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The first true road game of the season couldn’t stop the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels from their early season win streak.
UNLV beat San Diego in dominant fashion, 95-78, Saturday, Dec. 3 from the Jenny Craig Pavilion to improve to 8-0 in the early part of the season. The program is off to its best start in 11 years.
The Rebels will return to Las Vegas next for two straight neutral site games, beginning with a date against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors.
UNLV and Hawaii will lock horns Wednesday, Dec. 7 from The Dollar Loan Center with tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m.
In their most recent contest, the Rebels used a trio of runs in the first half to take full control of the game.
Originally, it was a 16-2 run that not only gave UNLV a lead but extended it to double digits at 11 points
To follow it up, the team went on an 8-0 run that pushed the lead to 18 points. The first half lead grew to be as large as 21 points. Finally, it was a 12-2 run that the Rebels used to close the first half, taking their largest lead into the halftime break.
In the second half, that lead grew to as large as 31 points.
UNLV shot 53% from the floor in the win including an astonishing 49%-mark from three-point range while San Diego shot 47% and 41% respectively.
Senior guard Luis Rodriguez led the team in scoring with 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting including three made threes. Eleven of his 19 points came in the second half.
Rodriguez’s night also marked the fourth time in the first eight games that UNLV has had a different leading scorer.
Fifth-year guard EJ Harkless added 17 points, 11 of which came in the first half. He shot 5-for-12 from the field and also dished out five assists.
Reserve guard Justin Webster started his night a perfect 4-for-4 on the way to a 16-point outing where he knocked down four deep balls.
Sophomore guard Jackie Johnson III rounded out the double-digit scorers with 12 points in 16 minutes of action.