BYU basketball falls in OT classic to UNLV, 92-90 in series' first game since 2011

LAS VEGAS — BYU basketball’s first game since 2011 against former Mountain West rival UNLV was memorable, if nothing else.

Yoeli Childs had 25 points and 11 rebounds, but Noah Robotham drained a 3-pointer with no time on the clock in overtime to lift the Runnin’ Rebels to a 92-90 victory Saturday night in the Neon Hoops Showcase at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Kris Clyburn scored 15 of his 21 points in the first half for the Rebels (5-4), who got 22 points and 11 rebounds from Joel Ntambwe. Amauri Hardy had 21 points for UNLV, and Robotham finished with 12 points.

But in the end, it all came down to one final play — and UNLV nailed it in the neutral-site game located just three miles away from campus at the home of the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights.

“It’s a tough shot. It’s one of those situations where you’ve got to pat him on the back and move on,” Childs said. “I thought TJ did a great job defending, had a hand up, didn’t want to foul at the end of a game on a 20 percent 3-point shooter. There’s not much more you can do there.”

Childs’ double-double was his 28th career game with a double-double, so he is now tied for the eighth-most in BYU basketball history. TJ Haws added 19 points and six assists, and Jahshire Hardnett contributed 19 points, three rebounds and three assists for the Cougars, including a layup with 18 seconds left in the extra period that gave BYU a two-point edge.

Zac Seljaas scored 10 points, but went 2-of-6 from 3-point range, including a potential gamewinner at the buzzer of regulation that sent the game into overtime for BYU, which ultimately saw their three-game winning streak snapped.

Neither team led by more than two points from there on out. Hardnett drove into the lane with 18 seconds left for a score that gave BYU a one-point lead, 90-89, but left too much time on the clock.

Barely.

Robotham, a transfer from Akron who prepped at Las Vegas’ Bishop Gorman High and sat out the 2017-18 season, hit his fourth 3-pointer of the game to prove the difference. The senior was just 1-of-7 from beyond the arc before Saturday night, but came alive to knock down 4-of-8 in the college basketball doubleheader that benefitted Coaches vs. Cancer.

“You never want to say that’s the shot we want them to shoot, because he made it,” BYU coach Dave Rose said. “But they shot really well from the 3-point line for a team that was struggling from out there.”

The Cougars (8-5) thought they had a gamewinner of their own just 18 seconds earlier.

Instead, heartbreak.

“You’re excited, there’s an adrenaline rush, and you think that you’ve accomplished it,” Hardnett said. “One defensive possession from winning the game after coming back from a 17-point deficit.”

Earlier, the Rebels were running away with the game. Back-to-back 3-pointers by Robotham and Clyburn gave UNLV its first double-digit lead, and the Rebs stretched it to 47-30 at halftime, and held Childs to just eight points and six rebounds.

“I was horrible. I told the guys that a loss isn’t on just one player — but I’m not going to have a first half like that again. That was absolutely pathetic,” Childs said. “I’ve got to come out and be a leader on this team, and make plays.

“There’s no excuse for that. It was just a bad half.”

Things changed in the second half, and newly reinstated guard Nick Emery was a part of the catalyst.

Another was BYU’s move to a 2-3 zone defense. The last was Childs, who erupted for 19 points in the second half.

Emery’s pull-up 3-pointer from the elbow cut the Rebels’ lead to single digits, 68-59 with 9:02 remaining. The junior, recently off a nine-game suspension for NCAA violations, added a two-point drive just under a minute later for the Cougars. BYU’s move to a 2-3 zone defense flummoxed the Rebels, holding them scoreless from the field during a 13-2 run, until Clyburn’s off-balance putback with 4:51 left.

Childs’ drive to the rim cut the deficit as low as one, 70-69.

“He made some shots,” UNLV coach Marvin Menzies said of Childs. “He’s one of the best bigs in the country, and he showed it tonight when he got deep touches.”

But the Cougars didn’t take the lead back until Hardnett scooped up Haws’ forced turnover and gave the Cougars an 83-81 advantage with a three-point play with 2:22 remaining.

UNLV held BYU scoreless for the rest of regulation to force overtime on a pair of late free throws.

“We played with a much better focus in the second half, and with the purpose that we wanted,” Rose said. “A lot of that stems from getting the ball to Yo, and Yo converted for us. The rest of the guys got confidence from that.”

Next up

The Cougars hit the road again for another rematch with a former Mountain West rival, Saturday, Dec. 22 at San Diego State. They’ll also play Dec. 29 at Mississippi State before opening West Coast Conference play Jan. 3 at Pacific.

Editor's note: An earlier version of this article showed the Rebels as having a 4-4 season record. It has been corrected to indicate a 5-4 record.

Related topics