Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn
59
Lincoln (CA) M-506551 0-0
123
Winner UNLV M-465 0-0,0-0 Mountain West
Lincoln (CA) M-506551
0-0
59
Final
123
UNLV M-465
0-0,0-0 Mountain West
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Lincoln (CA) M-506551 33 26 59
UNLV M-465 66 57 123

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Shorthanded Runnin' Rebels Cruise To 123-59 Exhibition Win

Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn scored a game-high 31 points as five UNLV players recorded double figures against Lincoln University (California) Tuesday night at the Thomas & Mack Center.

LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - The shorthanded UNLV men's basketball team wrapped up the exhibition portion of its 2025-26 schedule with a 123-59 win over Lincoln University (Calif.) on Tuesday night at the Thomas & Mack Center.

UNLV was without five scholarship players because of injury: Mason Abittan, Myles Che, Ladji Dembele, Emmanual Stephen and Issac Williamson, leaving just eight scholarship players available.

Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn scored 20 of his game-high 31 points in the first half as the Runnin' Rebels raced out to a 66-33 lead at the break. A total of five UNLV players scored in double figures, while four recorded double digits in rebounds. Naas Cunningham contributed 23 points and Walter Brown had a game-high 14 rebounds.

Laolu Kalejaiye led the Oaklanders with 16 points, while Claude McKesey scored 15 and Brandon Williams had 11.

MORE INDIVIDUAL STATS: Gibbs-Lawhorn was 12 of 16 from the field, including 5 of 8 on 3-pointers. He also dished out a game-high seven assists with no turnovers, had three blocked shots and a steal. Jacob Bannarbie and Al Green each scored 14 points for UNLV, while Kimani Hamilton had 13. Bannarbie, Howie Fleming Jr. and Green each had 10 rebounds. Green and Cunningham each had four steals, while Tyrin Jones had seven points, seven rebounds and three blocks.

STAT OF THE GAME: UNLV out-rebounded Lincoln 72-31, including pulling down 28 on the offensive glass (16 second-chance points).

BIG RUN: UNLV held a two-point lead almost six minutes into the game, but outscored Lincoln 50-19 the rest of the half. That included a 13-0 run over 2:31 that turned a 43-28 advantage into a 56-28 lead.

LARGEST LEAD: UNLV led by as many as 65 points near the end of the game. 

QUOTABLE: "I was proud of our young men. We should have won the game and by a good margin, which we did. I thought the ball really moved well and we found the open man. Our goal is to get 60% of our field goals assisted and we did a nice job there. We got great paint touches and rebounded well on the offensive glass. Defensively, we need to be better with our transition defense. However, there were a lot of positives tonight and always good to get a win." - UNLV head coach Josh Pastner

OTHER NOTES: 
- UNLV recorded 34 assists on 50 made field goals (68%).
- UNLV shot 59.6% in the first half from the field, finishing the game at 51.5%.
- The Runnin' Rebels held Lincoln to just 28.4% shooting.
- UNLV forced Lincoln to commit 20 turnovers, outscoring the Oaklanders in points off turnovers 27-8. The Runnin' Rebels only had eight turnovers.
- UNLV had 13 steals and nine blocked shots.
- UNLV led in points in the paint 78-16, in fastbreak points 26-4 and in bench scoring 44-15.
- UNLV outscored Lincoln in the second half 57-26.
- UNLV made 11 3-pointers on the night.
- This was the first season that UNLV has played exhibition games since 2019.
- It was the Runnin' Rebels' lone exhibition game at home.

NEXT FOR THE RUNNIN' REBELS: UNLV will open the regular season on Tuesday, Nov. 4 vs. UT Martin at 7 p.m. at the Thomas & Mack Center. Before tipoff, UNLV Athletics will rededicate the court as Jerry and Lois Tarkanian Court, honoring Hall of Fame coach Jerry Tarkanian and his wife, Lois.

TICKETS: Tickets may be purchased online at UNLVtickets.com, by calling 702-739-FANS (3267) or in person at the Thomas & Mack Center Box Office. Season tickets are on sale now. Single-game tickets for Tuesday's game start at just $11.


 
Print Friendly Version