Mo Rutledge saving his best for last

It’s kind of a shame that UNLV senior guard Mo Rutledge doesn’t have another year of eligibility.

The 26-year-old junior college transfer from Yuba City College in Marysville, Calif., is finally playing the kind of basketball many Rebel fans expected of him when he arrived two years ago after breaking Yuba College’s 3-point shooting record with 119 treys in one season.

Rutledge made just 14 3-pointers in 50 attempts (28.0 percent) last year for the Rebel while averaging less than 12 minutes per game. But the 6-foot-3, 225-pounder has stepped it up as a senior, especially during the Mountain West Conference campaign, and appears much more comfortable with his role on the team.

Rutledge was a perfect 4-for-4 from 3-point range and scored a career-high 12 points in UNLV’s 89-70 victory over Colorado State on Saturday night at the Thomas & Mack Center, including three treys in a little over a four minute span midway through the first half that helped break open what had been a tight game.

UNLV was nursing an 18-17 lead when Rutledge nailed his first 3-pointer with 10:37 remaining. By the time he hit his third trey, the Rebels were up, 35-25, and well on their way to a 51-34 halftime edge.

“That was clutch,” UNLV guard Rene Rougeau, who finished with 14 points and 6 rebounds, said. “I think that’s what really got us separated from them. Once (Rutledge) started hitting them, it seemed like it was all downhill from there.”

The Rebels (19-6, 7-4) led by as many 21 points early in the second half before the Rams cut it to 11, 72-61, on a Marcus Walker 3-pointer. But Rutledge jump-started a 17-6 UNLV run with his fourth trey that seemed to sap the life out of CSU’s comeback hopes.

Rutledge is shooting 46.8 percent (22-of-47) from 3-point range this year, including his last six in a row. He’s 10-for-13 (76.1 percent) from behind the arc since UNLV’s 75-65 win over Utah on Jan. 24 at the Thomas & Mack when he was 2-for-2 on treys and scored nine points.

“I was feeling it real good tonight,” Rutledge said. “I was open and my teammates were able to drop the ball to me and I was able to knock them down.”

Rutledge credited extra shooting as one of the reason’s for his current hot streak.

“I”ve been staying after practice a little bit and just getting up extra shots,” Rutledge said. “I think that’s helped a little bit. … (I’m) not hesitating at all. If I feel I can pull up and just knock it down, I’m going to go ahead and take the shot. As long as I’m not forcing anything I feel pretty confident shooting it.”

“Mo’s been shooting it great, and that’s a big lift when a guy comes off the bench like he and Kendall (Wallace) do and are able to step out there and knock down shots,” UNLV coach Lon Kruger said. “I think Mo’s confidence is really high right now and it’s really, really good to see.”

“We always talk about (Rutledge) being the leader off the bench for us,” Rougeau added. “He’s been just filling those shoes for us every game.”

Rutledge wasn’t the only Rebel shooting the ball well on Saturday night. UNLV shot a blistering 64.5 percent (20-of-31) from the floor in the first half, including 72.7 percent (8-of-11) from 3-point range. The Rebels shot 54.1 percent for the game and had 23 assists. Six Rebels finished in double-digits led by sophomore guard Tre’Von Willis (21 points, 6 assists).

“I thought the first half we had real good ball movement,” Kruger said. “Off the dribble we made a lot of good players for each other and guys stepped up and made shots and finished plays. I thought it was maybe one of the better offensive halves of the year.”