LAS VEGAS – Wyoming won't have to wait long for another shot at UNLV. Trouble is, the next one comes in Las Vegas, too.
Kendall Wallace had a season-high 14 points and No. 17 UNLV beat the pesky Cowboys 74-63 on Saturday night to finish 17-0 at home, its first unblemished mark since 1991-92.
Mike Moser had 17 points and 12 rebounds, and senior Brice Massamba added a career-high 15 points for the Runnin' Rebels (25-7, 9-5 Mountain West Conference), who will face Wyoming again Thursday night in the first round of the conference tournament.
"We were in such serious foul trouble, we couldn't guard them well enough," Cowboys coach Larry Shyatt said. "We were down five with 6 minutes to go. After that, we couldn't overcome our seniors' foul trouble. We drew too many offensive fouls. You can't do that to yourself against a quality team."
Francisco Cruz had 16 points and Luke Martinez scored 15 for Wyoming.
"I felt good," Cruz said. "When I was open, my teammates were able to find me. It was a tough game. (UNLV's) seniors were good late in the game. That made the difference."
Wyoming stayed within single digits until the final 4 minutes before a white-out, sellout crowd of 18,577 at the Thomas & Mack Center on Senior Night.
The 6-foot-4 Wallace went 3 of 4 from 3-point range. He converted a four-point play with 10:53 left, giving the Rebels a 57-47 lead.
"I couldn't have ended it any better," the senior guard said. "It was like a storybook ending. It was kind of crazy. It was like it was meant to be."
The league tournament is on the Rebels' home floor. UNLV is the third seed, while the Cowboys (20-10, 6-8) are No. 6 in the eight-team format.
"Everyone saw what a terrific basketball team Wyoming has," UNLV coach Dave Rice said. "It's never easy playing a team again. It's tough coming off a win. It's a new season."
Adam Waddell had nine points and nine rebounds for Wyoming, which had won two straight. Leonard Washington also scored nine.
Anthony Marshall scored 12 and Oscar Bellfield had nine assists for the Rebels. Moser, who did not score in double digits the previous four games, bounced back with a big effort to help UNLV avenge a Feb. 4 loss at Wyoming.
"This was definitely a huge one for me," Moser said. "My teammates have been supportive. They helped me stay positive. I was glad to even up the score (against Wyoming). This is a big win for us."
The Rebels pulled away in the final 4 minutes. Massamba's layup with 3:48 left put them up by double digits for good.
UNLV, which never trailed, finished the regular season 16-0 at the Thomas & Mack Center.
The Rebels were 19-0 overall in Las Vegas. That includes two Las Vegas Invitational games at Orleans Arena, where they defeated then-No. 1 North Carolina 90-80 in the championship game.
UNLV began the day with slim hopes of sharing the conference's regular-season title, but New Mexico and San Diego State both won to share the crown.
The Rebels' 25 wins were their most in the regular season since the 2006-07 team also won 25 en route to reaching the round of 16 in the NCAA tournament.
After UNLV opened an 18-8 lead, Wyoming cut the deficit to 33-32 with 1:10 left in the first half. Wallace's 3-pointer from the left side with 46 seconds until halftime gave UNLV a little breathing room at the break, 36-32.
"Kendall is the epitome of a team player," Rice said. "He's been guarding well. Couldn't happen to be a better person. Our guys pull for Kendall. Tonight, we saw how good he can be."
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