Live blog: Boise State hands UNLV first conference loss

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Published Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020 | 4:31 p.m.

Updated Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020 | 8:09 p.m.

Boise State guard Justinian Jessup nailed a dagger 3 in the final minute to seal a 73-66 win for the Broncos. 

UNLV had pulled within 67-62 with a minute to play, and Boise was running out of time on its ensuing possession. Jessup, who earlier in the night became the Broncos' all-time leader in 3-point makes, found himself one-on-one with UNLV center Mbacke Diong; the lefty pulled up from the right wing and drilled the 3 to put Boise State up by eight. 

Jessup was 5-of-6 from deep on the night, while UNLV as a team only made 6-of-25.

The loss drops UNLV to 8-9 on the season and 3-1 in Mountain West play. 

Rebels trying to come back at Boise State

UNLV is trying to stay close, and with 2:19 to play Boise State's lead is down to 65-59.

The Rebels still aren't making many shots — they're shooting 31.0 percent in the second half — but toughness and offensive rebounding have kept them alive.

Bryce Hamilton just finished off a layup inside and he's got a team-high 15 points on the night. Marvin Coleman has 12.

Boise State heating up, leads UNLV 53-41

Boise State is starting to make shots, and with 11:54 to play UNLV trails, 53-41.

Justinian Jessup is red hot and has made his last three attempts from beyond the arc. Derrick Alston just added another 3 from the corner in transition, giving the Broncos seven long-distance makes on the night (7-of-16 3FGs).

UNLV continues to struggle from deep (4-of-17), with Jonah Antonio in particular unable to find the range (0-of-6 3FGs).

Rebels hanging tough at Boise, trail 36-31 at half

Derrick Alston hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to extend Boise State's lead to 36-31 at the half, but UNLV can't feel too bad about their position after 20 minutes.

The Rebels went through a scoring drought midway through the half and Boise looked like it might have a chance to really extend its lead. Junior forward Donnie Tillman stemmed the tide, however, and his eight points off the bench have gone a long way toward keeping the Rebels in this one.

Tillman has made 3-of-4 from the field; Amauri Hardy is the team's second-leading scorer with six points on 2-of-6 shooting.

Alston has a game-high 16 points on 4-of-10 shooting.

Boise State leads UNLV, 27-22

The Rebels are having trouble scoring, and with 4:00 left in the first half Boise State has built a 27-22 lead.

UNLV is 9-of-21 from the field as a team, but that includes an icy 2-of-10 showing from beyond the arc; Jonah Antonio has missed all four of his 3-point shots.

On the other end of the floor, Boise wing Derrick Alston has found his rhythm and is up to 11 points on 3-of-8 shooting. The Rebels are having a tough time keeping the lanky slasher out of the paint, and Alston seems content to get inside and earn his trips to the free-throw line (5-of-6).

UNLV, Boise State tied early

UNLV's defensive intensity has made the trip to Boise State, and with 11:54 left in the first half the game is tied, 13-13.

Amauri Hardy got the Rebels off to a good start by hitting a pair of 3-pointers in the opening minutes, and Marvin Coleman contributed first by finding Mbacke Diong for a dunk and then by driving for an old-fashioned 3-point play of his own.

Boise State leading scorer Derrick Alston has been held to two points on 0-of-3 shooting.

Donnie Tillman, who was held out of UNLV's last game due to lateness, was one of the first subs off the bench for T.J. Otzelberger tonight.

Three keys for UNLV basketball at Boise State

UNLV is playing better than anyone could have expected, sporting a 3-0 Mountain West record heading into Wednesday's road tilt at Boise State. Can the Rebels stay undefeated in league play against one of the best offensive teams the MWC has to offer?

Three keys for UNLV:

Get back on defense

There are few teams better than Boise State when it comes to scoring in the open court. The Broncos' transition attack is No. 15 in the country at 1.176 points per possession, and they have a multitude of players capable of lighting it up on the fast break (led by guards Justinian Jessup and Derrick Alston). UNLV has shown an incredible amount of hustle on the defensive end as of late, and that will come in handy when it's time to sprint back and get set before Boise can crank up the transition game.

Three guards

Boise has three guards capable of scoring big, and sometimes even four of the floor at the same time. The Rebels will need their three starting guards — Amauri Hardy, Marvin Coleman, and Jonah Antonio — to match up defensively while keeping pace offensively. That's a combination that has worked well for UNLV recently; in last week's wins over Utah State and Air Force, lineups with Hardy, Coleman and Antonio on the floor together outscored the opposition, 37-27, in just more than 22 minutes of playing time. That works out to a plus/minus rating of +18.1 per 40 minutes, so expect Otzelberger to lean on that alignment against Boise's guard-heavy lineups.

Hot Hamilton

Is former 4-star prospect Bryce Hamilton finally living up to his recruiting status? The sophomore guard was named the Mountain West Player of the Week after scoring 35 points in 41 minutes over two games, while connecting on 15-of-19 from the field. If Hamilton can score with that kind of efficiency against Boise State the Rebels will have a great chance of coming away with a win.

TV: ESPN3, 6 p.m.

UNLV: 8-8, 3-0 MWC (KenPom No. 152)

Coach: T.J. Otzelberger

Leading scorer: Amauri Hardy, 15.5 points per game

Leading rebounder: Mbacke Diong, 9.3 rebounds per game

Leading assists: Elijah Mitrou-Long, 3.8 assists per game

Boise State: 10-6, 2-2 MWC (KenPom No. 109)

Coach: Leon Rice

Leading scorer: Derrick Alston, 19.9 points per game

Leading rebounder: Roderick Williams, 8.2 rebounds per game

Leading assists: Derrick Alston, 3.3 assists per game

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.