RUNNIN’ REBELS TO HOST NO. 19 SAN DIEGO STATE TUESDAY NIGHT
8 p.m. game is UNLV men’s basketball’s regular-season home finale and Senior Night
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The UNLV men’s basketball team, winner of four straight and nine of its last 10 games, will host No. 19 San Diego State at the Thomas & Mack Center on Tuesday, March 5 at 8 p.m. It is the Runnin’ Rebels’ regular-season home finale and Senior Night with six UNLV seniors being honored during a pregame ceremony.
PROMOTIONS: Senior Night is presented by Boyd. The six UNLV seniors will be recognized in a pregame ceremony. All fans are encouraged to wear white and free white T-Shirts, courtesy of Valley Bank of Nevada, will be available while supplies last. Also, the first 3,000 fans will be able to pick up a free rally towel courtesy of Boyd. During the game, fans 21+ will be able to purchase $2 beer through halftime. Please enjoy responsibly. In the second half, 10 $100 gift cards will be dropped from the rafters courtesy of Professional Roofing Services.
TICKETS: Tickets to UNLV men’s basketball home games may be purchased at UNLVtickets.com, by calling 702-739-3267 or by visiting the Thomas & Mack Center Box Office.
LAST TIME OUT: UNLV (18-10, 11-5, T-3rd in MW) is coming off a 68-50 victory over San Jose State on Saturday .It was the Runnin’ Rebels’ fourth straight win and ninth in its last 10 outings. Dedan Thomas Jr. led all scorers with 18 points, while Luis Rodriguez scored 15 points. Kalib and Keylan Boone each recorded game highs of 12 rebounds, while Rodriguez grabbed nine. UNLV held San Jose State to just 20% from the field (5 of 25) in the first half, including 2 of 12 (16.7%) on 3-pointers. The Runnin’ Rebels held a 33-18 lead at halftime. UNLV recorded 13 offensive rebounds, turning those into 15 second-chance points.
RUNNIN’ REBEL LEADERS: Five UNLV players are averaging double figures in scoring this season in Dedan Thomas Jr. (13.0 ppg), Kalib Boone (12.0 ppg), Keylan Boone (11.5 ppg), Luis Rodriguez (11.3 ppg) and Jalen Hill (10.7 ppg). Rodriguez leads the team in rebounds (6.6 rpg, 9th in MW) and steals (1.7 spg, 2nd in MW), Dedan Thomas Jr. is the assists leader (5.4 apg, 5th in MW, 35th in nation), and Boone leads in blocks (1.7 bpg, 2nd in MW). Hill missed six games with a wrist injury and returned at San Diego State on Jan. 6, but left late in the first half in that game after suffering a knee injury, which an MRI later revealed to be a season-ending ACL tear.
ABOUT THE ROSTER: This season’s UNLV squad features seven returners from last year’s team along with seven newcomers. The newcomers are made up of three Division I transfers, a junior college transfer and three freshmen. UNLV has 10 upperclassmen, including five fifth-year seniors. A total of four players on the roster are playing in their hometown of Las Vegas. The Runnin’ Rebels return two starters in Luis Rodriguez and Justin Webster, who averaged 10.7 and 8.2 points per game last season, respectively. Rodriguez led last season’s team in rebounding (5.7 rpg).
ABOUT THE OPPONENT: No. 19 San Diego State (22-7, 11-5, T-3rd in MW) enters Tuesday’s game having won two straight games, four of its last five and six of eight. The Aztecs’ two-game win streak includes a 73-41 win at Fresno State on Feb. 24 and a 72-64 home win over San Jose State last Tuesday. Two SDSU players are averaging double figures in scoring: Jaedon LeDee (20.8 ppg, 1st in MW/17th in nation) and Reese Waters (11.0 ppg). LeDee is also the team’s rebounding leader (8.4 rpg, 3rd in MW), while Darrion Trammell leads in assists (3.0 apg) and Lamont Butler leads in steals (1.5 spg, 6th in MW). As a team, San Diego State ranks 13th in the country in 3-point percentage defense (29.8), 23rd in field-goal percentage defense (40.5) and 30th in scoring defense (66.0 ppg). SDSU went 32-7 overall last season, including 15-3 in MW play. The Aztecs are the defending conference regular-season and tournament champions and ended the season as the national runner-up. Led by head coach Brian Dutcher, SDSU has nine upperclassmen on its 17-man roster.
LAST TIME AGAINST SAN DIEGO STATE: In UNLV’s last meeting with San Diego State, which opened the Mountain West season for the Runnin’ Rebels on Jan. 6 in San Diego, the Aztecs won 72-61. Luis Rodriguez and Dedan Thomas Jr. each scored 13 points for the Runnin’ Rebels. Thomas Jr. added a game-high five assists with only one turnover and recorded two steals. Keylan Boone collected a team-high six rebounds. The Aztecs were led by Jaedon LeDee’s double-double of 20 points and 11 rebounds. Micah Parrish added 14 points and Darrion Trammell had 10. UNLV found itself with an early 18-3 deficit after making just one of its first 11 shot attempts. SDSU increased its advantage to 25-9 with just over eight minutes to play in the first half before the Runnin’ Rebels started to chip away. UNLV closed the gap to seven points at 31-24 with a little less than two-and-a-half minutes until halftime. UNLV trailed by 10 at the break, 35-25, and cut its lead down to six points at 46-40 with under 12 minutes to go, but that was as close as it would get. SDSU outscored the Runnin’ Rebels over the final 20 minutes by just a point (37-36), making 47.8% of its shots after halftime, while UNLV made 44.4%. San Diego State shot 18 more free throws than UNLV did (30-12) for the game, outscoring the Runnin’ Rebels at the line by 16 points, 23-7.
BROADCAST INFO: Tuesday’s game will be televised nationally on CBS Sports Network with Chris Lewis and Mike O’Donnell calling the action. Jon Sandler, former Runnin’ Rebel Curtis Terry and Steve Cofield will handle the UNLV radio call, which may be heard live on ESPN Radio 1100 in Las Vegas and worldwide on SiriusXM 387. All streaming links and live stats are available at UNLVRebels.com and through the UNLV Rebels App.
