By Ryan Greene

Thu, Nov 20, 2008 (2 a.m.)

Given the way UNLV's offense has executed so far this young season, the Rebels may think they're looking at a mirror image at 7 p.m. tonight against Northern Arizona.

The Lumberjacks, led by former Bishop Gorman player and coach Mike Adras, go with a 'recruit to shoot' mantra. Last season, en route to a 21-11 record and second-place finish in the Big Sky, NAU led the nation in 3-point shooting, firing away at a 42.6-percent clip.

The 'Jacks have ranked in the top 30 nationally from deep in seven of Adras' nine seasons in Flagstaff.

NAU (1-1) comes to Las Vegas having hit 15 of its 36 three-point attempts on the season, but tonight’s game will present a defensive challenge unlike anything the Lumberjacks' first two opponents have offered.

Adras's club began its season with a 68-62 loss at Utah Valley State, then licked its wounds against an NAIA foe -- tiny Haskell Indian Nations University from Lawrence, Kan. -- with a 95-63 victory.

It now faces a UNLV team that has held two regular-season foes and an exhibition opponent to less than 40-percent shooting.

Part of what's kept the Rebels' opponents in games, though, has been poor outside shooting on UNLV's part. In the two regular games and exhibition, fifth-year coach Lon Kruger's squad has sunk just 19 of 79 attempts from beyond the 3-point arc.

"Offensively, when you don't make shots, anything you're doing looks kind of sluggish," Kruger said. "It's not a matter of not getting shots, we've got to compete a little harder to get better shots. If you're not making the shots you're getting, then you've got to get better shots."

In Tuesday's 73-48 victory over Texas-Pan American, the Rebels relied on 37 bench points -- the brunt of which came in the second half -- to pull away from the Broncs after holding just a three-point edge at the break.

Kruger tried to sharpen his players’ 3-point aim in Wednesday’s practice when he told them their long shots were now going to be charted. Director of basketball operations Mike Shepherd assumed those duties with a sheet of paper and a pen.

“The goal isn’t to shoot them,” Kruger barked, “it’s making them!”

The two Lumberjacks who will mostly be responsible for trying to keep tonight’s game close will be seniors Josh Wilson and Matt Johnson.

Johnson, a junior college transfer who averaged just 5.6 points per game in his first season with NAU, is averaging 15.5 through two games to go with 5 rebounds and 2.5 assists. He's 3-of-7 from the arc.

Wilson, from Longview, Wash., has played in every game he's suited up for as a Lumberjack and is 3-for-6 from long range this season. As a sophomore and junior, he shot 41.6 percent from 3-point land.

How many clean looks they'll get off against UNLV's perimeter pressure is the great unknown, but NAU's program has a decent history at the Mack under Adras.

UNLV leads the all-time series, 16-9, including an 83-74 victory down in Flagstaff last December. But Adras pulled off a 74-73 upset in Las Vegas on Dec. 18, 2003.

The Rebels can stem any sort of an upset bid early if they can get those pesky outside looks to start finding more net than rim. Given the resumés of some of the long-range specialists who have struggled so far -- Joe Darger is 4-of-17, Wink Adams is 6-of-21 and Kendall Wallace is 1-of-8 -- Kruger isn't too concerned.

"We've not shot the three for a good percentage yet, and I don't think it's the line," Kruger said of the new 3-point distance, bumped back a foot to 20 feet, 9 inches. "We've shot it much better in practice, and I don't think it's the nerves.

“I think it's maybe a case of we just need to make a few to get the ball rolling as much as anything. Again, the guys that are one-for are the guys we want shooting the three. You talk about Joe, you talk about Kendall, you talk about Wink, and those are the guys we want taking shots. We just have to step up there and make a few, I think, to get it rolling."