UNLV built a commanding first-half lead, survived a furious second-half comeback from Wyoming, and closed out the game at the free-throw line to secure a 73-70 victory over the Cowboys to move on in the Mountain West Tournament.
The Rebels started aggressively on both ends. Howie Fleming Jr. sparked the offense with a spin-move finish inside, and Kimani Hamilton knocked down a straightaway three to give the Rebels an early lead. Hamilton led the Rebels with 23 points.
UNLV also showed off on defense
and turned it into offense. Tyrin Jones delivered one of the early highlights by blocking Damarion Dennis, and then he finished on a finger roll on the other end. Jones finished the game with six blocks.
Head Coach Josh Pastner praised Jones’ defense. “Tyrin Jones led the conference in shot blocking,” Pastner said. “It was the first time a guy in UNLV has led the league in the Mountain West Conference in shots blocked since the 14-15 season.”
The game was all in UNLV’s control, including a stretch where UNLV made eight consecutive field goals that helped push the lead to double digits. Gibbs-Lawhorn led that charge by scoring 15 in the half. The Rebels carried that momentum into halftime with a 44-31 lead, but the second half brought a challenge.
Wyoming opened the half with a burst of energy, which was highlighted by a lob from Dennis to Gavin Gores that ignited the Cowboys fans in attendance and served as a shift in momentum.
The Cowboys were doing an excellent job of drawing contact to get to the free-throw line. Five minutes in the half, Wyoming was already in the bonus. Naz Meyer led that charge and repeatedly drew contact, which led to a Cowboy run.
With the momentum on Wyoming’s side, Dennis knocked down a three on a second chance that trimmed the deficit to just one point. The Cowboys went on a 20-5 run to make the game tight.
UNLV gained some breathing room when Hamilton converted on an and-one sky hook, and Isaac Williamson knocked down a corner three. However, Wyoming continued to fight.
Dennis scored on a second-chance bucket to give the Cowboys their first lead since the opening minutes, and a layup by Gores capped off a 10-0 run by Wyoming.
Wyoming was also doing a good job of stopping Gibbs-Lawhorn in the second half, holding him scoreless. “They played a great defense on me in the second half,” Gibbs-Lawhorn said. “I even told the coach after the game, great defensive plan. That’s the kind of gravity I draw.”
With the offense slowing down and Wyoming taking the lead back after being down 16 points, the Rebels leaned on the three-point ball from Walter Brown. He knocked down a three to reclaim the lead for UNLV, and then moments later, he hit another corner three while being fouled, giving UNLV a big momentum boost. Brown finished with nine points and ten rebounds.
Wyoming refused to back down as Uriyah Rojas knocked down a jumper to tie the game at 66 with just over two minutes left.
Hamilton answered with a powerful dunk to put the Rebels back on top, but Gores responded on the other end for the Cowboys with a powerful slam of his own. Then, with 34 seconds left, Gores put his body on the line and made a tough layup to give the Cowboys a 70-68 lead.
The stage was set for Hamilton as he drew a foul on a mid-range jumper that fell, and he converted the free throw to put the Rebels ahead 71-70.
With one possession left, Wyoming unraveled as Meyer airballed, and Dennis picked up the rebound and put up a floater that Jones rejected for his sixth block of the game. This got UNLV a 73-70 victory.
This game was significant for UNLV because it was the first win in the Mountain West Tournament against a team that wasn’t named Air Force in ten years, and Pastner recognized that.
”If you’re fortunate enough to win the game, you break the streak of not beating anyone in this tournament other than Air Force over the last decade,” Pastner said. “So that was big for our guys.
UNLV will play Utah State on Thursday in the quarterfinal round.
