Pastner era begins with upset: UNLV falls to UT-Martin

UNLV Rebels forward Kimani Hamilton (2) reaches for a loose ball ahead of UT Martin Skyhawks guard Filip Petkovski (32) during the second half of an NCAA basketball game at the Thomas & Mack Center Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. Photo by: Steve Marcus

The UNLV basketball team held a 10-point lead in the first half of its season opener tonight against UT-Martin at the Thomas & Mack Center in coach Josh Pastner’s Rebel debut.

But the Rebels committed 22 turnovers and surrendered 47 second-half points, paving the way for the Ohio Valley Conference visitors to steal an 86-81 victory.

Although UNLV is rebuilding under Pastner while trying to reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 12 seasons, it’s fair to call this an upset — and a disappointment.

UNLV was a 17-point betting favorite and looked like the superior team for stretches of the first half before running out of steam.

That could be attributed to the Rebels missing several projected rotation players due to injury, and Kimani Hamilton — one of their top players — fouling out with 10 minutes remaining.

Hamilton had 13 points on 4-of-5 shooting in just 14 minutes, and the Rebels were a more complete team with him on the floor.

Guard Dravyn Gibbs-Lawhorn, the Illinois transfer, led UNLV with 18 points in 32 minutes, though it was hardly an efficient performance as he shot just 5-of-16 from the field.

Freshman Tyrin Jones paced the Rebels with eight rebounds and four assists in a productive 27 minutes off the bench, while Al Green — the Louisiana Tech transfer — added 12 points.

UT-Martin thrived in transition with 19 fast-break points and capitalized on UNLV’s miscues with 21 points off turnovers.

The Rebels return to action at 6 p.m. Saturday against Chattanooga.