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Bennett lifts UNLV over Canisius

Dec 23, 2012 - 8:00 AM Las Vegas, NV (Sports Network) - Anthony Bennett had 21 points and seven rebounds in No. 21 UNLV's 89-74 win over Canisius.

Khem Birch tallied 20 points, eight rebounds and six blocks for the Runnin' Rebels (11-1), who have won nine in a row since suffering their first loss to Oregon on Nov. 23.

"I tell the guys all the time that whoever is open is going to get the ball and we did a great job in sharing the ball, making extra passes. It was certainly a team effort tonight against a very good basketball team," UNLV head coach Dave Rice said.

Billy Baron netted 30 points to go with six assists and five rebounds for Canisius (8-3), which was coming off a win at Temple.

"We only got eight foul shots and they got 20," Canisius head coach Jim Baron said. "We gotta get it inside. We gotta use our bigs inside to get it down low and get to the free throw line."

Canisius hung around for the first 25 minutes and Jordan Heath's dunk pulled the Golden Griffins within 57-52, but UNLV countered with a 21-8 run to seize control of the contest.

Hawkins, who had all 12 of his points during the surge, capped with a three-point play for a 78-60 UNLV advantage with 6:12 to play.

The margin peaked at 20 during the closing moments.

Earlier, an Alshwan Hymes jumper at the buzzer pulled Canisius within 46-39 heading into the break.

Game Notes

Harold Washington poured in 17 points for the Golden Griffins ... UNLV shot 59.6 percent (34-of-57) from the field and 46.2 percent (6-of-13) from beyond the arc.