Never mind that the Utah Utes used a commemorative video to celebrate their 500th victory in the Huntsman Center nearly two months late on Wednesday night, on account of some bad math.

The latest win came right on time.

In a game they felt they absolutely had to win, the Utes avoided another second-half collapse against UNLV with a series of big plays down the stretch and emerged with a 70-60 victory in front of 11,309 fans that moved them inexorably closer to their first Mountain West Conference championship in four years.

"It's huge," coach Jim Boylen said. "I told my team before the game, 'It's as big a game as you'll play in your life tonight.' I feel that way. I felt that way. I talked to my team that way, because it's part of the process."

The victory was actually the 507th for the Utes at the Huntsman Center since it opened in 1969, an oversight that was discovered only this week. But more importantly, it improved their record to 20-7 overall and 11-2 in the league -- still two games ahead of Brigham Young and New Mexico, their next two opponents on the road, with just three to play.

"Every game is huge for us, especially these home games," center Luke Nevill said.

Nevill was a huge reason the Utes were able to extend their winning streak to eight games -- 10 in a row at home -- and snap a three-game losing streak against the Rebels. Playing in the penultimate home game of his college career, the 7-foot-2 senior scored 19 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, blocked three shots and reinforced his candidacy for the league's player of the year award.

"That's as big a game as he has had for us," Boylen said, "because it wasn't exactly going our way that second half, especially his way."

The Utes strained to get Nevill the ball in the second half, when UNLV's pressure defense started to make it look as if the Rebels would engineer a comeback like the one they pulled on the Utes last month in Las Vegas. The Rebels forced the Utes into 12 of their 18 turnovers after halftime -- the Utes had led 38-24 at the break -- and pulled to within two points with about three minutes left.

But just when the Utes desperately needed a big shot -- "we had the momentum and they were reelling a little bit," UNLV coach Lon Kruger said -- point guard Luka Drca gave them one, burying a three-pointer followed by two free throws that snapped a personal streak of six straight misses and gave the Utes a 62-55 lead and all the cushion they would need, with guard Lawrence Borha adding a crucial fast-break lay-up off a long inbounds play.

"Coach called a play, it was a pick-and-roll play," Drca said. "We were looking for Luke out of it, but I was open. … I don't hesitate, when I shoot it."

While the loss dropped the Rebels to 20-8 overall and out of the league title race at 8-6, Boylen was thrilled that the Utes overcame all of their turnovers with a massive rebounding edge and poise in the final minutes. Four others joined Nevill in scoring in double-figures.

"They haven't had a big game here in February in a long time," he said. "And I thought that last 12 minutes, that was as big a part of the whole thing as anything else. We just hadn't been in that situation before, to close a team out. … We had some jitters and just some plays you make when you haven't been there before. But I thought we fought through it, and hung in there."

mcl@sltrib.com