National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Utah 59, UNLV 46
When: 11:30 PM ET, Saturday, December 20, 2014
Where: MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada
Officials: # Michael Greenstein, # Chris Rastatter, # Mike Reed
Attendance: N/A

No. 14 Utah 59, UNLV 46: Delon Wright scored a game-high 17 points and had four steals to lead the Utes in the MGM Grand Showcase at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Brandon Taylor finished with 16 points and six steals and Jakob Poeltl overcame early foul trouble to score eight second-half points for Utah (8-2). The Utes forced 15 turnovers and had 12 steals to overcome 39.6 percent shooting.

Rashad Vaughn scored 16 points and Christian Wood added eight points and a game-high 13 rebounds for UNLV (7-3), which had its three-game win streak snapped. Goodluck Okonoboh finished with seven points and six blocks for the Rebels, who shot 32.7 percent from the floor and made just 10-of-23 free throws.

Utah, thanks to a pair of 3-pointers by Taylor, took an early 11-5 lead as UNLV connected on just one of its first seven shots while also turning the ball over three times. But the Rebels held the Utes without a field goal for almost nine minutes en route to a 23-20 lead before Wright scored back-to-back baskets, including a reverse layup at the buzzer to give Utah a 24-23 halftime advantage.

The game remained tight until midway in the second half when Utah broke away with a 10-1 run fueled by three inside baskets by Poeltl to lead 44-34. A jumper by Taylor boosted the lead to 13 points at 51-38 with six minutes to go and UNLV never got closer than nine points the rest of the way.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Utah, which entered the game leading the Pac-12 in rebounding margin (plus-9.7), was outrebounded for first time this season 41-37 … UNLV, which plays its home games a little over a mile away at the Thomas & Mack Center, was making its basketball debut in the MGM Grand Garden Arena. … Utah finished with a 12-7 edge in bench points.
Top Game Performances
 
Utah   UNLV
Delon Wright 17 Scoring Rashad Vaughn 16
Delon Wright 4 Assists Cody Doolin 2
Chris Reyes 10 Rebounds Christian Wood 13
Delon Wright 6 Free Throws Made Rashad Vaughn 4
Brandon Taylor 6 Steals Jelan Kendrick 2
Brekkott Chapman 1 Blocks Goodluck Okonoboh 6
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Utah 59 39.6 5-15 12-21 8 34 2 12 10
UNLV 46 32.7 2-11 10-23 5 39 8 6 15