LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - Winner of three straight games, including Tuesday night's upset victory at Utah State (86-76), and six of its last eight, the UNLV men's basketball team will return home to the Thomas & Mack Center to host Mountain West-leading San Diego State on Saturday, Jan. 24, at 1 p.m. The game will be nationally televised on CBS.

Prior to Tuesday, the Runnin' Rebels (10-8, 5-2) recorded wins against Boise State (89-85 in overtime) at home on Jan. 13, and at San Jose State (76-62) on Jan. 17. UNLV, which is 5-2 in MW play and is just one game in the loss column out of first place, has won five straight games at home.

Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn, who scored a career-high 33 points against Boise State and tallied a career-high-tying six assists, averaged 21.5 points per game last week and was named the Mountain West's Player of the Week on Monday morning. 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.

Gibbs-Lawhorn is coming off a 21-point showing at Utah State, while Tyrin Jones scored a career-high 20.

The Runnin' Rebels are averaging 79.3 points per game and have five players averaging 9.8 points per game or more: Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn (17.1 ppg, 4th in MW), Kimani Hamilton (12.4 ppg), Tyrin Jones (11.2 ppg), Issac Williamson (10.2 ppg), and Howie Fleming Jr. (9.8 ppg). Jacob Bannarbie leads the team in rebounds at 6.3 rpg (6th in MW), while Fleming Jr. lead the team in assists at 3.2 apg. Gibbs-Lawhorn is the team's steals leader at 1.6 spg (6th in MW), while Jones leads in blocks at 2.1 bpg (1st in MW, 22nd nationally).

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 286-195 (.595).

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 DIEGO STATE: The Aztecs (13-5, 7-1) are coming off a 70-69 road loss to Grand Canyon on Wednesday. That snapped San Diego State's seven-game win streak. The Aztecs are led in scoring by BJ Davis (11.6 ppg), Reese Dixon-Waters (11.2 ppg), and Miles Byrd (10.4 ppg). Miles Heide is the team's leading rebounder (5.0 rpg), while Byrd leads in assists (2.8 apg) and steals (2.0 spg, 3rd in MW). Three SDSU players are among the top six in the league in blocked shots: Magoon Gwath (1.5 bpg), Byrd (1.1 bpg), and Pharaoh Compton (1.0 bpg). The Aztecs rank second in the country in bench points per game at 40.1. San Diego State is 3-1 in true road games this season. The Aztecs were picked to win the league in the Mountain West's preseason poll, with Byrd, Dixon-Waters, and Gwath selected to the Preseason All-MW Team, while Byrd was named the Preseason Player of the Year, and Elzie Harrington was selected as the Preseason Freshman of the Year. San Diego State's 15-man roster is made up of eight upperclassmen. The Aztecs went 21-10 overall last season, finishing tied for fourth in the Mountain West at 14-6. They lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to North Carolina. Head coach Brian Dutcher is in his ninth season at the school with a career record of 211-73 (.743).

PROMOTIONS: The following promotions are available for Saturday's game:

• Free T-shirts will be given away to the first 2,500 fans in the building.
• A Happy Hour Beer Special will be available from doors opening until the first media timeout. During that time, $4 20 oz beers may be purchased at the Front Court Grill outside Section 120.
• There will be a student tailgate in the Pavilion Loading Dock, with music and free Raising Canes. Free and exclusive for students, they will have a VIP entrance from the tunnel to courtside.
• There will be an enter-to-win contest for 2-Day Passes for 311 Day 2026. Fans are encouraged to stop by the table above Section 118 to enter.
• The Rebel Girls and Company will perform their National Championship-winning routine at halftime.

TICKETS: Tickets to UNLV men's basketball home games may be purchased at UNLVtickets.com, by calling 702-739-FANS (3267), or by visiting the Thomas & Mack Center Box Office.

BROADCAST INFO: Saturday's game will be televised nationally on CBS with Andrew Catalon and Steve Lappas calling the action. The radio broadcast may be heard on ESPN Radio 1100 AM/SiriusXM 381 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.