Las Vegas • The weather wasn't the only thing chilly Wednesday in Las Vegas. The Runnin' Utes' offense was cold — bordering on downright frigid — in a 67-54 loss to the UNLV Rebels.

After battling back from a 13-point deficit in the first half to trail 33-24 at the break, the Utes (10-12, 3-5) didn't score a bucket in the second half until Josh Watkins made a little jumper with 14:29 remaining.

By that point, the game virtually was out of reach for the Utes, who trailed 44-28 thanks to their struggles and the strong play of UNLV's Quintrell Thomas, who finished with career highs of 15 points and 16 rebounds.

Utah was led by Will Clyburn, who had 17 points and 12 rebounds, and Josh Watkins, who added 15 points.

The Utes shot just 17 of 57 from the field and were 14 of 25 at the line, but rather than focusing on the negative, Utah coach Jim Boylen said he was encouraged by the team's effort.

"I thought we played hard. What can I say?" he said.

The Utes wanted to match UNLV's fast pace, and they did that much of the night, but it cost them in execution, said forward J.J. O'Brien, who had nine points and 10 rebounds.

"We hurried too much and got rushed," he said.

The Utes try to end their two-game losing streak Saturday when they host Air Force at 6 p.m. Utah lost to the Falcons 77-69 earlier in the year.

The Utes, who have been plagued with defensive breakdowns at critical points in their losses this season, could blame both aspects of the game equally for Wednesday's loss to the Rebels (15-6, 5-3).

The Utes matched UNLV's physical play early, despite starter O'Brien picking up two fouls in the first four minutes. But Utah's gusto disappeared quickly — along with the offense.

Utah's only points in the first five minutes of the second half were a free throw each by O'Brien and Clyburn.

But the Utes even struggled at the line in the half, with Watkins missing two free throws followed by a miss from Chris Kupets that highlighted a downward spiral.

After the miss, Kupets looked over at the bench and laughed, recognizing the ridiculous situation for what it was.

He made his second free throw and Clyburn followed with a massive dunk, but the efforts were too little, too late, particularly with the way UNLV's Thomas was playing.

The 6-foot-8 forward dominated the Utes inside, accounting for almost half his team's 43 rebounds.

"Their centers outplayed us," Boylen said.

His defense kept the Utes from getting any inside game going as well. David Foster and Jason Washburn combined for just two points and nine rebounds.

Clyburn didn't have any success, either, and fell to the court hard when he dared go inside against Thomas as Thomas blocked his shot.

lwodraska@sltrib.com —

Storylines

R In short • Utah's offense never warms up against the Rebels as the Utes lose their second straight game.

Key moment • Utah doesn't score in the first five minutes of the second half as a relatively close game turns into a Rebels' blowout.