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For the second time in the last three games the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels have lost a second half double-digit lead en route to a crushing conference loss. Friday night against Colorado State was no different as the Rams came back from being down by as many as 10 points in the second half to beat UNLV, 78-75, from Moby Arena.
“They just got us into a little bit of a rhythm where we got flat-footed,” head coach Kevin Kruger said. “[CSU guard Isaiah] Stevens did a good job of that. We just didn’t have that same activity level when they were setting that high ball screen late. He’s polarizing in a sense because he’s so explosive and you’re a little nervous at all times if you take a step because he’s so quick and powerful and can make shots. At the end, we just became a little too reactive.”
Stevens finished the game with 18 points on 6-for-14 shooting from the field including 4-of-8 from three-point range to help Colorado State get past UNLV.
After Friday’s loss, UNLV now sits with a record of 9-8 overall which includes a 2-3 mark in Mountain West play. The Rebels are currently eighth in the conference standings.
Up next, the Rebels will get a chance to get back on the right track over the next three games starting on Tuesday, Jan. 23 as they get set to host the Air Force Falcons inside the Thomas & Mack Center. Tip off is set for 8 p.m.
The next three games for the program are against the ninth, 10th, and 11th place teams in the conference with Air Force, San Jose State and Fresno State.
One of the biggest turning points of the game came with just under five minutes to go in the game. Freshman guard Dedan Thomas Jr. knocked down a jumper to put the Rebels up five points with 4:51 to go. From there until 1:17 left in the half, UNLV was outscored 11-2 and the Rebels had one field goal during that stretch which turned a five point lead into a three-point deficit.
Senior forward Keylan Boone led the way in scoring for the Rebels with 21 points on 8-of-17 shooting from the field to go along with eight rebounds and one assist.
“Just a great game,” Kruger said. “He hit some big shots, he cleaned up some of his own misses around the rim which is huge for us because we’ve been rebounding the ball so much better the last couple of weeks. If he can continue to play like that and we all can play like that, I think we’re still trending in the right direction.
“We didn’t win tonight, but I still think we’ve gotten better every game that we’ve played over the last couple of weeks.”
To put some things in perspective, if UNLV had hung onto its second half leads against Utah State and now Colorado State, this team would be sitting with a 4-1 mark in conference play which would be good for second place in the conference. San Diego State is also currently 4-1 in conference but would hold the tiebreaker over UNLV based on head-to-head results.