March 2, 2000
SAN DIEGO (AP) - Kaspars Kambala scored 19 points and Mark Dickel added 18 as UNLV handed San Diego State its 15th straight defeat in an 85-64 victory Thursday night.
The win moved UNLV (19-7, 9-4 Mountain West Conference) into a first-place tie with New Mexico and idle Utah. The Runnin' Rebels can secure the No. 1 seed in next week's inaugural Mountain West Conference Tournament with a win Saturday over visiting New Mexico.
UNLV scored 18 unanswered points to burst out to a 22-4 lead with 11:33 left in the first half. Dalron Johnson, who finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds, scored eight points during the decisive run and Danny Brotherson added seven.
The Runnin' Rebels were ahead 33-5 at the 9:28 mark before San Diego State ended a drought of 7:37 in between baskets.
The Aztecs (5-21, 0-13) haven't won since beating High Point on Jan. 2. The losing streak is the second longest in school history. The 1991-92 team closed out the season with 21 consecutive defeats.
Kambala, the Runnin' Rebels' leading scorer, scored just two points in the first half when UNLV took a 42-18 halftime lead. Dickel hit 4-of-6 three-pointers, all six free throws and handed out seven assists.
Myron Epps scored 13 points to lead San Diego State, which has lost by an average of 20 points in its last eight defeats.