Rebels survive comeback bid, remain unbeaten in conference — PHOTOS
A 3-0 start to Mountain West play was never going to be easy, but the UNLV men’s basketball team made it a little more difficult than it needed to be in Saturday’s 79-73 win over San Jose State at the Thomas & Mack Center.
UNLV had a 20-point lead midway through the second half that was reduced to three after a 14-0 run that stretched into the final four minutes.
Fourth-year coach Kevin Kruger wants to look past it and learn from it. That’s really the only option for the Rebels, who were fortunate to land a forgiving schedule to open conference competition.
That ends Tuesday, when the Rebels (9-5, 3-0), winners of four straight, hit the road to face a formidable opponent in Boise State (11-4, 3-1).
“We’re going to focus on the concentration, effort and attention to detail that we had in those great possessions to build a good lead,” Kruger said. “There’s just so many good things we can take from this to continue to believe in each other and keep getting better.”
Point guard Dedan Thomas Jr. led the Rebels with 17 points and six assists. The sophomore scored seven of the final eight points to seal the game.
Josh Uduje had a game-high 18 points for the Spartans (7-9, 0-4), who were aided in the late comeback bid by four other players scoring in double figures.
First-half cushion
It’s not hard to see what Kruger liked about the first half.
The Rebels shot 51 percent from the field, 5-for-9 from beyond the arc and were perfect from the free-throw line. UNLV also restricted the Spartans to just eight made field goals out of 31 attempts to enter halftime with a 44-26 lead.
That came after the Spartans got off to a 10-7 start, which would be their largest lead of the game. For the second consecutive game, the reserves were an undeniable key to the Rebels pulling away.
Starting guard Julian Rishwain started an 8-0 run by connecting for a 3-pointer, then Jailen Bedford’s 3-pointer and Pape N’Diaye’s putback off the bench gave UNLV its initial lead.
Bedford scored nine points in the first seven of his 11 first-half minutes. Brooklyn Hicks also contributed five of his eight points in the first half.
In 18 total minutes, Bedford finished with 16 points and a team-high +14 in the box score. He spoke about his contentment coming off the bench.
“I’m really just trusting coach Kruger’s plan,” he said. “I feel comfortable just playing my game. I feel good in the second group.”
Thomas, Henley close
Sixteen second-chance points helped San Jose State stay in contention, highlighting a rebounding issue that has plagued the Rebels all season.
But when things got tight in those final minutes, Thomas offered a reminder that UNLV can count on him.
The Spartans’ scoring burst had shortened the Rebels’ lead to 71-68, but Thomas made a quick jumper to answer. From then, he was tested at the charity stripe to close the game, making five straight free throws before his first miss in that stretch.
“We’ve had some other guys now that have proven it doesn’t have to be just DJ (closing the game). Tonight it was,” Kruger said. “He’s got a year of built-up credibility. He makes smart decisions, he makes good plays, and he makes free throws down the stretch. So tonight, that’s the direction we went.”
For Kruger, the “play of the game” was the offensive rebound in the final 41 seconds from junior wing Jaden Henley that led to Thomas taking his last free throws.
“If they had gotten that rebound, I don’t think I would have had a good feeling in my stomach at that point,” Kruger said in his praise of Henley, who finished with 13 points and six assists.
For Thomas, the game is another confidence-builder.
“I’m just proud of the way we’ve been able to close out these games and respond to when teams go on runs,” he said. “I’m trying to look at that as a positive.”
Contact Callie Fin at cfin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.
