Bryce Hamilton
58
Air Force USAFA 4-13,2-11 Mountain West
68
Winner UNLV UNLV 7-9,4-5 Mountain West
Air Force USAFA
4-13,2-11 Mountain West
58
Final
68
UNLV UNLV
7-9,4-5 Mountain West
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Air Force USAFA 28 30 58
UNLV UNLV 31 37 68

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Hamilton Powers Runnin' Rebels Past Air Force In Return, 68-58

Junior guard records fifth career double-double with 22 points and 13 rebounds Saturday afternoon at the Thomas & Mack Center.

LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - The UNLV men's basketball team won for the sixth time in its last seven games at the Thomas & Mack Center as it defeated Air Force, 68-58, in the opening game of its two-game Mountain West series Saturday afternoon at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Bryce Hamilton powered the Runnin' Rebels (7-9, 4-5) with 22 points and 13 rebounds for his fifth career double-double. The junior guard made 9 of 14 from the field, while dishing out five assists in his return after missing time with a sprained ankle. Mbacke Diong contributed 16 points, while Nick Blake added 11 with five assists as well.

Air Force (4-13, 2-11) was led by AJ Walker's 18 points and Chris Joyce's 14.

STAT OF THE GAME: UNLV outscored Air Force in points in the paint 46-10 and shot 25 of 35 (71.4%) on shots from inside the 3-point line.

GAME OF RUNS: UNLV used a 16-0 run that began near the end of the first half (10-0 to start the second half) to take a 13-point lead at 41-28. Air Force then responded with a 16-3 spurt to tie the game at 46-46, before the deciding 12-0 run by the Runnin' Rebels to put them ahead 58-46 with five minutes to play.

QUOTABLE: "We knew coming into this game Air Force has a very deliberate style offensively and defensively. For our young guys that hadn't played against them before, we knew it was going to pose some challenges. I felt like when we were able to get stops - I think at one point we made nine in a row - we were able to create some separation. But we lost that focus when they scored on seven straight possessions. In the end, I was really happy with our guys, how they came together and found ways to get stops at key moments. We're going to do that even better come Monday." - UNLV head coach T.J. Otzelberger

NOTES: 
- UNLV ended a three-game losing skid with the win.
- It marked the Runnin' Rebels' ninth straight win at home over Air Force. UNLV is now 29-2 all-time against the Falcons at home.
- UNLV was 0 for 9 on 3-point attempts in the first half, but shot 63.6% from the field in the second half. 
- UNLV shot 55.1% from the field for the game, marking the sixth time this season it has made at least half its shots. The Runnin' Rebels are 5-1 in such games.
- Air Force made 15 3-pointers in the game, going 8 of 15 in the first half (53.3%).
- Air Force made just five field goals inside the 3-point arc all game.
- UNLV outrebounded the Falcons 33-20.
- There were five lead changes and three ties throughout the game. 
- UNLV led in fast-break points 14-0.
- UNLV held a 31-28 halftime lead.
- UNLV has made at least one 3-pointer in a NCAA-record 1,118 straight games. The Runnin' Rebels missed each of their first 12 3-point attempts in the game before finally making one.

NEXT FOR THE RUNNIN' REBELS: UNLV will host Air Force again on Monday, February 8 at 6 p.m. CBS Sports Network will televise the game, while the radio call may be heard on ESPN Radio 1100 in Las Vegas.


 
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