BOISE, Idaho (UNLVRebels.com) - Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn scored 25 of his career-high 36 points in the second half as UNLV came back from 23 points down to win at Boise State, 86-83, in overtime Friday night at ExtraMile Arena.
Gibbs-Lawhorn's point total was the highest scoring game by a UNLV player since Bryce Hamilton tallied 42 points in 2022 at Colorado State.
Kimani Hamilton added 13 points for the Runnin' Rebels (13-12, 8-6), while Tyrin Jones added 12.
Drew Fielder led four Boise State (15-10, 7-7) players in double-figure scoring with 27 points.
SLOW START, BIG COMEBACK: UNLV made just three of its first 19 shot attempts and trailed Boise State, 32-9, with seven minutes left in the first half. The Runnin' Rebels closed the half by making five of their last six shots to cut the deficit to 11 (40-29). The Broncos led by 17 points with 8:55 to go (64-47), but a 15-0 UNLV run over the next three minutes changed the game's momentum.
BRING OUT THE BROOM: UNLV also defeated Boise State in overtime in this season's earlier meeting on Jan. 13 (89-85). The Runnin' Rebels recorded their first regular-season sweep of the Broncos since 2019.
THREE-GAME WIN STREAKS: The win at Boise State was UNLV's third straight win. The Runnin' Rebels have now recorded three separate three-game win streaks this season.
STAT OF THE GAME: UNLV shot 57.6% from the field in the second half (19 of 33), including 54.5% on 3-pointers (6 of 11).
FIVE STRAIGHT 20+ POINT GAMES: Gibbs-Lawhorn, who made a game-tying 3-pointer with 30 seconds left to force overtime, has now scored 20+ points in five straight games. He has scored 30+ points twice this season, both against the Broncos.
QUOTABLE: "That was a great win. I think Boise State was playing as well as anyone in the league in these last seven or eight games, and better than anyone west of the Mississippi. They are very well coached. Leon Rice is one of the best coaches and they are a very good basketball team. But that was a great, gritty, tough win. Being down 23 and for us to stay together, stay connected, fight, scrap, claw, kick, whatever we had to do to find a way to come back to win that game was awesome in a really hard place to win at. Just so proud of our young men." - UNLV head coach Josh Pastner
OTHER NOTES:
- Boise State had won six of its last seven entering the game (since losing at UNLV in overtime).
- Gibbs-Lawhorn, who played all 45 of the game's minutes, shot 13 of 22 from the field, including 6 of 12 from 3-point range. He also made all four of his free throw attempts, with three rebounds and two steals.
- Hamilton was 5 of 8 from the field, including 3 of 4 on 3-pointers, with four rebounds, while Jones shot 5 of 10 with five rebounds and a game-high four blocks.
- Fielder was 9 of 14 from the field, making 5 of 6 3-pointers.
- UNLV committed just eight turnovers and outscored Boise State in points off turnovers, 21-12.
- UNLV recorded 11 offensive rebounds to Boise State's seven, and outscored the Broncos in second-chance points by 10 (16-6).
- Boise State shot 10 more free throws than UNLV did (23-13), outscoring the Runnin' Rebels 21-10 at the charity stripe.
- UNLV has made a 3-pointer in 1,285 straight games - every one since the NCAA adopted the rule in 1986.
NEXT FOR THE RUNNIN' REBELS: UNLV will return home to the Thomas & Mack Center to host Colorado State on Wednesday, Feb. 18. The game is scheduled to start at 8 p.m.
TICKETS: Tickets may be purchased at UNLVtickets.com, by calling 702-739-FANS (3267), or in person at the TMC Box Office.
