Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn
72
Fresno St. Fresno 6-6,0-1 Mountain West
84
Winner UNLV UNLV 5-6,1-0 Mountain West
Fresno St. Fresno
6-6,0-1 Mountain West
72
Final
84
UNLV UNLV
5-6,1-0 Mountain West
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Fresno St. Fresno 41 31 72
UNLV UNLV 39 45 84

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Runnin' Rebels Open Mountain West Play With 84-72 Win Over Fresno State

Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn scored a career-high 28 points, while Kimani Hamilton added 20 and Tyrin Jones had 18, Saturday at the Thomas & Mack Center.

LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - The UNLV men's basketball team opened Mountain West play with an 84-72 win over Fresno State on Saturday at the Thomas & Mack Center.

The Runnin' Rebels (5-6, 1-0) had four players score in double figures, led by Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn's career-high 28 points. Kimani Hamilton scored 16 of his 20 in the second half, Tyrin Jones added 18, and Howie Fleming Jr. scored 11.

Fresno State (6-6, 0-1) also had four in double-figure scoring, led by Wilson Jacques' double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds.

TURNING POINT: In a game that featured six lead changes, four ties, and multiple big runs by both teams, the deciding one was a 14-4 spurt late in the second half by UNLV to turn a 70-66 lead into an 84-70 advantage with 38 seconds to go.

STAT OF THE GAME: UNLV shot 61.5% (16 of 26) from the field in the second half. The Runnin' Rebels made 52.2% (12 of 23) of their shots in the first half and finished the game at 57.1% (28 of 49). UNLV recorded 20 assists on 28 made field goals (71.4%).

QUOTABLE: "Really proud of your young men, that was a great win. I thought the game was won by getting those 50/50 loose balls. During the stretch when we were really playing at a high level, our defense was electric, allowing our offense to be at a high level. We took our foot off the gas defensively and took some shots we didn't like, and they got some offensive rebounds, which gave them some life, but the reason we were able to win that game was strictly on defense." - UNLV head coach Josh Pastner

OTHER NOTES: 
- After Fresno State made 58.3% of its 3-pointers in the first half (7 of 12), the Runnin' Rebels held the Bulldogs to just 1 of 10 (10%) from long distance over the final 20 minutes.
- UNLV led by as many as 16 points in the first half, but trailed at the break 41-39.
- UNLV outscored Fresno State by nine points at the free throw line, going 19 of 22 (86.4%) to Fresno State's 10 of 13 (76.9%).
- Gibbs-Lawhorn made a game-high six 3-pointers and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds, also adding three steals.
- Hamilton also had three steals, while Jones recorded three blocks.
- UNLV led 15-5 in fastbreak points.
- UNLV recorded 10 steals.
- Fresno State's bench outscored UNLV's 14-2.
- UNLV has made at least one 3-pointer in a NCAA-record 1,271 straight games.

NEXT FOR THE RUNNIN' REBELS: UNLV will play its final non-conference game of the season on Monday, Dec. 29, vs. La Sierra University at 7 p.m. at the Thomas & Mack Center.

TICKETS: Tickets may be purchased at UNLVtickets.com, by calling 702-739-FANS (3267), or by visiting the Thomas & Mack Center Box Office.



 
Print Friendly Version