Fans cheer for UNLV's Darger

In recent weeks, UNLV forward Joe Darger's shooting stroke had abandoned him. The Riverton native had made only two 3-pointers in the past six games.

Saturday afternoon at the Huntsman Center, Darger rediscovered his shooting touch in a return to the Beehive State.

Playing in front of dozens of family members and friends, the 6-foot-7 sophomore knocked down his first three 3-point attempts and helped lead the Runnin' Rebels to a convincing 70-57 victory over Utah.

"I'm really happy for Joe," said UNLV coach Lon Kruger. "He has been struggling and I told him (before the game) we've got to make a trip home to get him going. He did a great job and made shots in front of family and friends and that was good to see."

Darger, who went 3-for-4 from the 3-point arc and finished with nine points in 20 minutes of action, was happy about his performance, but he was even happier that his team seized an all-important road win. UNLV and Darger endured a humiliating 90-63 loss to BYU in his last visit to Utah two weeks ago.

The win kept the Rebels (22-6 overall, 9-4 in the Mountain West Conference) in contention for the league's regular-season championship.

"It felt good to get back out here and shoot well — and get a win, most importantly," Darger said.

"Joe's always got a nice little crowd when we come to Utah," said UNLV guard Wink Adams, who scored a game-high 17 points and pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds. "He's very comfortable shooting in Utah's gym."

Darger's first 3-pointer came during UNLV's 16-0 run in the first half that lifted the Rebels to a 30-19 advantage. His two other 3-pointers were bookends on another 16-0 UNLV run in the second half. By the time his last one hit the bottom of the net, the Rebels boasted a 49-30 lead.

The Rebels trailed 15-6 early on, then rallied to take command against the Utes, outscoring them 64-44 the rest of the way.

"We played 32 minutes of good, solid basketball," Kruger said. "The first few minutes, we weren't making shots. Then we got into a rhythm offensively."

One of the Rebels' top players, Wendell White, never got into a rhythm. White, who averages a team-high 16 points per game, scored only two on 1-for-12 shooting from the field.

But on Saturday, the Rebels didn't need him to be an offensive force as they enjoyed balanced scoring. Besides Adams' 17 points and Darger's nine, Kevin Kruger had 11, while Michael Umeh tallied nine, and Gaston Essengue added eight.

"When we play as a team," Adams said, "we're tough to beat."

Perhaps most impressively, as a team, UNLV gave up only four turnovers.

"Four turnovers is outstanding," Lon Kruger said. "I'll take that anytime."

The win marked UNLV's second consecutive victory against Utah at the Huntsman Center. Prior to the Rebels' win last season, they hadn't beaten the Utes here since 1982.

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E-mail: jeffc@desnews.com