Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Live coverage: UNLV stays perfect with blowout win at San Diego

1112_sun_UNLV_IWC3

Steve Marcus

UNLV Rebels guard Keshon Gilbert (10) and center David Muoka (12) talk during an NCAA basketball game against the Incarnate Word Cardinals at the Thomas & Mack Center Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022.

Updated Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022 | 9:10 p.m.

That was impressive.

UNLV broke the game open with a 21-2 run in the first half, and Kevin Kruger's squad never let up in the second half en route to a dominant 95-78 road win at San Diego.

The Scarlet and Gray are now 8-0 on the season, and this may have been the team's most complete performance so far. Six different players made at least one 3-pointer, and four players scored in double figures, led by Luis Rodriguez's 17 points. Big man David Muoka ruled the paint with eight points, eight rebounds and four blocks, and point guard Keshon Gilbert played facilitator with seven assists and six points.

At the defensive end UNLV was suffocating as always, forcing 18 San Diego turnovers. Many of those takeaways led directly to quick points in transition, as UNLV racked up a staggering 31-8 advantage in fast-break points.

UNLV will next be in action on Wednesday, when they "host" Hawaii at the Dollar Loan Center in Henderson.

UNLV extends lead to 72-45 at San Diego

UNLV has come out of the locker room hot from long range, and they have extended the lead to 72-45 with 11:55 remaining.

The Scarlet and Gray have made 4-of-7 from 3-point range since the break, including a pair of swishes from senior Luis Rodriguez, who now has a team-high 17 points on 6-of-7 shooting.

When they haven't been shooting 3's, they've taken the ball to the rim aggressively, earning a 19-2 advantage in free-throw attempts.

It's a good sign that UNLV hasn't taken its foot off the accelerator after building such a big halftime lead. 

UNLV blowing out San Diego, up 49-28 at half

If UNLV is going to play like this, no one is going to beat them.

The Scarlet and Gray made their final five shots to finish the half on a 12-2 run, and they have taken a commanding 49-28 lead into the locker room at halftime.

E.J. Harkless finished things off by driving to the basket and getting a floater to roll in as the buzzer sounded. He has a game high 11 points, while Jackie Johnson came off the bench to score 11. David Muoka was especially effective over the first 20 minutes, playing above the rim to accumulate six points, five rebounds and two blocks.

At the other end of the court, UNLV's smothering brand of defense has translated to a road venue. The Scarlet and Gray held San Diego to 38.7% from the field in the first half while forcing 12 turnovers — and USD came into the game as one of the nation's best teams at taking care of the ball.

It was an impressive 20 minutes. Another 20 half as good as that and UNLV will cruise to its eighth straight win to open the season.

UNLV on 21-2 run, has big lead at San Diego

UNLV is on a 21-2 run and has suddenly seized control of this game, building a 33-16 lead over San Diego with 6:41 left in the half.

David Muoka has been key during the surge, blocking two shots and throwing down a pair of dunks. Jackie Johnson and E.J. Harkless each made 3-pointers, and Keshon Gilbert has scored a pair of layups.

San Diego has made just one of its last eight shots, while UNLV's shooting percentage is up to 44.0% for the game (11-of-25).

Johnson has a game-high 10 points, while Harkless has nine. Muoka has four points, four rebounds and two blocks.

It happened fast, but UNLV has blown this one open.

UNLV basketball down early at San Diego

Four minutes into this game, UNLV has made just one field goal, and San Diego has an early 5-3 lead.

Keshon Gilbert opened the scoring by driving baseline and making a double-clutch layup, but aside from that shot the Scarlet and Gray have started cold, missing all five of their other shots.

They've held up defensively though, forcing three turnovers. Center David Muoka picked up a foul in the first minute and was quickly subbed out for Victor Iwuakor, so that's a situation to monitor for the rest of the half.

UNLV basketball puts perfect record on the line at San Diego

After a week off, UNLV basketball is back in action today at face San Diego in the first true road game of the season (7 p.m., WCC Network).

Can Kevin Kruger’s squad claim another nonconference victory to improve to 8-0 on the season? Here are three keys to victory:

Putting the “TOs” in Toreros

UNLV’s blueprint this season has been to harass opposing ballhandlers on the perimeter and force turnovers. The Scarlet and Gray are currently No. 1 in the country in turnover rate, generating takeaways on 30.7% of opponents’ possessions.

They’ll meet their match on Saturday, as few teams in the nation are as sound with their ball security as San Diego. The Toreros only commit 11.8 giveaways per game, and their turnover rate of 15.6% ranks them No. 39 in the country.

Will UNLV be able to speed them up and create havoc, as they have against all other opponents? Or will they be able to sit back and grind out longer possessions in order to get stops if necessary?

Defensive drill

In every game so far this season, there has been a stretch in the second half when UNLV has been able to clamp down on defense and hold its opponent scoreless for a significant period of time. It has become a signature of Kevin Kruger’s team, and one of the main reasons why UNLV is 7-0.

Sophomore guard Keshon Gilbert plays a major role on that end of the floor, and he said the entire team takes pride in those suffocating stretches.

“It’s fun,” Gilbert said. “Putting your will down on them and not letting them score is fun, because they get frustrated and you’re getting buckets.”

Can UNLV produce something like an 8-0 run in the second half to create separation? Especially if they’re not forcing turnovers at their normal rate? That could be a deciding factor in whether they stay undefeated.

Cottrell out

There was some bad news to come out of UNLV’s 126-54 thrashing of Life Pacific last week, as junior center Isaiah Cottrell reaggravated his foot injury in his first game action of the season and is once again out for an indefinite amount of time.

The good news is that UNLV still has two productive big men in seniors David Muoka and Victor Iwuakor.

Muoka is bigger and more of a shot-blocker (and shot-deterrent), while Iwuakor is more suited to matchups that require him to move his feet on the perimeter. Kruger has showed a deft hand in knowing when to deploy each guy, and UNLV has been good with each of them on the floor.

Muoka is the starter, and that five-man lineup combination has outscored opponents, 106-76, in 60 total minutes of playing time. Swap out Muoka and insert Iwuakor with the rest of the starters, and UNLV is still outscoring opponents, 78-55, in 36 minutes. The numbers are consistent and encouraging.

Look for Kruger to continue playing matchups with his big men.

Who: UNLV (7-0) vs. San Diego (3-1)

When: Saturday, 7 p.m. at Jenny Craig Pavilion

TV: WCC Network

UNLV leaders

Scoring: Keshon Gilbert — 15.9 points

Rebounding: David Muoka— 6.1 rebounds

Assists: Keshon Gilbert — 3.3 assists

San Diego leaders

Scoring: Jase Townsend— 16.5 points

Rebounding: Eric Williams — 10.3 rebounds

Assists: Seikou Sisoho Jawara — 3.8 assists

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

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