How to watch UNLV basketball
- What: UNLV vs. UNR
- When: Saturday, 8:30 p.m.
- Where: Thomas and Mack Center
- TV: FS1
- Radio: 1100AM, 100.9FM
That is a tough, tough loss for UNLV.
The Scarlet and Gray had their five-game winning streak snapped, as UNR scored an improbable, 69-66 comeback victory at the Thomas & Mack Center.
UNLV led, 62-53, when Jackie Johnson hit a corner 3 with 5:31 remaining. UNR then scored the next eight points to trim UNLV's lead to a single point, with the final two buckets during that run being lightly contested layups by Nick Davidson and Kenan Blackshear.
The Scarlet and Gray went scoreless for nearly four minutes while UNR roared back, with a pair of turnovers mixed in.
UNR took the lead with 1:33 left on a pair of free throws by Nick Davidson. D.J. Thomas answered by driving and making a floater to put UNLV up, 64-63, with a minute to play, but the Wolf Pack went ahead again on a Daniel Foster layup.
Thomas attacked the paint again and drew a foul; the freshman missed both, and UNLV was forced to foul. UNR made two to go up 67-64 with 15 seconds on the clock.
UNR conceded a layup to Thomas with 8.7 to play, but UNR guard Jarod Lucas made both free throws to restore the 3-point lead. On the final possession, Keylan Boone attempted a stepback 3 but did not hit the rim.
With the shocking defeat, UNLV is now 7-5 in Mountain West play and 14-10 overall. The loss drops the Scarlet and Gray from the No. 3 seed to the No. 7 seed if the MWC tournament started today.
UNLV leads UNR, 59-53
The game has devolved into an ugly, whistle-filled affair, but UNLV continues to hang on to a 59-53 lead with 5:54 remaining.
We've already had 35 fouls called tonight, resulting in 18 free throws for UNR and 19 for UNLV. That has made the pace choppy, especially in the second half, and UNLV has had to get grimy in order to maintain its lead.
D.J. Thomas and Keylan Boone have 15 points apiece, and Luis Rodriguez just contributed a very big putback off a missed free throw, as he battled two UNR players for possession before finishing at the rim. Rodriguez has eight points, three rebounds and two steals.
UNLV trying to hold off UNR, up 49-43
With 11:43 remaining, UNLV continues to hold off UNR, 49-43.
UNLV pushed its lead as high as 10 points after the halftime break, but UNR immediately commenced an 8-0 run to get back within a single possession. Wolf Pack guard Jarod Lucas hit his fourth 3-pointer of the night to cap that spurt; he now has a game-high 14 points.
UNLV's last two baskets came via a Kalib Boone putback dunk and an alley-oop dunk from D.J. Thomas to Karl Jones. The Scarlet and Gray now have a 26-14 advantage in points in the paint.
Foul trouble continues to creep up on UNLV, as Keylan Boone and Luis Rodriguez both have three personals. Kevin Kruger subbed out Keylan Boone, but for now he's allowing Rodriguez to play through it.
UNLV runs to 36-28 halftime lead over UNR
D.J. Thomas got into the paint and bounced in a soft-touch floater at the halftime buzzer to give UNLV a 36-28 lead at the break.
That capped a 9-0 run for the Scarlet and Gray, who trailed, 28-27, before closing the half strong.
Thomas has 10 points and four assists, while Keylan Boone has a team-high 11 points.
UNR has struggled to generate good looks against UNLV's set defense, shooting 9-of-27 from the field (33.3%) with nine turnovers. Even when foul trouble forced seldom-used reserve center Karl Jones to play the final few minutes of the half, the Wolf Pack was largely unable to take advantage.
Speaking of foul trouble, starting big men Kalib Boone and Rob Whaley both picked up two in the first half, as did Luis Rodriguez. That could become a factor if this game is close throughout the second half.
UNLV on a run, takes 27-20 lead over UNR
This might be the loudest the Thomas & Mack Center has gotten all season, as D.J. Thomas just swished a 3 to put UNLV ahead, 27-20, with 6:00 left in the first half.
