Brooklyn Hicks
59
Pepperdine PEP 1-3,0-0 WCC
80
Winner UNLV UNLV 3-1,0-0 Mountain West
Pepperdine PEP
1-3,0-0 WCC
59
Final
80
UNLV UNLV
3-1,0-0 Mountain West
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Pepperdine PEP 17 42 59
UNLV UNLV 46 34 80

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Runnin' Rebels Race Out To Big Lead, Cruise To 80-59 Win Over Pepperdine

Five UNLV players scored in double figures Wednesday night at the Thomas & Mack Center in team's second straight victory.

LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - Five Runnin' Rebels scored in double figures as the UNLV men's basketball team (3-1) won its second straight game with an 80-59 victory over Pepperdine (1-3) on Wednesday night at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Brooklyn Hicks scored a team- and career-high 16 points on 7 of 11 shooting off the bench, while Bear Cherry added 14 points, Dedan Thomas Jr. had 13, Julian Rishwain added 12 in his first start as a Runnin' Rebel and Jailen Bedford contributed 11.

The Waves were led by Stefan Todorovic's 19 points, while Jaxon Olvera and David Mager each scored 10.

FIRST-HALF RUNS: UNLV used a 9-0 spurt to take a 15-5 lead nine minutes into the game, increasing its advantage to 23-8 with 8:25 to go in the first half and then led 46-17 at halftime.

LARGEST LEAD: UNLV increased its lead to as many as 38 in the game, leading 66-28 with 11:41 to go.

STATS OF THE GAME: UNLV shot 64.0% from the field in the first half (16 of 25), including 54.5% on 3-pointers (6 of 11). The Runnin' Rebels forced 16 turnovers and led in points off turnovers 24-7.

QUOTABLE: "Really happy and proud of the guys for a very good first half. We knew we could see some lineups that hadn't played together in games and it was great to see them play that way, figure things out, be very talkative and try to problem solve. We tried to get as many good looks offensively as we could and then take away as many easy, free ones as we could defensively. Without question, it was our best 20 minutes (in the first half), which put us in a good spot for the second half. Now we need to get some rest and carry that over to another tough one on Saturday." - UNLV head coach Kevin Kruger.

NOTES: 
- This was the 24th all-time meeting between UNLV and Pepperdine in men's basketball. The Runnin' Rebels improved to 18-6 all-time against the Waves.
- Cherry was 5 of 7 from the field and is now 26 of 30 on the season (86.7%). He entered the game No. 2 in the country in field-goal percentage.
- Pape N'Diaye led the team in rebounding with six, while Bedford and Cherry each added five. 
- Dedan Thomas Jr. dished out six assists, while Jalen Hill had four with a career-high-tying five steals (second straight game with five steals).
- UNLV shot 49.1% from the field for the game (26 of 53) and 50% on 3-pointers (12 of 24).
- UNLV held Pepperdine to just 28.0% in the first half from the field (7 of 25), including 25.0% on 3-pointers (2 of 8).
- The Runnin' Rebels went 16 of 19 from the free-throw line (84.2%) and have made 40 of 44 over their last two contests (90.9%).
- UNLV had 18 assists with only 10 turnovers. It also had a season-high 14 steals.  
- Jaden Henley, Rob Whaley Jr., and Jace Whiting all sat out for UNLV because of injuries.
- UNLV has made at least one 3-pointer in a NCAA-record 1,231 straight games.

NEXT FOR THE RUNNIN' REBELS: UNLV will conclude its season-opening five-game homestand on Saturday, Nov. 23 with a 4 p.m. game vs. New Mexico State at the Thomas & Mack Center.

TICKETS: UNLV men's basketball tickets may be purchased at UNLVtickets.com, by calling 702-739-3267 or by visiting the Thomas & Mack Center Box Office. 














 
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