National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
UNLV 72, San Diego St. 70
When: 9:00 PM ET, Saturday, February 16, 2013
Where: Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada
Officials: # Eric Curry, # Hal Lusk, # Scott Thornley
Attendance: 18577
By SportsDirect Inc.
UNLV 72, No. 22 San Diego State 70: Anthony Bennett scored 21 points and grabbed a dozen rebounds as the Rebels rallied for the Mountain West Conference victory at a sold-out Thomas & Mack Center.

San Diego State (18-7, 6-5 MWC) led by as much as 11 in the first half and took a 40-34 advantage into the break. UNLV (19-7, 6-5) opened the second half on an 8-0 run and later took the lead for good with a suffocating 14-0 run while holding the Aztecs without a field goal for over six minutes.

It gave UNLV a 62-54 lead with 8:44 to play, but the Aztecs mounted a late rally of their own and cut the deficit to 71-70 on a Chase Tapley 3-pointer with 20 seconds left. San Diego State then tied up the inbound pass to regain possession, but Jamaal Franklin was whistled for traveling driving to the basket for the potential game-winning shot with two seconds left.

Tapley led San Diego State, which lost for the first time in the last 30 games when leading at the half, with 22 points. JJ O'Brien had 15 points but was shut out in the second half.

Khem Birch added 16 for UNLV, which swept the season series and improved to 15-1 at home.

GAME NOTEBOOK: MWC officials announced before the game that the postseason tournament will be held in Las Vegas through the 2016 season. ... The Mountain West is the nation's highest-ranked conference in the RPI rankings. ..San Diego State G James Rahon sprained his shoulder in the first half and did not return.
Top Game Performances
 
San Diego St.   UNLV
Chase Tapley 22 Scoring Anthony Bennett 21
Jamaal Franklin 2 Assists Anthony Marshall 6
J.J. O'Brien 11 Rebounds Anthony Bennett 12
Winston Shepard 3 Free Throws Made Khem Birch 6
Jamaal Franklin 5 Steals Bryce Dejean-Jones 3
Skylar Spencer 3 Blocks Khem Birch 5
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
San Diego St. 70 38.9 6-15 8-12 7 35 3 12 14
UNLV 72 39.7 7-21 19-25 17 38 10 10 17