Thomas, ‘Bear’ key UNLV men’s basketball to win in season opener

UNLV got a big boost before Monday night’s season opener against Alabama State when it was revealed star sophomore point guard Dedan Thomas Jr. had been cleared to play despite an injured ankle.

The Rebels (1-0) had to be just as excited about the impact a key newcomer had in the paint in a 93-79 victory over the Hornets (0-1) at Thomas & Mack Center.

Junior college transfer Jeremiah “Bear” Cherry lived up to his nickname with a dominant effort in the post, finishing with 24 points and 11 rebounds on 10 of 11 shooting. Cherry rarely left the paint as he used his 6-foot-11, 280-pound frame to clear space and finish in close.

“I’ve been doubted my whole life,” Cherry said. “So it felt great to get out and let people know who I am. So yeah, it felt amazing.”

His physicality helped force Alabama State starting center Ubong Okon into five fouls in just 12 minutes of action.

“It was a bucket every time they got it,” Thomas said of Cherry and senior forward Rob Whaley, who made all three of his shot attempts. “They couldn’t stop them, so we just kept feeding them. Proud of how they played tonight. And I just think that was a heck of a debut for Bear. And more to come.”

Thomas made sure Cherry and his teammates got the ball in places where they could succeed. The offense became stagnant whenever he left the floor, showing how challenging the game could have been if he was out.

Rebels coach Kevin Kruger said last week that Thomas would be out for at least the opener after suffering an ankle injury. But Kruger opened the door for Thomas’ potential return in recent days.

“(My ankle) felt good tonight,” Thomas said. “Throughout the week, it just got better and better every day. Our trainers did a great job with me throughout the week and they got me back ready to play.”

Thomas was in the starting lineup and keyed a couple of rallies for the Rebels, including a quick 4-0 spurt where he set up Cherry and Brooklyn Hicks for dunks 35 seconds apart to put his team up 11 with 7:31 remaining in the second half.

Thomas was a major reason why UNLV shot 33-of-58 (56.9 percent) from the field. The Rebels also went 9-for-20 from the 3-point line. Florida transfer Julian Rishwain was 4-of-8 from beyond the arc.

Ball movement and the ability to get the ball inside helped lead to the shooting success. Kruger said the team’s internal stats had them scoring on 25 of 29 possessions when they got a pain touch.

“A lot of shots were played inside out,” Kruger said. “They were clean looks and clean catches and we want those guys to shoot it in those situations.”

Rishwain finished with 13 points. Hicks added 11 for UNLV.

“The shots (Rishwain) made allowed us to stay close in the first half and even go back and forth with the lead until we were able to get a little separation,” Kruger said.

Thomas struggled from the field, but went 10-for-11 from the free-throw line to finish with 17 points. More importantly, he had seven assists and no turnovers to keep things moving smoothly for UNLV.

“As much as he’s going to have the ball in his hands, it’s pivotal he protects it,” Kruger said.

Thomas didn’t alter his game despite the injury. He got in the paint twice in the opening minutes, drawing a foul the first time and making an acrobatic jumper on the baseline on the second. He helped propel the Rebels to a 46-41 halftime lead despite some hot shooting by the Hornets early on.

UNLV outscored Alabama State by 13 points when Thomas was on the floor in the first half. The Hornets had an eight-point advantage the other five minutes.

Alabama State, which was picked to finish sixth in the Southwestern Athletic Conference and entered the game ranked No. 278 nationally in KenPom, was red hot to start.

The Hornets hit nine of their first 11 shots from the field, including their first five 3-point tries. Alabama State held a 23-18 lead when Kruger put Thomas back in the game after an early rest.

UNLV immediately went on an 11-0 run that included three forced turnovers.

The Rebels never trailed again.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.