That triple capped a 7-0 run for the home team, which prompted UNR coach Steve Alford to call timeout.
Rob Whaley has come to life in the last few minutes, scoring four times from close range. Two were assisted by Thomas, including a loud two-handed dunk that got the crowd on its feet.
Whaley now has a team-high eight points on 4-of-4 shooting, plus two rebounds and two blocks. Thomas has six points and three assists.
UNR takes early lead against UNLV
Just a few minutes into this game and UNLV has already seen enough of Jarod Lucas. The UNR guard nailed his first three shots, including a pair of 3-pointers, to boost the visiting Wolf Pack to an early 8-4 lead.
Lucas did miss his fourth attempt, a long heat-check 3 in transition, so maybe he'll cool off a bit. Luis Rodriguez got the rebound on that one and went the other way, drawing a foul in transition, so he'll shoot a pair of free throws after the timeout.
Some good news for UNLV: There's no streak anxiety tonight. After a couple of close calls in the last two games, the Scarlet and Gray took care of their 3-point streak early in this one, as Keylan Boone made a triple from the corner on the team's second offensive possession. UNLV has now made a 3 in 1,217 straight games, the longest streak in the nation.
Rivalry resumes as UNLV basketball hosts UNR
Saturday night is shaping up to be one of the biggest games of the season for the UNLV basketball team, as they put a five-game winning streak on the line against visiting rival UNR (8:30 p.m., FS1).
Can Kevin Kruger and his resurgent squad keep climbing the standings with another victory? Three keys to watch:
Kruger puts perfect mark on the line
When evaluating a UNLV coach in any sport, one of the top criteria is “beat Reno.” Kruger has aced that part of the job, running up a perfect 4-0 record against the in-state rivals over his first two years.
As usual, Kruger downplayed his success against UNR when speaking to the media after Tuesday’s practice and put the focus on trying to win another game.
“Another very good team in the Mountain West,” Kruger said. “Should be another good rivalry game in a very competitive conference,”
Freshman guard D.J. Thomas was a little more vocal about his feelings on the rivalry. His father, Dedan Thomas Sr., played at UNLV from 1990-93, and ran up a 4-1 record against the Wolf Pack during that time.
The younger Thomas seems to have inherited his father’s hatred of the team up north.
“He hates Reno,” Thomas said.
Interior play
UNLV has been feasting inside lately, with starting big men Kalib Boone and Rob Whaley forming a formidable 1-2 punch under the basket. How will UNR stack up on defense?
The Wolf Pack feature one of the lengthier frontcourts in the conference, with 6-foot-10 center K.J. Hymes and 6-foot-8 forward Nick Davidson providing size on the interior.
Boone and Whaley have combined for 56 points over the last two games while shooting 21-of-36 from the field (58.3%). If UNR doesn’t slow them down, it’s advantage UNLV.
Standings watch
UNLV’s five-game winning streak has launched the team into a tie for fourth place in the Mountain West standings, and if the season ended today they’d get the tiebreaker over Boise State by virtue of winning at Boise earlier this year — the only scheduled meeting between the teams this season, due to the MWC’s unbalanced schedule.
A win on Saturday would not only move UNLV into third place, it would drop UNR to 6-6, a full two games behind UNLV and on the outside looking in when it comes to earning a first-round bye in the MWC tournament.
For a mid-February contest, those are pretty high stakes.
Who: UNLV (14-9, 7-4 MWC) vs. UNR (19-6, 6-5 MWC)
When: Saturday, 8:30 p.m.
Where: Thomas & Mack Center
TV: FS1
Radio: 1100 AM, 100.9 FM
UNLV leaders
Scoring
D.J. Thomas: 12.4 points
Rebounds
Luis Rodriguez: 6.9 rebounds
Assists
D.J. Thomas: 5.9 assists
UNR leaders
Scoring
Jarod Lucas: 17.0 points
Rebounds
Nick Davidson: 6.9 rebounds
Assists
Kenan Blackshear: 4.7 assists
Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.
Join the Discussion:
Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.
Full comments policy