Jovan Mooring shot 50 percent from the field and scored 27 points to lead UNLV to an 89-82 victory over Illinois on Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden. After squandering an 11-point lead and falling behind by three points with 10:25 left, the Runnin’ Rebels closed on a 33-23 run to seal the win. Brandon McCoy scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for UNLV (8-2), while Shakur Juiston and Jordan Johnson each had 10 points. Illinois (7-4) was led by Mark Smith, who had 17 points, and Trent Frazier, who added 16 points for the Illni. After UNLV opened the second half with two free throws from Kris Clyburn, the Illni went on an 18-5 run to take a 54-52 lead, with all of the Rebels’ points coming from the charity stripe. UNLV’s first field goal of the second half came from Tervell Beck at the 11:52 mark, tying the game at 54-all. The Runnin’ Rebels wasted no time with their offensive game, hitting their first six shots from the field, while opening a 14-4 lead before back-to-back baskets by Shakur Juiston made it 29-19 midway through the first half. But Illinois answered with a 12-0 run to take a two-point lead with six minutes left in the half. UNLV answered with a 14-2 run of its own, culminated by Anthony Smith, who soared above the rim for an impressive put-back slam dunk. The Runnin’ Rebels hit 16 of 31 from the field in the first half. After its slow start, the Illni shot 44.8 percent (13 of 29) from the field, including 5 of 11 from 3-point range, over the first 20 minutes.
