2005 MWC Basketball Tournament Postgame Notes
3/11/2005 12:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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March 11, 2005
- Utah joined UNLV (2000, 2002, 2003, 2004) and BYU (2000, 2001) as the only teams to make consecutive appearances in the MWC Championship game.
- With Utah's win today, the No. 1 seed is now 2-3 in MWC Tournament semifinal games, while the No. 4 seed suffered its first loss all-time MWC Tournament in semifinal action (3-1). The No. 1 and No. 2 seeds are unbeaten when they make it to the finals. UNLV won the title as a No. 1 seed in 2000, while No. 2 seed BYU captured the crown the following year.
- The Utes have won five straight MWC Tournament games, tying UNLV's MWC-best five-game run from 2000-02. Utah is 8-4 all-time in MWC Tournament play, while the Rebels slipped to 10-4. The Utes have won six straight vs. the Rebels, including the last two meetings in the MWC Tournament.
- Seven of the last eight MWC Tournament semifinals games have been decided by seven points or less, including tonight's 73-67 margin.
- Despite committing five turnovers in the first five minutes of the game, Utah maintained a 7-5 lead over UNLV at 13:59 of the half, with all seven points coming from Andrew Bogut. Bogut scored 11 of the first 13 Utah points in the first 8:07 of the game, but did not score for the remainder of the period.
- Bogut recorded his fifth straight double-double with 25 points and 12 rebounds. He has a league record 22 this season and 36 for his two-year career.
- Utah jumped out to a 10-1 advantage in rebounds just over eight minutes into the game and held a 23-9 rebound advantage at halftime. The Utes finished the game with their second-highest rebound margin of the year at 41-19 - the highest was a 43-18 edge Jan. 10 vs. the Rebels. UNLV's 19 rebounds ties for the fewest in any MWC Tournament game (Air Force 19 vs. Colorado State 3/11/04).
- Utah outscored UNLV 23-2 in second chance points, due in part to a season-high 16 offensive boards. All nine Utes who played recorded at least one rebound in the game, and eight of nine had an offensive carom as well.
- Tonight's game had records for steals and turnovers: UNLV's 10 steals are the most in any MWC Tournament semifinal game, while the 21 Utah turnovers are an all-time MWC Tournament high.
- The Rebels put together their highest and lowest scoring halves of the season in tonight's game vs. Utah. The Rebels' 18 first-half points were their lowest in a half this season and the lowest in any MWC Tournament semifinal game, while the 49 second-half points were UNLV's highest on the year-and tied the Rebels' MWC Tournament record for most in any semifinal game.
- Jonas Langvad scored six straight points off the bench (2-of-2 treys) to give Utah a 21-12 lead at 7:55 of the first half as the Utes outscored UNLV 8-3 with Bogut on the bench. Langvad, who scored a combined six points (3-of-12 field goals) in the two regular season meetings vs. UNLV, tallied 10 points tonight, marking the first time he has scored double figures in 13 games.
- Romel Beck scored a team-high 19 points off the bench to lead the Rebels, including 17 in the second half. Overall, the Rebels outscored the Utes 22-12 in bench points.
- Andy Hannan hit a three-pointer at the 2:01 mark of the first half, snapping a drought of 7:11 without a field goal for the Rebels, allowing the Utes to go on a 12-3 run. UNLV shot just 26 percent (6-of-23) from the field in the first half-its lowest percentage in a half this season. The Rebels responded in the second half with their highest field goal percentage of the year at 64.3 percent (18-of-28).
- Utah opened the second half with a 10-2 run, building a 42-20 lead at the 16:31 mark, and held a 50-32 lead with 12:45 remaining. UNLV responded with a 14-2 run over a span of just over four minutes to close the gap to 52-46.
- Utah head coach Ray Giacoletti is now 7-3 overall in conference tournament games. UNLV head coach Lon Kruger is 16-14 all-time in conference tournaments.
Players Mentioned
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