Game day: UNLV stays hot, knocks off San Diego State

SAN DIEGO — UNLV conscionable locked up its 2nd awesome triumph successful a row, coming successful Viejas Arena and knocking disconnected San Diego State, 76-68.

UNLV led for the full 2nd half, but the Aztecs made their runs.

San Diego State prima Miles Byrd came live late, nailing a brace of clutch 3-pointers successful the last 3 minutes to support the Aztecs wrong striking distance. After going scoreless successful the archetypal half, Byrd finished with a game-high 21 points but was outdueled down the agelong by D.J. Thomas.

After Byrd sank a triple to propulsion SDSU wrong 67-63 with 1:51 remaining, Thomas drove and recovered Jeremiah "Bear" Cherry for an alley-oop dunk that silenced the crowd. Byrd scored again connected a drive, and Thomas went backmost to work; with a infinitesimal left, Thomas got Byrd successful isolation and drove earlier pivoting and nailing a pugnacious turnaround fadeaway. That extended UNLV's pb to 71-65.

Thomas past made a brace of escaped throws to propulsion UNLV's vantage to 73-66 with 42 seconds remaining, efficaciously sealing the win.

Thomas battled done a pugnacious shooting nighttime to full 19 points and 5 assists; helium made each 10 of his free-throw attempts.

The Scarlet and Gray person present knocked disconnected the apical 2 contenders successful the Mountain West successful consecutive games. With momentum astatine their back, Kevin Kruger's squad volition present instrumentality to Las Vegas for a brace of location games against Wyoming (Tuesday) and New Mexico (Saturday). 

Upset-minded UNLV leads precocious astatine San Diego State

UNLV has withstood respective San Diego State runs, and with 4:48 remaining the Scarlet and Gray inactive support a 61-52 lead.

San Diego State had trimmed the shortage to 4 points a infinitesimal ago, but Jaden Henley swished a 3 from the apical of the cardinal and Jeremiah "Bear" Cherry scored successful the station to propulsion it backmost to nine.

Even with that sequence, the Aztecs are surely scoring much regularly now, portion UNLV is having to scrap for each constituent connected offense. Will Kevin Kruger's squad play poised capable down the agelong to adjacent retired a precise pugnacious roadworthy win?

UNLV holding on, up 51-48 astatine San Diego State

San Diego State is making its run, and UNLV is doing everything it tin to clasp on. With 7:59 remaining, the Scarlet and Gray are up, 51-48.

UNLV has deed a drought, and SDSU has gone connected a 9-0 tally implicit the past 3 minutes, fueled by a raucous assemblage astatine Viejas Arena. Jaden Henley conscionable took it to the spread and drew a foul, truthful he'll person 2 escaped throws aft the interruption to springiness UNLV a accidental to reconstruct immoderate breathing room.

The visitors are shooting 8-of-20 successful the 2nd fractional and are conscionable 2-of-9 from 3-point range. With San Diego State present clicking connected offense, UNLV is going to person to people successful bid to enactment ahead. Where are the buckets going to travel from? Look for D.J. Thomas to person his fig called repeatedly down the stretch.

UNLV leads astatine San Diego State, 41-34

UNLV pushed its pb to treble digits coming retired of the locker room, but with 15:08 remaining successful the 2nd fractional San Diego State has chopped the Scarlet and Gray pb to 41-34.

One storyline to watch: D.J. Thomas continues to person issues with the ball. After fumbling distant 2 turnovers successful the archetypal fractional owed to butterfingers, Thomas conscionable mislaid power of his dribble connected a thrust that was astir to output a layup. The shot bounced retired of bounds disconnected Thomas's knee, giving possession backmost to San Diego State.

Thomas has a team-high 9 points and 2 assists, but his 4 turnovers instrumentality retired for a subordinate usually truthful cautious with the ball.

UNLV clamps down, takes 31-23 pb implicit SDSU astatine half

After what had to beryllium UNLV's champion antiaircraft fractional of the season, the visitors person taken a shocking 31-23 pb into halftime astatine San Diego State.

UNLV held the Aztecs to conscionable 2 points implicit the last 4 minutes and 7-of-26 shooting for the half. SDSU's starring scorer connected the season, NBA imaginable Miles Byrd, was held to zero points connected 0-of-7 shooting.

Reserve guards Brooklyn Hicks and Jailen Bedford person been immense done the archetypal 20 minutes connected some ends of the floor. They are the game's precocious scorers with 8 points apiece, and they've taken turns defending Byrd for agelong stretches.

D.J. Thomas has 7 points and 1 assist, but helium has had the shot gaffe retired of his hands a mates times for turnovers. UNLV volition nary uncertainty enactment the shot successful his hands a batch down the agelong if the crippled is close, truthful he'll person to tighten up his handle.

Aside from that, the Scarlet and Gray played astir arsenic good arsenic they could person hoped successful the archetypal half.

Bedford blistery arsenic UNLV leads astatine San Diego State

After 15 unsmooth and tumble minutes, UNLV has carved retired an 18-17 pb implicit San Diego State present astatine Viejas Arena.

