Men's Basketball 2/4/2022 10:45:00 AM

Runnin' Rebels To Play At Utah State Saturday Afternoon

UNLV has won two straight and three of its last four; 3 p.m. PT game on CBS Sports Network.

LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - The UNLV men's basketball team, winner of two straight games and three of its last four, will head back out on the road for a game at Utah State on Saturday, Feb. 5 at 4 p.m. MT/3 p.m. PT.

LAST TWO GAMES: The Runnin' Rebels' two-game win streak consists of their first win over a ranked team in two years, handing then-No. 22 Colorado State its first home loss of the season last Friday, 88-74. Senior guard Bryce Hamilton scored a career-high 42 points, which tied for the ninth-best single-game scoring performance in UNLV history and marked the first time a Runnin' Rebel scored at least 40 points in a game since Trevor Diggs had 49 over 20 years ago in 2001. UNLV followed that performance up with a 69-58 home victory Tuesday night over its rival UNR. Four Runnin' Rebels scored in double figures in that game, led by Hamilton and junior forward Donovan Williams with 17 points apiece.

NATIONAL & MOUNTAIN WEST PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Hamilton was honored Monday as the league's Player of the Week and then Tuesday was named the U.S. Basketball Writers Association's Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week. The MW honor was the first for UNLV this season and the third of Hamilton's career, while the national award was just the second in UNLV history and first since 2014. Hamilton averaged 32.5 points per game, while shooting 52.6% (20 of 38) from the field and 50.0% on 3-pointers (11 of 22) over the two games last week. He also grabbed 6.5 rebounds per game.

THIS SEASON: Hamilton leads the Runnin' Rebels (13-9, 5-4) in scoring this season at 20.6 points per game, which ranks first in the Mountain West and 15th in the nation. Williams second on the team at 14.1 ppg and tops in field-goal percentage at 49.5. Senior forward Royce Hamm Jr. is second in the MW in rebounding with 9.5 per contest (22nd in the country) and is also averaging 8.5 ppg and 1.0 blocks per game. Senior guard Jordan McCabe leads the team in assists at 4.6 apg (seventh in the MW) and is second in the conference and 18th in the country in assist/turnover ratio (2.9).

UNLV has had an entirely new look this year with nine transfers - eight coming from the Division I level, including four from Big 12 programs. Ten of the Runnin' Rebels' 13 scholarship players had yet to play in a game in a UNLV uniform before this season began.

UNLV's 15-man roster includes 13 upperclassmen. Hamilton was selected to the 2021-22 Preseason All-Mountain West Team in October. Initially declaring for the 2021 NBA Draft, the second-team All-MW honoree last season who led the Runnin' Rebels in scoring with 17.9 points per game decided to return to the program.

ABOUT THE OPPONENT: Utah State (14-9, 5-5) started 1-5 in MW play but has since won four straight: vs. San Diego State (75-57) on Jan. 26, at UNR (78-49) on Jan. 29, vs. Air Force (73-46) on Tuesday and vs. San Jose State (78-62) on Thursday. Justin Bean leads the team in scoring (18.1 ppg, 7th in MW) and rebounding (9.9 rpg, 1st in MW), while Rylan Jones is the team's assist leader (4.9 apg, 5th in MW). The Aggies rank seventh in the country in assists per game (18.2) and are 21st in field goal percentage (48.1). Utah State is 7-4 at home this season.

BROADCAST INFO: Saturday's game will be televised nationally on CBS Sports Network with Rich Waltz and Dan Dickau calling the action. Jon Sandler, former Runnin' Rebel Curtis Terry and Steve Cofield (sidelines) will handle the UNLV radio call, which may be heard live on ESPN Radio 1100 in Las Vegas. All streaming links and live stats are available at UNLVRebels.com and through the UNLV Rebels App.

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Players Mentioned

#13 Bryce Hamilton: Guard; 6' 4"; Sophomore; 1L

#14 Royce Hamm Jr.: F; 6' 9"; Fifth Year

#5 Jordan McCabe: G; 6' 0"; Senior

#3 Donovan Williams: F; 6' 6"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#13 Bryce Hamilton
: 6' 4"; Sophomore; 1L
: Guard

#14 Royce Hamm Jr.
: 6' 9"; Fifth Year
: F

#5 Jordan McCabe
: 6' 0"; Senior
: G

#3 Donovan Williams
: 6' 6"; Junior
: F