10 minutes into Wednesday night's game in Las Vegas, visiting Cal State San Marcos was down just one point to an exceptional UNLV squad, 20-19.  Unfortunately for the Cougars, the game would not remain that close, as the Runnin' Rebels pulled away to win 94-50.
 
The game was officially an exhibition for CSUSM, who remains 5-5 on the season.
 
It's hard to blame the Cougars for running out of gas as the game progressed.  Last night CSUSM lost a fast-paced, emotional 92-88 game at home against the NAIA's #1 team, Concordia, and less than 12 hours later they were on a bus on their way to Las Vegas.  Combine that with the fact that CSUSM is running a six-man rotation at the moment, and that UNLV is really, really good, and you have the recipe for a 44-point decision.
 
The Cougars hung tough early thanks to great ball movement and exceptional shooting, but once UNLV clamped down on defense, turnovers would quickly derail San Marcos' momentum.  CSUSM committed 15 in the first half and 26 for the game, attempting just 41 shots on the night – which was a shame, because the Cougars hit 51% of them.
 
A major bright spot throughout the night for CSUSM was A.J. Chamberlain, who looked right at home on the big stage at Orleans Arena.  With his arsenal of post moves and short jumpers on full display, Chamberlain knocked down 10 of his 11 attempts from the field, scoring a game-high 24 points.  Point guard Danny Redmon recorded 8 assists, while center Alpha Ndiaye grabbed 6 rebounds.  Guard Tim Steed was held in check all night, scoring 5 points on 2-for-5 shooting, while Jamel McGuire was second on the team with 7 points to go with 5 rebounds.
 
The Cougars will be in action at home this Saturday against the NAIA's #10 team, Azusa Pacific.