Smith shows spark off bench for Rebels
JC transfer scores 17 points in only 21 minutes on floor
Three takeaways from the UNLV basketball team’s 98-63 victory over Prairie View A&M on Wednesday night at the Thomas & Mack Center:
Anthony Smith steps up
One of the question marks coming into the season was what players would step up to fill roles beyond the big-name stars. Anthony Smith appears to be providing an answer early in the season.
The junior college transfer from Sacramento, California, who was almost an afterthought in the recruiting process to guys like Brandon Mccoy and Shakur Juiston, was sensational Wednesday night.
Smith scored nine straight points for UNLV as the Rebels started to pull away in the first half and was making plays all over the floor.
He finished with 17 points and seven rebounds in just 21 minutes of action off the bench. Smith, who made 8 of 10 from the field, also had two steals and sacrificed his body on several occasions going after loose balls.
“I grew up playing football so I was always tough,” he said. “I love leaving my heart on the floor and just playing hard.
“We might have a fast start or a slow start, but having a high-energy player like myself coming off the bench is very good for a team. I just try to leave it all out there so we can get a ‘W.’”
Menzies sings the praises of Kris Clyburn
For the second straight game, Clyburn was the only starter not to reach double figures in scoring for UNLV.
Menzies said the contributions of his junior guard can’t be found in the box score.
“He’s like an offensive lineman on a Super Bowl team,” Menzies said. “He might walk into the bar and nobody’s going to celebrate him walking in, but he’s got a championship ring. That’s what he brings to the table. He’s a great human being and I’m happy to have him.”
Clyburn went scoreless in the opener and had seven points and four rebounds in 18 minutes of action Wednesday night.
Not-so-free throws
It wasn’t all positive for UNLV. The Rebels committed 18 turnovers and made just 19 of 38 from the free-throw line.
That should give Menzies plenty to work on during Thursday’s practice in preparation for a much tougher matchup with Eastern Washington on Friday night.
“Free throws were the glaring thing,” Menzies said. “(We missed) 19 free throws. That’s not good. But I feel pretty confident we can shoot it pretty well, we just didn’t tonight. We’re pretty good in practice. We’re going to get an extra free-throw shooting session in at practice tomorrow.”
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@ reviewjournal.com or 702-277-8028. Follow @adamhilllvrj on Twitter.