LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - Trailing by a point with under 10 seconds to play, UNLV men's basketball's Jackie Johnson III stole Air Force's inbound pass and after Keshon Gilbert missed a contested layup, EJ Harkless grabbed the offensive rebound and made the putback with 1.8 seconds to play, giving the Runnin' Rebels a 54-53 victory Friday night at the Thomas & Mack Center.
Harkless led all scorers with 23 points and had a team-high seven rebounds to pace UNLV (17-11, 6-10), which snapped a three-game losing streak. Harkless scored 19 of his points in the second half and after committing five turnovers in the first 20 minutes, he closed the game with just two the rest of the way.
Air Force (14-16, 5-12) was led by Jake Heidbreder and Rytis Petraitis, who each scored 16 points. Petraitis collected a game-high 10 rebounds for the double-double.
STAT OF THE GAME: It was a back-and-forth game all night with 14 lead changes and four ties. Air Force's largest lead of the game was seven points in the first half, while UNLV's biggest advantage was just three points.
QUOTABLE: "Couldn't be more proud of them for continuing to fight. Shows that the message got through. The hardest part about playing Air Force is having guys that haven't seen it. There is really no way to truly simulate what they do. Different guys played to finish the game than may be normal, and guys made plays and didn't quit. Jackie getting a hand on that pass was the only option we had left. The only chance we had to win the game was if someone got a deflection or a steal and he did that. Couldn't be happier for the guys to get one to go our direction." - UNLV head coach
Kevin Kruger.
OTHER NOTES:
- UNLV was again without starters Elijah Parquet and Luis Rodriguez because of injury.
- UNLV improved to 15-0 this season when holding its opponent to 72 points or less.
- UNLV improved to 45-15 all-time in the series and 33-2 all-time vs. Air Force at home.
- UNLV outshot Air Force 41.5% to 39.2% from the field, but the Falcons shot 31.8% on 3-pointers to the Runnin' Rebels' 15.0%.
- UNLV outrebounded Air Force 34-29.
- UNLV led in points in the paint 38-26, and in second-chance points 12-4.
- Air Force led by a point at halftime, 26-25.
- UNLV has made at least one 3-pointer in a NCAA-record 1,189 straight games.
NEXT FOR THE RUNNIN' REBELS: UNLV will remain at the Thomas & Mack Center for its final regular-season home game of the season on Wednesday, March 1 against Utah State. The 8 p.m. game will also be Senior Night. Tickets may be purchased at UNLVtickets.com, by calling 702-739-FANS (3267) or in person at the TMC Box Office.
