UNLV edges GCU at home to end season-long 4-game losing streak

Entering Saturday, the last win for the UNLV men’s basketball program came in the form of a big upset win two-plus weeks ago. Its latest win put an end to a season-long four-game losing streak.

While hosting the fourth-best team in the conference standings, the Runnin’ Rebels edged the Grand Canyon Antelopes, 80-78, Saturday, Feb. 7 from the Thomas & Mack Center. This year’s program has a 2-2 record against the top-4 teams in the Mountain West.

“They are really good defensively,” head coach Josh Pastner said. “You look at their defensive numbers in conference right now over the last stretch of games, they’re like a top-20 defensive team. To be able to get to 80 [points] against them was a real positive for us and our offense.”

Moreover, it was the first conference meeting between the two programs in their pair’s seventh all-time meeting. The home team has won the game in every single instance.

This time around, Grand Canyon had a large contingency of Lopes fans in attendance that eerily resembled The Havocs inside Global Credit Union Arena.

“They have a great fan base,” Pastner said. “I’ve never been there but I know their homecourt is one of the best – may be the best in the country. Utah State was about as good as we’ve encountered.

“I’m glad they were able to buy tickets because it goes in UNLV’s bank account so that’s a good thing [...] However, I’m really happy we were winning because it’s a longer bus ride home now coming off of a loss.”

With the victory, UNLV is 11-12 on the year as it looks to put its long losing streak in the rearview mirror. As a result of the outcome, the team is now 7-4 at home this year and 7-9 in the State of Nevada.

Additionally, the Rebels are 6-6 in the Mountain West this year after beginning the day in the eighth spot in the now 12-team league. The Mountain West Championships are set to begin a week into March.

Saturday marked the first of a two-game homestand for the program with another conference contest from The Mack on the ledger. UNLV will welcome in San Jose State, Tuesday, Feb. 10 with tip-off set for 8 p.m.

“I just felt it was so important to play well at home,” Pastner said. “Deservingly so, the fans should be frustrated at me and our record. So I wanted to give the fan base something to be happy about because they’ve done a good job coming to the arena.”

Just under four minutes from halftime, the Rebels had held the Lopes to just under 23 points despite entering the game averaging nearly 75 points per game.

Former UNLV guard Jaden Henley had been held scoreless to that point but would finish that half with two points on 1-for-8 from the field including four misses from deep without a make. In fact, Henley’s first points of the night came just before halftime to which freshman guard Issac Williamson would respond with a three-pointer on the other end.

The first half would end with an airball from the aforementioned Henley.

“That’s the beginning of it all,” guard Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn said when speaking about team defense. “All the energy, that’s the beginning of the offense [...] Coming out and playing really hard defense, that’s what gets the team going.”

Despite going into halftime with a 10-point lead, UNLV led by as many as 16 points in the first half. It was the team’s full-court press defense that helped facilitate the team’s advantage on the scoreboard.

However in the second half, the Rebels would have their lead cut to four after going without a point for nearly five minutes.

That wouldn’t be the last GCU run the home team would have to deal with. UNLV went back up by 15 points in the second half before a 19-6 run just before the final buzzer trimmed the lead to two points.

“It wasn’t ideal,” Pastner said. “But we found a way to win, thank the good Lord.”

The Lopes made that late surge after not scoring from the field in just about seven minutes. As it’s been all season long, the Rebels’ tendency to foul continues to be a trend.

UNLV tallied 27 total fouls with five players accumulating four or more apiece. In total, two players fouled out.

“I promise you, we teach them, we coach them, we’re on them about not fouling,” Pastner said. “We’re going to get there at some point. Hopefully, it starts Tuesday.”

Senior forward Kimani Hamilton picked up a flagrant-1 foul after an official review early in the second half as part of fouling out for the 10th time this season. Before fouling out, he racked up 10 points on 5-of-9 from the field.

Teammate Walter Brown followed suit in fouling out.

Gibbs-Lawhorn had an explosive first half with 20 of his eventual 29 points. Those 29 points were the most among any player in the contest.

While playing every single second of the win, Gibbs-Lawhorn shot 10-of-23 from the field with three makes from three-point range on eight tries.

“Another outstanding performance,” Pastner said. “He hit two big free throws as well.”

Senior guard Al Green added 13 points off the bench while the aforesaid Williamson chipped in with 10 points.

“Just being able to stay ready,” he said. “Always believing in my abilities and my strengths [...] Basically just staying ready for that moment and I feel like I was tonight and it translated.”