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After holding the lead for the majority of the game, the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels fumbled it away against the Utah State Aggies, 87-86, Saturday afternoon inside the Thomas & Mack Center.
It would have been UNLV’s second win against an AP Top-25 opponent this season had they hung on to the lead.
“Like we always say, we want to give ourselves a chance to win a ballgame and I thought we did that today,” head coach Kevin Kruger said.
After Saturday’s loss, UNLV is now 8-7 on the season which includes a 1-2 mark to start Mountain West conference play.
The Rebels will hit the road for the first of a two-game road trip which starts Tuesday night in Boise, Idaho as UNLV gets set to square off with the Boise State Broncos. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. and can be seen on CBS Sports Network.
All momentum shifted with about eight seconds left in regulation.
UNLV had gone up four points on a pair of free throws from fifth-year guard Luis Rodriguez. On the ensuing Utah State possession, fifth-year guard Darius Brown II knocked down a three-pointer from the right wing to cut the lead down to one.
On the rebound, fifth-year transfer forward Kalib Boone was whistled for a loose ball foul, awarding two free throws to the Aggies to go along with the made three-pointers. Utah State’s Great Osobor knocked down both free throws to take the lead and eventual the win as freshman guard Dedan Thomas Jr. was unable to get his pullup jumper to go as time expired.
“We’re up four with 14 seconds left,” Kruger said. “You’re going to win most of those games.”
Osobor’s free throws made it the first time that Utah State had led all game. UNLV’s largest lead of the game was 13 points which included leading by double-digits multiple times in the second half.
Rodriguez led the way in scoring for the Rebels with 23 points and was one of six Rebels to hit double-digit scoring which included an 11 and a 10-point game from junior forward Rob Whaley Jr. and junior guard Jackie Johnson III who both came off the bench.
“There’s nothing you can say to the guys after a game like that,” Kruger said. “There’s nothing you can tell an athlete and a player after that. You just gotta tell them that you love them and they have to keep working hard. Nothing makes you feel better after that. Keep working, we’ll get back in the gym tomorrow and get ready to go on this road trip.”
Saturday was the only scheduled meeting between UNLV and Utah State this season. The only other time these teams could possibly meet would be in the Mountain West Conference tournament in March inside the same building.
UNLV has now lost six-straight games to Utah State and hasn’t beaten the Aggies since January 25, 2021. Kruger has yet to defeat Utah State during his time as the head coach of the Runnin’ Rebels.