LAS VEGAS (AP) Even though Nevada clinched the Mountain West Conference regular-season title on an off night Tuesday, they still had revenge on their minds against UNLV.
The Rebels upset their instate rivals earlier this month in Reno. The Wolf Pack also wanted to get comfortable with the Thomas & Mack confines as they will travel back as the top seed next Thursday for the conference tournament.
Put that together with incredibly hot Nevada first-half 3-point shooting, and the Wolf Pack looked unbeatable in that session, cruising 101-75 for their sixth straight win Wednesday night.
Cody Martin scored 26 and Jordan Caroline added 22 to lead No. 21 Nevada. Martin, who was 10 of 19 from the field, also had nine rebounds, seven assists, and three steals.
''We didn't play with the toughness we normally do in game one (against UNLV),'' Nevada coach Eric Musselman said. ''In game one, we watched the ball go up. Since then, we watched a lot of film. (UNLV is) a talented team. We took (their) three away. We were going to the basket and not settling. They did back off and we took those 15-foot shots.''
Caleb Martin added 19 points for the Wolf Pack, who converted nine of their first 13 three-point attempts to pull away early on the Rebels' Senior Night. Caleb Martin was out in the previous meeting, an 86-78 UNLV win Feb. 7.
Nevada (26-5, 15-2 Mountain West Conference) had clinched the title when second-place Boise State lost at San Diego State.
Kendall Stephens had 14 points and Josh Hall had 10 points for the winners, who have won the conference for the second straight year.
Brandon McCoy led UNLV (19-11, 8-9) with 19 points and 17 rebounds, while Shakur Juiston added 14 points and 14 rebounds.
''We took their touches away inside,'' Musselman said. ''We rebounded well and we're so small.''
KNOCKOUT BLOW EARLY: Nevada took the lead for good on Hall's jumper with 15:35 until halftime. That basket started a 20-6 spurt that turned into a 41-11 run - and quieting down the ready-to-get-loud Rebels' crowd. Nevada built its largest first-half lead at 52-22 with 3:06 until intermission and eventually led 54-28 at halftime.
''Going into the game, I was really trying to get to the basket,'' Caroline said. ''We really got things going early. We really got rolling and got the ball moving. Everyone was spotting up. After the first game, it fueled a fire for us.''
UNLV cut the lead to 74-54 with 12:35 to go, but got no closer.
''Can't start the game like that,'' UNLV coach Marvin Menzies said. ''We were giving them too much space. We made some adjustments in the second half, but they came a little too late.''
BIG PICTURE:
NEVADA: The regular season title is the second consecutive MWC title, the first time in program history. Nevada also broke their record for MWC wins with 15 and now has 11 road wins. Stephens also is now third all-time for 3-pointers made in a MWC season.
UNLV: The Rebels have lost four straight. UNLV honored senior guards Jordan Johnson and Jovan Mooring on Senior Night before the game. Johnson finished with 11 points, while Mooring had five points. ... The Rebels outscored the Wolf Pack in the paint, 52-44.
DOWN THE STRETCH: Menizes was asked if his team has run out of gas. ''I don't think we've quit or packed it in,'' he said. ''We knew we were playing against the tough part of the schedule here. I'm going to do what I know I can do to build this program.''
Game Notes:
The 21st ranked and Mountain West regular season champion Nevada Wolf Pack improved to 26-5 and 15-2 in conference play after its 101-75 win at intrastate rival UNLV (19-11, 8-9 MW) tonight.
Nevada ends the regular season at San Diego State (18-10, 10-7 MW) on Saturday night at 7 p.m. on CBS Sports Network.
The game is part of the Governor's Series presented by NV Energy. The Wolf Pack and Rebels split the two games this season.
Nevada's 26 wins is sixth most in a season at Nevada.
Nevada's 15 MW wins is a school record.
The Pack's 11 road wins tied the 2004-05 for most in school history.
After scoring 22 points Jordan Caroline has 1,059 points at Nevada which moved him into 26th on the career scoring list. He is two points from overtaking Marvin Buckley (1984-86) for 25th.
For the fourth time Nevada had five players score in double figures; Cody Martin (26), Caroline (22), Caleb Martin (19), Kendall Stephens (14) and Josh Hall (10).
Tonight marked the 15 game where two Pack players scored 20 or more points this season.
Caroline posted his 14th game of 20 or more points this season and Cody Martin his eighth which includes a 30-point game.
Kendall Stephens made 4-of-8 three-pointers giving him 111 on the season which is third most in a season in Mountain West history while his 71 in conference play increases his own record.
Caroline and Caleb Martin each have scored in double figures in a team-high 27 games this season. Stephens in 22 games and Cody Martin in 21.
Third-year head coach Eric Musselman is 78-26 at Nevada.
The Pack has won 10 of its last 11 MW road games.
Musselman is 4-2 vs. UNLV and 2-1 in Las Vegas.
After making 13 3-pointers tonight, Nevada has made 10 or more 3-pointers in a game 15 times this season.
