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GAME NOTES: The 23rd-ranked Runnin' Rebels of UNLV try to remain in the national spotlight this afternoon as they make the trip to San Diego State to challenge the Aztecs in a Mountain West Conference bout at Viejas Arena.

It might be another short stay in the AP Poll for the Rebels because they had their five-game win streak snapped on Wednesday night by nationally-ranked New Mexico at home by a score of 76-66. The setback was just the second in the last nine games for a UNLV squad that is currently third in the MWC standings with a record of 7-3.

As for the Aztecs, who are an impressive 11-1 at home in 2009-10, they posted their third win in four tries three nights ago with an 88-57 blowout decision against Wyoming at home. The one loss during this current stretch came against New Mexico, on the road and in overtime by a mere two points, so San Diego State has to be taken seriously as a postseason contender even though it is currently tied for fourth place in the MWC at 6-4.

With respect to the all-time series between these two schools on the hardwood, UNLV leads by a count of 32-15, although the Aztecs have been far more competitive under head coach Steve Fisher in recent years as he has guided his group to 11 of those victories. The Rebels won the first meeting of the season last month by a score of 76-66 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Sin City.

The Lobos scored the first points of the game against UNLV and never looked back, holding the Rebels to just 38.7 percent shooting from the field in the first half and 43.1 percent for the game. Oscar Bellfield led three players in double figures with his 15 points, followed by Tre'Von Willis who registered a double-double with 13 points and a team-best 10 assists, in an effort to disguise the fact that he shot just 4-of-13 from the floor. Off the bench it was Matt Shaw with 12 points in 17 minutes of action. Willis leads the team in scoring this season with his 17.7 ppg, having made good on 48.7 percent of his field goal attempts and 125-of-148 at the charity stripe. However, one can only imagine how much better his numbers would be had he refrained from leaking out to the perimeter and shooting a woeful 29 percent from three-point range. Chace Stanback accounts for 10.1 ppg and a team-best 5.7 rpg for a program that is outscoring opponents overall this season by a 9.7 ppg margin.

Kawhi Leonard tallied a career-high 26 points, leading five players in double figures, as the Aztecs crushed the Wyoming Cowboys by 31 points. Chase Tapley posted 14 points and six assists, Tyrone Shelley and Kelvin Davis 12 points apiece off the bench, while Billy White chipped in 10 points for a squad that shot 52.4 percent form the field and survived a mere 4-of-16 effort behind the three-point line and 18-of-29 at the charity stripe. Leonard has been a huge addition to the SDSU family this season, leading the team in scoring after 24 games with his 12.4 ppg and also pacing the group on the glass with nine and a half rebounds per game as well. The only knock against him is that he thinks too much of himself as a perimeter threat, even while shooting a feeble 9- of-53 behind the three-point line. D.J. Gay (10.8 ppg), Malcolm Thomas (10.5 ppg) and White (10.4 ppg) are all potential top scorers in any outing for the Aztecs, which is why the team is outscoring opponents by almost 10 ppg at the moment.

Almost assured of falling back out of the rankings when the votes are tabulated on Monday, the Rebels need a strong showing today to continue to show their growth, but something says SDSU will not be swept by UNLV this season.