How to watch UNLV basketball
- What: UNLV vs. No. 21 San Diego State
- When: Tuesday, 8 p.m.
- Where: Thomas and Mack Center
- TV: CBS Sports Network
- Radio: 1100AM, 100.9FM
UNLV just made a very loud statement, knocking off No. 21 San Diego State, 62-58.
With just over four minutes to play, D.J. Thomas maneuvered his way down the lane and made a contested floater to make it a two-possession game. After a defensive stop, Thomas swished a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer to make it 56-49 with 3:33 remaining.
Jaedon LeDee made a pair of free throws to pull San Diego State within three. After running the shot clock down, Luis Rodriguez drove and drew a foul; the senior made both to restore UNLV's 58-53 advantage.
UNLV nearly got a stop on the ensuing defensive possession, but a long rebound bounced directly to Lamont Butler, and the San Diego State guard calmly sank an open 3 to pull his squad back within 58-52 with a minute to play.
UNLV's next possession ended in disaster, as Rob Whaley botched a dribble handoff with Thomas, allowing Butler to come up with a steal and a breakaway layup to tie the game with 40 seconds to play.
After a timeout, Thomas ran down the shot clock, crossed over his defender and nailed a mid-range jumper to put the Scarlet and Gray ahead. San Diego State called timeout with 17.5 seconds left and ran a play to get Micah Parrish a 3-point attempt. Kalib Boone closed fast, however, and blocked the shot. Keylan Boone came up with the loose ball, and San Diego State fouled Thomas with 6.5 seconds on the clock.
Thomas, who was 3-of-7 from the line at that point, sank both to seal the win.
Thomas led all scorers with 19 points, while Keylan Boone posted 16 points, 11 rebounds, four blocks and four assists.
UNLV is now 12-5 in conference play, and could finish with the No. 2 seed with a win at UNR on Saturday. The Scarlet and Gray have won 10 of their last 11.
UNLV up 51-47, looking to knock off San Diego State
This game is coming down to the final minutes, as UNLV holds a precarious 51-47 lead over San Diego State with 5:01 to play.
A foul was called on Rob Whaley defending a Jaedon LeDee drive, but the referees are now reviewing to see if LeDee committed a flagrant foul by making contact with Whaley's head. This could be a huge call.
UNLV has done a good job of responding when pushed by San Diego State down the stretch Keylan Boone and Luis Rodriguez hit back-to-back 3-pointers to push the lead to 50-44, and Kalib Boone split a pair of free throws to make it a seven-point lead. San Diego State guard Micah Parrish then connected on a clutch triple to make it 51-47.
One concern for UNLV is D.J. Thomas at the free-throw line. The freshman is 3-of-7 tonight and just missed the front end of a 1-and-1, and if this game remains close, he may have to shoot some big ones in the final minutes.
UNLV holding on to slim lead over San Diego State
San Diego State is suddenly hot from 3-point range, and UNLV's lead is down to 42-41 with 11:49 remaining.
The Aztecs have hit triples on three of their last five possessions, with Elijah Saunders making two in a row and Myles Byrd connecting from the left wing before the timeout. San Diego State is now 7-of-23 from deep as a team.
UNLV is just 3-of-9 from the field in the second half and 0-of-3 from long distance.
Tempers flared after a shooting foul was called to send Kalib Boone to the free-throw line, and San Diego State coach Brian Dutcher picked up a technical foul for arguing the call.
Expect the intensity to remain at that level the rest of the way.
UNLV leads No. 21 San Diego State at half, 33-28
The Scarlet and Gray led by as many as 17 points midway through the half, but San Diego State closed strong, trimming UNLV's advantage to 33-28 at the break.
Turnovers fueled the Aztecs' comeback, as their backcourt pressure caused a ton of problems for UNLV's ballhandlers. Freshman point guard D.J. Thomas has been hounded by Darrion Trammell, coughing up an uncharacteristic four turnovers.
Keylan Boone has three 3-pointers and leads all scorers with 11 points. Thomas has six points.
Jaedon LeDee is pacing San Diego State with eight points, but the physical center is just 2-of-9 from the field. The Aztecs started the game 2-of-23 before settling in and hitting 6-of-12 to close the half.
San Diego State is a tough, veteran team, so it was unrealistic to expect UNLV to cruise to an easy victory. Can Kevin Kruger's squad earn it over 20 hard-fought minutes when play resumes?
UNLV dominating San Diego State early, up 27-10
UNLV couldn't have asked for a better start to this one, as they've raced out to a commanding 27-10 lead with 7:58 left in the first half.
A most unexpected boost has come from Karl Jones. The backup big man was honored during the Senior Night pregame ceremony, then checked in and scored on back to back possessions to help stake UNLV to a 10-point lead. Jones's first bucket was a monster putback dunk, and the second was a half-hook in the post. He also blocked a shot during his short stint, and when he went back to the bench a moment later he received a loud ovation.
