UNLV snapped its five-game losing streak, defeating Wyoming 68-57 on Saturday afternoon in Laramie, Wyoming.
Dedan “DJ” Thomas Jr. led UNLV, scoring 18 points. The sophomore guard propelled the Runnin’ Rebels to their sixth win in conference play.
UNLV started slow on defense, letting Wyoming score off two consecutive backdoor passes. The team settled into their defense and forced the Cowboys into tough shots.
The first half of the game was tight as both teams exchanged shots, keeping the score within one possession as time progressed.
The Runnin’ Rebels didn’t start to pull away until late in the first half, when Julian Rishwain knocked down a 3-point shot, giving UNLV a 23-20 lead.
Rishwain could only hit one 3-point shot in their last game against Boise State and was 0 of 3 in the last matchup against the Cowboys.
The Florida transfer shot 3 of 6 on the day, finding his way out of the slump that has lasted the last few games.
UNLV closed out the first half on a 10-1 run as the team went into halftime up 30-23.
The Runnin’ Rebels saw great production from their guards in the first half. Thomas and Jaden Henley led the UNLV offense, driving to the basket and finishing tough at the rim.
Henley saw himself on the end of a breakaway layup, making a spin move toward the basket and finishing the acrobatic play. Henley and that style of play is what UNLV has been seeing glimpses of all season.
The Runnin’ Rebels, one of the best turnover margin teams in the Mountain West, gave away the ball six times in the first half. The team only turned the ball over five times in their last matchup against Boise State.
While UNLV’s turnover margin was unfavorable, the team ended the half out rebounding the Cowboys 19-16, showing the hustle the Runnin’ Rebels brought to Laramie.
That hustle continued into the second half. Rishwain opened up the Runnin’ Rebels scoring, making another 3-point shot.
From there, the interior scoring would pick up. UNLV fed the ball into the interior to big man Jeremiah “Bear” Cherry.
Once touching the ball, Cherry backed down his opponent, turned, and hit a tough hook shot. The Cowboys seemed to have no answer for the UNLV big.
The forward has been consistent in scoring throughout the season. Averaging almost nine points per game, UNLV can expect Cherry to find his footing in the offense and command the paint for some solid touches.
Halfway through the first, UNLV took a comfortable 12-point lead after Jailen Bedford knocked down a 3-point shot from the corner.
Wyoming showed signs of life after their star guard Obi Agbim started knocking down tough dribble jump shots.
In the last matchup in Las Vegas, Agbim scored 19 points. This time, UNLV held the guard to 14 points, with most of his production coming late in the second half. Agbim scored nine points late in the second half to help the Cowboys secure the win.
The Cowboys came as close as eight points, but UNLV did not let up and kept the game out of reach.
UNLV made it hard on the Cowboy’s shooters. Wyoming went 4 of 21 from 3-point range despite the many wide-open looks the Cowboys had. Wyoming’s shooting struggles continued as the Cowboys went 3 of 9 from the free-throw line.
UNLV had four players in double-digit scoring. Henley scored 13 points, Rishwain posted 11 points, and Bedford came off the bench scoring 14 points, all supporting Thomas’s leading 18 points on the day.
Cherry was also effective for UNLV, as the JUCO forward had eight points, six rebounds and two blocks.
The Runnin’ Rebels have seven games remaining on the schedule to make up for lost ground during the five-game skid.
Within those seven games, UNLV faces the three bottom-tier teams in the Mountain West – Air Force, Fresno State, and San Jose State. Despite the records on paper, there are no easy nights in the Mountain West.
Accompanying those games are second-round matchups between Colorado State, San Diego State, New Mexico and Nevada.
UNLV defeated San Diego State in Viejas Arena earlier this season. New Mexico and Nevada were both winnable as UNLV hung around until the closing minutes of each game.
Notably, against New Mexico, Thomas had a chance to tie the game but missed a free-throw that would have sent the game into overtime in their matchup in Las Vegas
Colorado State cruised past UNLV in Fort Collins, Colorado, 84-62 and Nevada secured a 71-65 win in Reno, Nevada.
With this victory against Wyoming, UNLV is back on the winning side and is sitting in sixth place in the Mountain West Conference with just under a month left until the conference tournament in Las Vegas.
The Runnin’ Rebels return home to host the Air Force Tuesday, with tip-off set for 10 p.m. EST inside the Thomas and Mack Center.
