UNLV’s momentum came to a crashing stop Tuesday night at Laramie as Wyoming shot lights out from three and dominated inside to hand the Rebels a 98-66 loss.
Historically, UNLV dominated the matchup, holding a 47-21 series lead over Wyoming heading into this one, but none of its previous success against the Cowboys carried over.
The Cowboys jumped to a 23-8 lead before the halfway point of the first half and never looked back. Wyoming guard Leland Walker hit multiple pull-up threes to help them to that
lead. Walker scored a game-high 28 points on 9-of-15 shooting, including 4-of-6 from beyond the arc.
The Cowboys’ offense was incredible, shooting 55% from the field and 42.9% from deep, while UNLV struggled, finishing at 37.5% but hitting 5 of 11 from deep.
By the time the first-half dust had settled, Wyoming was up 48-26 thanks to a pair of threes from guard Damarion Dennis and transition pressure that kept UNLV chasing. This kept the Rebels scrambling defensively, which led to the efficient shooting night from Wyoming.
Wyoming also dominated inside the point. The Cowboys outscored UNLV 46-26 in the key. UNLV consistently had no answer for Wyoming’s physicality, as the Cowboys outrebounded the Rebels 43-29 and generated 16 second-chance points.
UNLV attempted to respond in the second half by scoring in the paint, including guard Howie Fleming Jr. throwing down a dunk off a steal to try to inject life into the offense. Fleming finished with 8 points and five rebounds. Every time the Rebels inched closer, Wyoming pushed them backwards.
Forward Kimani Hamilton scored the most points for UNLV with 19 and 6 rebounds; he also got to the free-throw line eight times. Forward Tyrin Jones added 16 points and eight rebounds, as well as three steals and four blocks, making an impact defensively in a lackluster defensive performance.
UNLV never held a lead in the game, and Wyoming was up by as many as 38 points near the end of the game.
This loss drops UNLV’s record to 7-7 and is a very disappointing first road game of conference play for the Rebels. The team will look to regroup on January 9th against Colorado State in Fort Collins.