Keylan Boone has been a more conventional source of offense. He has knocked down three 3-pointers already, giving him a game-high 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting.
San Diego State is still struggling to get good looks at the basket, shooting an incredible 2-of-22 from the field.
UNLV takes early lead over San Diego State
Kevin Kruger wanted a rock fight, and that's exactly what he's getting so far. With 15:21 left in the first half, UNLV has a 6-0 lead over San Diego State.
The Aztecs are 0-of-5 from the field, and UNLV's physical defense in the paint has played a big part in that. At the other end, D.J. Thomas and Keylan Boone have connected on 3-pointers to give UNLV its early advantage.
As expected, junior forward Rob Whaley has drawn the initial assignment of defending San Diego State leading scorer Jaedon LeDee. The Aztecs tried to iso that matchup on the game's second possession, but Whaley forced him into a tough turnaround jumper that missed.
UNLV looking for statement win vs. No. 21 San Diego State
If UNLV wants to announce itself as a legitimate contender heading into the Mountain West tournament, there would be no better way to do it than by beating No. 21 San Diego State tonight (8 p.m., CBS Sports Network).
The Aztecs come in with an 11-5 record in conference play that is identical to UNLV’s, and a less-than-impressive 5-7 mark on the road. The Scarlet and Gray, meanwhile, have won four straight and nine of their last 10, so if Kevin Kruger is going to land his first win over San Diego State, this might be the time.
Three keys to watch:
Rock fight
Twice during his meeting with the media Monday, Kruger referred to the upcoming game as a “rock fight,” meaning he expects an ugly, defensive-minded affair in which every possession is bled dry. That is San Diego State’s default style; is UNLV up for the challenge of beating them at their own game?
UNLV has pushed around just about everyone in the Mountain West at this point. Now, it’s time to see if their brand of bully ball can work against the league’s rock-fight standard bearer.
“We know it’s going to be a rock fight in one direction,” Kruger said. “We’ve got to make it as much of a rock fight in both directions as we can.”
In the first meeting between the teams on Jan. 6, San Diego State out-rebounded UNLV, 38-28, and attempted 30 free throws to UNLV’s 12. Not surprisingly, the Aztecs won that game easily, 72-61.
UNLV has played better since then, and appears to be peaking at the right time. In Saturday’s win over San Jose State, the Scarlet and Gray battered their opponent on the glass, 44-28, and took 24 free throws to their 13.
That’s the kind of strong, aggressive approach it’s going to take to wrestle with San Diego State.
“We’ve got to be locked in from start to finish of each possession,” Kruger said. “San Diego State has been really good for a long time. At the end of the day, if you want to have a chance to beat them you’ve got to fight and compete like crazy.”
Whaley impact
If there was one player who came out of the first San Diego State game looking good, it was junior forward Rob Whaley. He tallied six points, five rebounds and two steals in 18 minutes off the bench, but most importantly, he appeared to be the only player capable of offering any defensive resistance against Aztecs center Jaedon LeDee.
Listed at 6-foot-7, 260 pounds, Whaley has emerged as a key frontcourt starter for UNLV since then.
“He has given us a level of physicality that we need,” Kruger said of Whaley. “He’s had a really good year.”
In the first meeting, Whaley had the advantage of not being on the scouting report. LeDee and the Aztecs will be more prepared this time around, but Whaley is embracing the physical challenge of defending one of the Mountain West’s most rugged interior scorers.
“In that game I kind of played him straight up, 1-on-1, and there just was a lot of physicality,” Whaley said. “He’s a strong dude. He’s just going to go hit you and try to lay it up. That plays to my favor because I’m a physical guy. There’s not a lot of guys that are stronger than me, so it plays to my favor.”
Standings watch
UNLV clinched a top-five finish and a bye in the Mountain West tournament by virtue of its win over San Jose State, so Kruger's crew is kind of playing with house money over the next two games.
San Diego State and UNLV (and Saturday’s opponent, UNR) are tied for third in the league standings at 11-5; a loss would probably relegate UNLV to the 4/5 game on Thursday (against an NCAA Tournament-caliber team), while a win could keep them alive for the No. 3 or even the No. 2 seed (and a more favorable quarterfinal matchup).
Who: UNLV (18-10, 11-5 MWC) vs. San Diego State (22-7, 11-5 MWC)
When: Tuesday, 8 p.m.
Where: Thomas & Mack Center
TV: CBS Sports Network
Radio: 1100 AM, 100.9 FM
UNLV leaders
Scoring
D.J. Thomas: 13.0 points
Rebounds
Luis Rodriguez: 6.6 rebounds
Assists
D.J. Thomas: 5.4 assists
San Diego State leaders
Scoring
Jaedon LeDee: 20.8 points
Rebounds
Jaedon LeDee: 8.4 rebounds
Assists
Darrion Trammell: 3.0 assists
Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.
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