TEMPE, Ariz. – The big play eluded UNLV during Friday’s game against Northwestern, as the Scarlet and Gray never got over the hump in a 66-61 loss.

Victory was tantalizingly close. UNLV trailed the entire second half, but on eight separate occasions Kevin Kruger watched his team score to cut the deficit to a single possession. But they were never able to get another stop and score to tie or take the lead, and eventually Northwestern pulled away in the final minutes.

It was the second straight loss for UNLV after the team was sent home from the Arizona Tip-Off with a 0-2 record following Thursday’s emphatic loss to Mississippi State.

“Great minutes all around,” Kruger said. “I thought everyone contributed and did a good job. In the end it came down to a few crucial plays where we just had to come up with a loose ball and a rebound.”

Northwestern plays at an incredibly slow pace, ranking outside the top 300 nationally in tempo, and UNLV has been caught up in that deliberate style. The Wildcats were able to create a defensive jam in the zone, making it difficult for UNLV to get to the rim — especially for sophomore point guard DJ Thomas.

While Thomas was able to hit enough shots between mid-range shots to lead UNLV with 17 points on 7 of 16 shooting, his playmaking was effectively thwarted; Thomas finished the game with two assists and five turnovers.

The entire UNLV team struggled to move the ball, recording more turnovers (14) than assists (nine) for the second straight day.

“They discouraged our trips a little bit,” Kruger said. “We must continue to work to create better distances so that we can better care for each other.”

Senior Julian Rishwain hit two three-pointers with seven minutes left to put UNLV up 51-49. However, Northwestern guard Brooks Barnhizer proved too much for the UNLV defense, scoring seven of his game-high 23 points to keep the Wildcats on top the rest of the way.

“Barnhizer made us pay with a few 3-pointers tonight,” Kruger said. “We were just one step slow on some of them.”

Barnhizer added nine rebounds and six assists to lead Northwestern.

Kruger tinkered with his starting lineup, replacing senior guard Jailen Bedford and inserting redshirt freshman Jacob Bannarbie. The move seemed to pay off early on; Bannarbie grabbed five rebounds in the first five minutes, and when Bedford checked in, he made his first five shots.

Bannarbie finished the game with four points and eight boards, while Bedford scored 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting.

Bedford said he was “cool” when he came off the bench and stressed that he trusted Kruger’s plan despite the team’s 4-3 record in seven games.

“We’re still trying to find our way,” Bedford said. “We had these two tough defeats but we will bounce back very quickly. I have great confidence in this team. There is no doubt that we will be a really successful team in the future.”

UNLV has a week off before returning to action on Dec. 7 with a true road game at Creighton.

Kruger wants UNLV to maintain its competitive spirit during the break.

“The fight tonight was much better and we have to do that before every game,” he said.

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or (email protected). Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.