Bryce Hamilton’s clutch 3-pointer lifts UNLV past Fresno State

UNLV senior Bryce Hamilton wasn’t shooting well.

Hamilton, the Mountain West’s leading scorer, had struggled with his shot all night against Fresno State, one of the country’s best defensive teams. But with the game tied at 54 with 2:16 left, UNLV coach Kevin Kruger turned to his closer with full confidence.

“We’ll happily give the ball to Bryce Hamilton across the finish line every time we can,” Kruger said.

Hamilton received the ball near the top of the key and jab-stepped to create space. The 6-foot-4-inch guard then feinted toward his favored left-hand drive. But after seeing his defender drop back, he rose up and launched a 3-pointer.

He nailed it, silencing the crowd.

Hamilton’s clutch shot clinched a 60-57 win for UNLV against Fresno State on Wednesday night at Save Mart Center in Fresno, California. It’s the Rebels’ fourth victory in their past six games and moved them into fifth place in the Mountain West standings. UNLV will get a bye in the first round of the conference tournament if it can maintain its place.

For the first 15 minutes, though, it didn’t look as if Wednesday’s game was going to be competitive. Tied 8-8, Fresno State went big. Star 7-footer Orlando Robinson, a Las Vegas native, and fellow center Braxton Meah bullied UNLV’s forwards in the paint, helping fuel a 19-4 run.

But the Rebels (15-11, 7-6) fought back. Royce Hamm Jr., Hamilton and Donovan Williams, making his return after a three-game injury absence, turned on the offense and finished the half on a 21-6 run. Fresno State (16-9, 6-6) missed several 3s, and UNLV center David Muoka, along with Hamm, proved an effective counter to Robinson in the post.

“That was a huge focal point for the guys tonight, just to not let (Robinson) get any easy ones,” Kruger said.

Out of the break, both teams traded baskets. Fresno State continued to focus its defense on Hamilton, while UNLV put Robinson in foul trouble early.

Despite reaching his normal shot volume, Hamilton wasn’t efficient. The senior finished with 17 points on 6-for-20 shooting.

But the Rebels picked him up. Fifth-year senior Hamm added 12 points and grabbed five rebounds, and UNLV got 18 points from its second unit.

Junior forward Victor Iwaukor was UNLV’s best reserve. All six of his points came in the second half. The junior came up with a huge block — which referees initially called goaltending — to keep it a two-possession game with 14 seconds left.

Iwaukor’s energy and rebounding down low, combined with Hamm and Muoka, held Robinson in check. He fouled out with seven points on 3-for-14 shooting.

When the Bulldogs beat the Rebels 73-68 in mid-January, Robinson scored 24 points.

Fresno State shot 33.9 percent from the field, and UNLV won the rebounding battle, 42-31.

“When you have those three guys to rotate in and guard (Robinson) three different ways, it’s huge for us,” Kruger said. “That’s why the health at that position has been so big for us because it just gives us a lot of looks we can do defensively.”

UNLV will host Colorado State at 5 p.m. Saturday at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Contact reporter Andy Yamashita at ayamashita@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ANYamashita on Twitter.