RUNNIN’ REBELS TRAVEL TO SAN DIEGO FOR SATURDAY AFTERNOON GAME
1 p.m. contest against the No. 25/23 Aztecs will be televised nationally on Fox; UNLV has won four of its last five games
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The UNLV men’s basketball team (16-8 overall, 5-7 Mountain West), winner of four of its last five games, will play its second straight road game on Saturday, Feb. 11 at No. 25/23 San Diego State. The 1 p.m. game at Viejas Arena will be televised nationally on Fox.
LAST TIME OUT: In their last game, which was Wednesday night in Laramie, the Runnin’ Rebels recorded the regular-season sweep over Wyoming with a 69-59 win at the Arena-Auditorium. EJ Harkless made a season-high five 3-pointers and led all scorers with a career-high-tying 33 points, while Keshon Gilbert added 10 points for UNLV.
THIS SEASON: Harkless leads the team in scoring with 18.1 ppg (2nd in MW) and is contributing 5.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game (8th in MW). Gilbert is second in scoring at 12.3 ppg with a team-leading 3.6 apg (10th in MW) and 2.0 spg (2nd in MW). Luis Rodriguez is third in scoring with 11.5 ppg, while leading the team in rebounding (5.6 rpg, 10th in MW). He is second on the squad in steals (2.0 spg, 3rd in MW). David Muoka is third on the team in rebounding (4.6 rpg) and leads the squad in blocks with 1.3 bpg (4th in MW).
This season’s Runnin’ Rebel squad features six returners and nine newcomers, including six transfers from the Division I level. The 15-man roster is made up of 10 upperclassmen.
ABOUT THE OPPONENT: No. 25/23 San Diego State (19-5, 10-2) enters Saturday’s game having won two straight games and six of its last seven. The Aztecs are coming off a 72-52 home win over Boise State on Feb. 3 and a 63-61 road win at Utah State on Wednesday. SDSU has two players averaging in double figures in scoring: Matt Bradley with 13.0 ppg and Darrion Trammell with 10.5 ppg. Nathan Mensah is the team’s leading rebounder with 5.8 rpg (9th in MW), while Lamont Butler leads in steals at 1.6 spg (6th in MW) and Trammell leads in assists with 3.6 apg (8th in MW). San Diego State is 12-1 at home this season with its only loss coming to New Mexico on Jan. 14 (76-67). The Aztecs rank 23rd in the country in 3-point field-goal percentage defense (30.0). SDSU finished the 2021-22 season with an overall record of 23-9, finishing third in the MW’s standings with a 13-4 league mark. SDSU lost to Creighton in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. This season’s team was picked to finish first out of 11 in the MW’s preseason poll with Bradley being selected to the preseason all-conference team and Trammell named Preseason Newcomer of the Year. The Aztecs’ 17-man roster includes 13 upperclassmen. SDSU is coached by Brian Dutcher, who is in his sixth season at the school with a career record of 138-45 (.754).
LAST MEETING: SDSU won the first meeting earlier this season between the two teams, 76-67, in Las Vegas on Dec. 31. Luis Rodriguez scored a career- and game-high 24 points, including four 3-pointers, with a team-high-tying six rebounds, while EJ Harkless added 18 points with a season-high eight assists, and Justin Webster contributed 10 points on three 3-pointers. The Aztecs had two players score over 20 points in Matt Bradley (23) and Darrion Trammell (21). The pair was 9 of 15 on 3-pointers. Nathan Mensah had a game-high 11 rebounds.
BROADCAST INFO: Saturday’s game will be televised nationally on Fox with Noah Eagle and Casey Jacobsen calling the action. Jon Sandler, former Runnin’ Rebel Curtis Terry and Steve Cofield (sidelines) will handle the UNLV radio call, which may be heard live on ESPN Radio 1100 in Las Vegas. All streaming links and live stats will be available at UNLVRebels.com and through the UNLV Rebels App.
