Men's Basketball 1/16/2026 10:26:00 AM

Runnin' Rebels Play At San Jose State Saturday Afternoon

UNLV has won four of its last six games; 2 p.m. game in Bay Area will be broadcast on the Mountain West Network.

LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - After defeating Boise State in overtime on Tuesday night for its fourth win in its last six games, the UNLV men's basketball team will head back out on the road and play at San Jose State on Saturday, Jan. 17 at 2 p.m.

The Runnin' Rebels (8-8, 3-2) won their fifth straight home game with the 89-85 victory over the Broncos, which also snapped a two-game losing streak (at Wyoming on Jan. 6, and at Colorado State last Friday).

Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn scored a career-high 33 points against Boise State, adding a career-high-tying six assists. The 33 points marked the highest individual scoring total in a game by a UNLV player since EJ Harkless had 35 points in the 2023 Mountain West Tournament.

UNLV won each of its first two Mountain West games of the season over Fresno State and Air Force, both at home.

The Runnin' Rebels are averaging 79.1 points per game and have four players averaging double figures in scoring: Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn (17.3 ppg), Kimani Hamilton (12.6 ppg), Issac Williamson (10.7 ppg), and Tyrin Jones (10.6 ppg). Jacob Bannarbie leads the team in rebounds at 6.7 rpg, while Gibbs-Lawhorn and Howie Fleming Jr. lead the team in assists, each at 2.9 apg. Gibbs-Lawhorn is the team's steals leader at 1.6 spg, while Jones leads the MW in blocks at 2.2 bpg.

The Runnin' Rebels are in their first year under head coach Josh Pastner. Although new to UNLV, he is in his 15th year as a collegiate head coach, having previously led Memphis and Georgia Tech for seven seasons each. He holds a career record of 284-195 (.593).

UNLV's roster has only one returning player, Jacob Bannarbie, and has welcomed 13 new faces. The newcomers include eight Division I transfers, a former international professional, a junior college transfer, and three freshmen.

MORE ABOUT THE ROSTER: This season's UNLV squad, which has had to deal with a rash of injuries, returned just one player from 2024-25: redshirt sophomore forward Jacob Bannarbie. The 2025-26 roster added 13 newcomers - eight Division I transfers, a former international professional, a junior college transfer, and three freshmen. The team features four seniors, three juniors, three sophomores, and three freshmen, with a position breakdown of seven guards, six forwards, and a center. Last season, Bannarbie appeared in 19 games (three starts), averaging 1.6 points and 1.8 rebounds in 6.6 minutes, and shooting 52.9% from the field on 17 attempts.

ABOUT SAN JOSE STATE: The Spartans (6-11, 1-5) are coming off a 70-62 home win over Air Force on Tuesday. Prior to that game, SJSU had lost six straight games. San Jose State is led in scoring by Colby Garland, who is second in the Mountain West with 18.9 ppg. The team is led in rebounding by Yaphet Moundi with 7.6 rpg, which ranks No. 5 in the league. Garland also leads the team in assists with 4.0, ranking fourth in the MW. The Spartans are 5-4 at home this season. They were picked to finish 10th in the Mountain West's preseason poll. San Jose State's 16-man roster is made up of just five upperclassmen. The Spartans went 15-20 overall last season, finishing eighth in the Mountain West at 7-13. Head coach Tim Miles is in his fifth season at the school with a record of 59-91 (.393), and is in his 29th year overall as a collegiate head coach with a career mark of 458-429 (.516).

BROADCAST INFO: Saturday's game will be broadcast on the Mountain West Network with Ben Ross calling the action. The radio broadcast may be heard on ESPN Radio 1100 AM and SiriusXM 390 with Matt Neverett, Curtis Terry, and Steve Cofield on the call. All streaming links and live stats are available at UNLVRebels.com and through the UNLV Rebels App.

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Players Mentioned

#12 Jacob Bannarbie: F; 6' 9"; Redshirt Freshman

#0 Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn: G; 6' 1"; Junior

#3 Howie Fleming Jr.: G; 6' 5"; Redshirt Senior

#12 Issac Williamson: G; 6' 0"; Freshman

#6 Tyrin Jones: F; 6' 9"; Freshman

#2 Kimani Hamilton: F; 6' 8"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#12 Jacob Bannarbie
: 6' 9"; Redshirt Freshman
: F

#0 Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn
: 6' 1"; Junior
: G

#3 Howie Fleming Jr.
: 6' 5"; Redshirt Senior
: G

#12 Issac Williamson
: 6' 0"; Freshman
: G

#6 Tyrin Jones
: 6' 9"; Freshman
: F

#2 Kimani Hamilton
: 6' 8"; Senior
: F