Runnin' Rebels Fall At Utah State, 69-54 - University of Nevada Las Vegas Athletics

Wednesday, February 5

Logan, Utah

7:00 PM PT

University of Nevada Las Vegas

11-13, 6-5MW

Utah State

18-7, 7-5Mw

Team	1	2	F
UNLV	29	25	54
Utah State	27	42	69

2/5/2020 10:36:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score FINAL STATS (PDF)

UNLV held second-half lead, but Aggies closed strong Wednesday night.

LOGAN, Utah (UNLVRebels.com) - Sophomore guard Bryce Hamilton scored 15 points and junior guard Amauri Hardy added 10, but the UNLV men's basketball team (11-13, 6-5) lost 69-54 at Utah State Wednesday night.

The Aggies (18-7, 7-5) were led by Neemias Queta's 21 points, six rebounds and five assists, while Sam Merrill added 20 points.

THE TURNING POINT: UNLV led 35-27 two-and-a-half minutes into the second half. The two teams exchanged the lead and after the game was tied at 48-48 with eight minutes to go, Utah State went on a 16-1 run over the next six minutes.

STAT OF THE GAME: The Aggies made 50 percent of their shots, while the Runnin' Rebels finished at 38.5 percent. UNLV made just 30.8 percent of its shots after halftime, including 17 percent on 3-pointers.

QUOTABLE: "Overall, I thought our guys came out very intentional and focused. We had great effort and execution in the first half, and we came out of the locker room and did a great job. As the game settled in, we had our struggles. Even though their zones and switching defenses kept us off balance, I still think it was the defensive side when we were getting stops and playing with pace that was allowing us to be successful. We weren't able to maintain that consistency of getting stops down the stretch of the game." - UNLV head coach T.J. Otzelberger

NOTES:
- It was UNLV's fourth straight loss after starting Mountain West play 6-1.
- It evened the season series between the two teams at one apiece. UNLV defeated Utah State on Jan. 1 in Las Vegas, 70-53.
- It was UNLV's fourth straight loss in Logan and fifth in the last six meetings there.
- Hamilton has now scored in double figures in 11 straight games.
- UNLV was outrebounded 34-26 and the Aggies recorded 19 assists to UNLV's seven.
- There were eight lead changes and six ties throughout.
- Utah State also led in points in the paint, 34-26.
- UNLV has made at least one 3-pointer in a NCAA-record 1,094 straight games.

NEXT FOR THE RUNNIN' REBELS: UNLV will return to the Thomas & Mack Center on Saturday, Feb. 8, at 5 p.m. vs. Fresno State. It will be Kids Day. Kids 12 and under can pick up a free stuffed lion courtesy of the Lions Burn Care Center at UMC. A Family 4 Pack is also available available for that game starting at just $79 (includes four hats, four meals and four ticket). Tickets may be purchased at UNLVtickets.com, by calling 702-739-FANS or by visiting the Thomas & Mack Center Box Office.