UNLV tunes up for season opener with 123-59 rout, but five players still sidelined

UNLV Rebels forward Naas Cunningham (24) prepares to dunk the ball during the first half of an exhibition game against Lincoln University at the Thomas & Mack Center Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025. Photo by: Steve Marcus

Playing without five scholarship players due to injury, the UNLV basketball team cruised to a 123-59 victory over Lincoln University (Calif.) in Tuesday night's exhibition game at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn scored 20 of his game-high 31 points in the first half as UNLV raced out to a 66-33 halftime lead. Five UNLV players scored in double figures, while four recorded double digits in rebounds. Naas Cunningham contributed 23 points and Walter Brown had a game-high 14 rebounds.

Gibbs-Lawhorn was 12 of 16 from the field, including 5 of 8 on 3-pointers. He also dished out a game-high seven assists with no turnovers, had three blocked shots and a steal. 

Jacob Bannarbie and Al Green each scored 14 points, while Kimani Hamilton had 13. Bannarbie, Howie Fleming Jr. and Green each had 10 rebounds. Green and Cunningham each had four steals, while Tyrin Jones had seven points, seven rebounds and three blocks.

UNLV outrebounded Lincoln 72-31, including pulling down 28 on the offensive glass for 16 second-chance points. The Rebels held a two-point lead almost six minutes into the game, but outscored Lincoln 50-19 the rest of the half. That included a 13-0 run over 2:31 that turned a 43-28 advantage into a 56-28 lead. 

"I was proud of our young men. We should have won the game and by a good margin, which we did,” UNLV coach Josh Pastner said. 

UNLV recorded 34 assists on 50 made field goals (68%) and shot 59.6% in the first half from the field, finishing the game at 51.5%. It held Lincoln to just 28.4% shooting and forced 20 turnovers, outscoring the Oaklanders in points off turnovers 27-8. UNLV only had eight turnovers.

“I thought the ball really moved well and we found the open man,” Pastner said. “Our goal is to get 60% of our field goals assisted and we did a nice job there. We got great paint touches and rebounded well on the offensive glass. Defensively, we need to be better with our transition defense. However, there were a lot of positives tonight and it was always good to get a win."

UNLV opens the regular season 7 p.m. Tuesday against UT Martin at the Thomas & Mack Center.

The Rebels were missing Mason Abittan, Myles Che, Ladji Dembele, Emmanuel Stephen and Isaac Williamson.

The absences hit particularly hard in the frontcourt. Stephen, a 7-foot center who transferred from Arizona, is sidelined with a hip injury and isn't expected back until December. Meanwhile, both Che and Dembele are working their way back from foot injuries.

Che's absence leaves a significant gap at point guard. Last season, he averaged 12 points per game while leading UC Irvine to the Big West Conference title, but he's unlikely to be ready for Tuesday's matchup.

According to Pastner, most of the sidelined players should return at various points throughout November.