Jailen Bedford has been UNLV's main root of discourtesy truthful far. He has deed a 3-pointer, rattled successful a mid-range jumper and helium conscionable pulled down a antiaircraft rebound and went seashore to seashore for a layup. Bedford has a game-high six points connected 3-of-6 shooting.

D.J. Thomas besides got successful connected the action, draining a abbreviated jumper connected UNLV's past possession. He's got 2 points connected 1-of-3 shooting. Aside from Bedford and Thomas, the remainder of the Scarlet and Gray are shooting 2-of-9.

San Diego State has not been capable to find an violative groove yet, shooting 5-of-16 wide and 2-of-11 from 3-point range. Leading scorer Miles Byrd is scoreless, having missed each 3 of his attempts truthful far.

UNLV hoops takes aboriginal pb astatine San Diego State

It's been the benignant of crippled everyone expected successful the aboriginal going, but UNLV is holding up truthful acold with a 4-2 pb astatine San Diego State with 15:34 near successful the archetypal half.

As always, the Aztecs person led with their defence aboriginal on. It took UNLV much than 3 minutes to grounds its archetypal tract goal, arsenic San Diego State forced 3 turnovers earlier Julian Rishwain yet swished a 3 to get the visitors connected the board. UNLV is 1-of-5 from the tract arsenic a team.

UNLV has turned up the defence arsenic well; San Diego State is inactive looking for its archetypal made shot, arsenic the Aztecs are a corporate 0-of-4.

Both teams volition yet find their footing, but expect this 1 to stay a antiaircraft conflict each the mode through.

UNLV hoops seeking 2nd consecutive upset win

The UNLV hoops squad is backmost connected the roadworthy and looking to physique momentum following its biggest triumph of the season, but it’s going to instrumentality different top-tier show to beryllium competitory astatine San Diego State (Saturday, 5 p.m.).

Three keys to watch:

Keep it going

Is momentum a existent happening successful sports? UNLV surely hopes so, due to the fact that this mightiness beryllium the team’s champion accidental to get rolling successful league play.

Wednesday’s upset of No. 22 Utah State astatine the Thomas & Mack Center was a stunner, particularly considering the Scarlet and Gray appeared to beryllium astatine their lowest constituent of the season. Now, caput manager Kevin Kruger wants to spot his players vessel up the toughness and resoluteness they showed successful knocking disconnected Utah State and transportation it implicit against San Diego State.

That starts with poise nether pressure, which UNLV demonstrated successful closing the crippled connected a 7-0 tally to unafraid the 65-62 victory.

“They showed a precocious execution level,” Kruger said. “That was without a question our astir implicit 40-minute game, close up determination with Dayton. So hopefully we tin transportation immoderate of that assurance into different elite team.”

Bounceback shooting

The triumph implicit Utah State didn’t person to beryllium a nail-biter — not if the Scarlet and Gray had made a fewer shots passim the night.

Interior scoring wasn’t an contented — UNLV changeable a respectable 18-of-34 from 2-point range. But long-distance shooting was a chore, arsenic the team’s snipers combined to link connected conscionable 6-of-25 from beyond the arc.

UNLV had been shooting 38.2% from 3-point scope earlier that pitiful showing, and Kruger wants to spot them bounce backmost to thing nearer that percent against San Diego State.

“We’ve changeable the shot good this year,” Kruger said. “We’ve got to instrumentality those looks. We’ve got to person those looks.”

Typical Aztecs

The scouting study for this San Diego State squad reads a batch similar erstwhile editions: Tough, physical, relentless.

At this clip past week, UNLV wouldn’t person stood a accidental against a squad similar that. But aft beating Utah State, determination is simply a rekindled assurance passim the roster.

Sophomore constituent defender D.J. Thomas knows they’ll person to redouble those efforts connected SDSU’s location court.

“I played San Diego State 3 times past year,” Thomas said. “All I cognize is it’s going to beryllium a combat for 40 minutes. It’s going to beryllium physical, it’s going to beryllium tough. Super physical. So we’ve got to beryllium mentally tough.”

The archetypal precedence against an SDSU squad that ranks No. 6 successful KenPom’s antiaircraft ratio metric volition beryllium protecting the shot and moving cleanable offense. The Aztecs, arsenic always, use shot unit and play their marque of bruiser-ball, truthful it’s a bully motion that UNLV was capable to withstand Utah State’s arsenic opportunistic defense, committing conscionable 7 turnovers.

Look for Thomas to log 38-plus minutes and person the shot successful his hands a lot.

Team leaders

UNLV (10-7, 4-2 MWC)

Scoring

D.J. Thomas: 15.6 points

Rebounds

Jeremiah “Bear” Cherry: 5.5 rebounds

Assists

D.J. Thomas: 4.5 assists

San Diego State (11-4, 4-2 MWC)

Scoring

Miles Byrd: 14.2 points

Rebounds

Jared Coleman-Jones: 5.3 rebounds

Assists

Nick Boyd: 3.6 assists

Mike Grimala tin beryllium reached astatine 702-948-7844 oregon [email protected]. Follow Mike connected Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.