When Kevin Kruger was named head coach at UNLV three years ago, he made it his top priority to recruit local star D.J. Thomas.
Smart move.
Thomas put the Scarlet and Gray on his back on Tuesday, scoring 19 points to lead UNLV to a program-affirming 62-58 win over No. 21 San Diego State at the Thomas & Mack Center.
The freshman was superlative in the closing minutes, scoring three times to pull UNLV across the finish line — including a go-ahead jumper with 20 seconds to play — but it was his toughness over the course of the entire game that really made the difference.
Veteran San Diego State guards Darrion Trammell and Lamont Butler pressured Thomas the length of the court on every possession, punishing the 6-foot-1, 170-pound freshman with overwhelming physicality, but Thomas shrugged it off and came through in closing time.
With the scored tied, 58-58, in the final minute, UNLV called timeout to set its offense.
Senior wing Keylan Boone said the play drawn up in the huddle was very simple.
“Let him work,” Boone said. “That’s the call — let him work.”
He was referring to Thomas, which was no surprise, as Kruger has trusted his young playmaker to be the go-to guy all season. Thomas got a switch on Aztecs forward Jay Pal, ran down the shot clock, then hit Pal with a crossover dribble into a step-back jumper, which he nailed to give UNLV the lead with 18 seconds on the clock.
All part of the plan, according to Thomas.
“Coach wanted me to get the switch on Pal,” he said. “I got the switch. I made my move, and they have confidence in me to hit the shot, and I hit it.”
San Diego State ran a play to free up Micah Parrish for a potential go-ahead 3-pointer, but senior center Kalib Boone switched out and blocked the shot. UNLV recovered the loose ball, and Thomas sank two free throws with six seconds left to seal the win.
UNLV has now won 10 of its last 11 games, a remarkable turnaround that has the Scarlet and Gray in the hunt for the Mountain West regular-season championship with one game remaining.
Kruger pointed to his players’ resiliency as the reason they’ve been able to transform from early-season pushover to March juggernaut.
“Six weeks ago, everyone wrote everyone in this program off,” Kruger said. “And there was a nastiness around it. But they stuck together, they continued to work they went and won in some tough venues, they had some great wins here at home, and they’re playing for each other.”
Thomas didn’t play a perfect game. He was harassed into five turnovers, largely because UNLV doesn’t have another ballhandler capable of bringing the ball across halfcourt against pressure defense. But he persevered and made UNLV’s final three field goals, scoring nine points in the final 4:36.
Kruger said Thomas had to earn everything the hard way against San Diego State’s elite backcourt defense.
“It starts with Butler and Trammell, and just the way they guard the ball. They’re just elite. They are two of the best, undoubtedly, in the country at just being a pest, guarding the ball and making it difficult. And [Thomas] did a great job. He played almost 37 minutes. He had a little bit of a rough first half, turnover-wise, but second half he made some really good plays. Obviously, he made the big shot.”
Thomas finished with a game-high 19 points and three assists, and credited his teammates for helping him battle through San Diego State’s intense ball pressure.
“I was getting a little frustrated dealing with all the contact and the physicality,” he said. “They just kept telling me to keep my head, keep my cool and not get too up and not get too down. So they just really kept my head in the game.”
UNLV raced out to a 17-point lead midway through the first half as they held the Aztecs to 2-of-23 shooting to start the game. Junior forward Rob Whaley was the key defensively, as he took on the assignment of guarding Jaedon LeDee and put the clamps on San Diego State’s leading scorer.
LeDee, one of the strongest post players in the country, was unable to bully Whaley and finished with 12 points on 2-of-12 shooting.
That individual matchup could loom large if UNLV and San Diego State meet again in next week’s Mountain West tournament.
“It was unbelievable,” Kruger said of Whaley’s defense. “The way he battled him, the way he held his ground, that’s two large humans playing basketball with a lot of physicality.
“Undoubtedly, we wouldn’t have had a chance to win that game had he not played on LeDee the way he did.”
Senior wing Keylan Boone posted 16 points, 11 rebounds, four blocks and four assists. Luis Rodriguez went for eight points and eight rebounds.
UNLV is now 19-10 overall and 12-5 in conference with one game remaining. If Kruger’s crew can win the finale at UNR on Saturday, and first-place Utah State loses one of its remaining two games, the Scarlet and Gray would earn a share of the Mountain West regular-season championship.
Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.
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