mark Smith made one of his four-3-pointers to pull Illinois within two with 3:21 remaining. However, Mooring answered with his own 3 to spark a 7-0 UNLV run, and a dagger beyond the arc at the 1:21 mark.

Mooring converted 3 of 6 3-pointers and 14 of 18 at the free-throw line for the Rebels, who shot 52 percent from the field. McCoy, who made 9 of 11 shots for 22 points, also grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked three shots.

Smith scored 13 of his 17 points after halftime to pace Illinois, which lost for the fourth time in five games. Freshman Trent Frazier added 16 off the bench.

Illinois leading scorer Leron Black, who came in averaging 14.8 points, was limited to just two points in 12 first-half minutes before leaving the game with a left arm injury.

The Runnin' Rebels made their first six shots to open up a double-digit lead inside the first four minutes. The Fighting Illini stormed back with a 12-0 run to take their first lead with 6:06 left in the half, but that was short-lived as 12 first-half turnovers led to 16 UNLV points and a 45-36 deficit at halftime.

Illinois turned the ball over 16 times overall.