The
Countdown – Part III. This week, we are unveiling the Top 5 Favorite Runnin’
Rebel Memories from the 2009-10 season as selected by a group of fans, players
and coaches.
No. 3 – Kendall at The Pit
No Rebel
fan will soon forget Kendall Wallace’s amazing shooting performance at The Pit
on a Saturday afternoon in early January.
The junior caught
fire in the second half draining six clutch 3-pointers to finish the game with
a career-high 21 points as the Runnin’ Rebels defeated nationally-ranked New
Mexico (No. 14 ESPN/USA Today, No. 15 AP at the time), 74-62. UNLV’s win
brought the Lobos’ 19-game home winning streak to a halt in front of a raucous New Mexico sellout crowd. With the win, UNLV improved to 13-3 on the
season.
“Sometimes
you get that feel. I had that feel, and I was just shooting without even
thinking about it," said Wallace (who went 7-for-10 from behind the line)
after the game. "You feel like you can't miss and the basket looks
huge."
The victory
took on more meaning for fans and the team as three days earlier UNLV had
suffered a last minute loss at BYU to start league play on a tough two-game
road swing.
“The game
was back and forth until Kendall caught fire
and we pulled away,” said Runnin’ Rebel Tre’Von Willis while recalling his top
memories from the 2009-10 season. “We positioned ourselves back into the
conference race early after a heart-breaking loss and conference opener at
BYU.”
Jan. 9,
2010 will go down in UNLV basketball history as the day Kendall Wallace left
14,586 Lobo fans stunned in Albuquerque… and
Rebel fans back in Las Vegas
and across the nation grinning from ear-to-ear.
Coming
Thursday: Favorite Runnin’ Rebel Memory No. 2 from the 2009-10 season.