Cougars suffer lopsided loss in Vegas

LAS VEGAS — UNLV administered an old-fashion whipping to BYU Tuesday in the Thomas & Mack Center, humbling the Cougars 70-41.

UNLV's Curtis Terry scored 21 points including five 3-pointers to lead the Rebels to a convincing, if not dominating, dismantling of the defending MWC champions. The loss dropped the Cougars to 12-5 overall, 1-1 in league play as the Rebels climbed to 13-4 and 2-1.

For the Cougars, it was a wake-up call. League play was supposed to bring in more intensity and play at a higher level. Not here. The Cougars have struggled for consistency since losing to Michigan State in EnergySolutions Arena back in December.

They return to Provo to prepare for rival Utah in the Huntsman Center with a taste of what it feels like to lose total composure, look inept at the free-throw line (8-20) while carrying in their bellies the worst beating of the season.

UNLV basically took it to the Cougars with a five-guard offense. The Cougars couldn't stop UNLV's outside shooting, failed to take care of the ball and looked disheveled. Just like a week ago at Wake Forest, the Cougars barely looked competitive. The Cougars went nine minutes without a field goal in the second half, giving up a 20-2 run.

Lee Cummard led the Cougars with 11 points and freshman Chris Collinsworth came off the bench to grab 11 rebounds. But 19 turnovers and just 5 assists illustrated a lack of any offensive punch and that doomed the Cougars. Credit the Rebels. Trent Plaisted took only 3 shots in the game and went 1-of-11 from the free throw line. Jonathan Tavernari went 1-for-9 from the field as UNLV outrebounded BYU 38-35.

The Cougars lost the game in the opening minutes when UNLV's pressure defense set the tone of the game. UNLV threw out its storied full-court, bump-run trap press on the Cougars.

BYU reacted by simply melting down.

UNLV raced to a convincing butt-kicking early and led by 23 points after 16 minutes.

Hurried with shots, tentative with the ball, errant with passes, it all showed on BYU's end as the Rebels took BYU's shooters completely out of the game. BYU then helped by taking Plaisted out of its own offense.

Plaisted, the Cougars' top weapon took and made only one shot in the first half of the game. On three occasions when he did get the ball, UNLV deployed a foul attack on the Cougar junior and he obliged by making just 1 of 6 from the line in the first 20 minutes.

BYU started Chris Miles in place of Plaisted to open the second half.