LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - The UNLV men's basketball team (1-0) earned a victory in its season opener with a 93-79 decision over Alabama State (0-1) on Monday night at the Thomas & Mack Center.

The Runnin' Rebels had four players score in double figures and were led by Bear Cherry's double-double of 24 points and 11 rebounds, which were both game highs. He was a dominant 10 of 11 from the field and recorded two blocked shots. Dedan Thomas Jr. added 17 points and a game-high seven assists, while Julian Rishwain had 13 points on 4 of 8 3-point shooting and Brooklyn Hicks added 11 points on 5 of 7 from the field.

The Hornets also had four players score in double figures, led by Amarr Knox's 19 points, five assists and two steals.

STATS OF THE GAME: UNLV shot 56.9% from the field (33 of 58) and 45.5% on 3-pointers (9 of 20), and outscored ASU 42-26 in points in the paint.

QUOTABLE: "I'm proud of our team for a lot of things. Every non-conference game for us will have a different challenge to prepare us for conference play. Alabama State brought back five starters and is a team that is comfortable with and understands each other well, which presented a really good and unique situation for us. I thought the guys did a really good job of talking, communicating and figuring it out, running the sets we were looking for and making plays for each other. We did a lot of good things that we can continue to build on, but also some things that we can fix and continue to get better." - UNLV head coach Kevin Kruger.

OTHER NOTES: 
- UNLV outrebounded Alabama State 38-30.
- The Runnin' Rebels dished out 20 assists and committed just 11 turnovers.
- UNLV led in second-chance points, 18-8.
- UNLV held the lead for 36 minutes of the contest.
- UNLV led at halftime, 46-41.
- After Alabama State shot 55.6% on 3-pointers in the first half (5 of 9), UNLV held it to just 30.8% in the second half (4 of 13).
- Alabama State shot 44.3% (27 of 61) from the field for the game and 40.9% (9 of 22) on 3-pointers.
- This was the first all-time meeting between the two schools in men's basketball.
- UNLV improved to 8-1 all-time against Southwestern Athletic Conference schools.
- UNLV improved to 52-15 all-time in season openers and 44-9 in lid-lifters at home. 
- The Runnin' Rebels are now 29-5 all-time in season openers at the Thomas & Mack Center.
- UNLV has made at least one 3-pointer in a NCAA-record 1,228 straight games.

NEXT FOR THE RUNNIN' REBELS: UNLV will continue its season-opening five-game homestand on Saturday, Nov. 9 with a 3 p.m. game vs. Memphis 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.