at Boise State
59
UNLV UNLV 8-11,5-7 Mountain West
61
Winner Boise St. Boise 16-4,12-3 Mountain West
UNLV UNLV
8-11,5-7 Mountain West
59
Final
61
Boise St. Boise
16-4,12-3 Mountain West
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
UNLV UNLV 28 31 59
Boise St. Boise 27 34 61

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Runnin' Rebels Come Up Short At Boise State, 61-59

UNLV had a chance to win on the final possession Saturday night at ExtraMile Arena.

BOISE, Idaho (UNLVRebels.com) - After a late steal, the UNLV men's basketball team had a chance to win on the game's final possession, but Caleb Grill's off-balance shot was off the mark and a subsequent Boise State free throw gave the Broncos a two-point advantage as they escaped with a 61-59 win Saturday night at Extra Mile Arena.

Derrick Alston was the only Boise State player in double-figure scoring as he scored a game-high 27 points, including 6 of 8 on 3-pointers, to lead the Broncos (16-4, 12-3) to the two-game Mountain West series sweep. Mladen Armus collected a game-high 13 rebounds.

UNLV (8-11, 5-7) had three players in double figures, led by David Jenkins Jr.'s 19 points. Bryce Hamilton scored 13, while Caleb Grill had 11.

GAME OF RUNS: Boise State looked like it was going to take control after a 9-0 run gave it a 43-35 lead with 12 minutes left in the game. But UNLV went on a run of its own, 14-0, to take a 49-43 advantage with just over six minutes to play. It held the Broncos scoreless for over six minutes.  

DOWN THE STRETCH: UNLV held a five-point lead with just over four minutes to play but only scored one field goal the rest of the way, while Boise State scored 10 of its final 14 points on free throws. The Broncos outscored UNLV 11-4 to end the game.

STAT OF THE GAME: Boise State had just one more offensive rebound than UNLV (12-11) but outscored the Runnin' Rebels 17-5 in second-chance points.

QUOTABLE: "I thought our guys did a really good job focusing their effort and energy defensively against really good offensive team. We really shored some things up and made a lot of great plays defensively. Unfortunately for us down the stretch, our lack of leadership, point-guard play, experience, whatever you want to call it - comes back and haunts us. We've got to do a better job managing possessions late, sharing the basketball, and then obviously convert at the free-throw line as those points are huge. If you're going to win on the road and beat a good team, all of those things are going to be important." - UNLV head coach T.J. Otzelberger

NOTES: 
- Devin Tillis led the Runnin' Rebels with eight rebounds and made all six of his free-throw attempts.
- Jenkins made 4 of 6 3-pointers. 
- UNLV held Boise State to just 37.5% shooting (21 of 56).
- There were eight lead changes and two ties throughout the game.
- UNLV led in bench scoring, 25-16.
- UNLV led by one at halftime, 28-27. 
- Boise State increased its all-time lead in the series to 13-10 and the Runnin' Rebels dropped to 2-9 all-time at Boise State.
- Boise State improved to 9-0 at home this season.
- UNLV has made at least one 3-pointer in a NCAA-record 1,121 straight games.

NEXT FOR THE RUNNIN' REBELS: UNLV will travel to San Jose State for two games on Friday, February 19 and Sunday, February 21. Friday's game will be shown on Stadium at 6:30 p.m., while Sunday's will be on FS1 at 1 p.m. Both games may be heard on ESPN Radio 1100 in Las Vegas.


 
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