UNLV Rebels forward Royce Hamm Jr. (14) and guard Bryce Hamilton (13) leave the court after defeating the San Jose State Spartans, 70-62, at the Thomas & Mack Center Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022.
Published Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022 | 2 a.m.
Updated Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022 | 1:53 p.m.
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This one got a little close for comfort down the stretch, but UNLV ultimately held on for a 70-62 victory over San Jose State.
The Spartans trailed by as many as 16 points in the second half but made a late run thanks to an ill-timed offensive drought by UNLV. The Scarlet and Gray scored just one field goal in the last six minutes, which allowed SJSU to pull within 64-60 with 59 seconds left. The Spartans had possession and could have narrowed the gap even further, but Omari Moore was whistled for an offensive foul.
Mike Nuga, Bryce Hamilton and Royce Hamm all made a pair of free throws to help UNLV across the finish line.
Hamilton led the way with 30 points, giving him back to back 30-point performances after he dropped 32 against Air Force on Thursday. Hamm finished with seven points and 14 rebounds.
UNLV is now 11-8 on the season and 3-3 in Mountain West play.
UNLV has late lead over San Jose State
Bryce Hamilton just grabbed an offensive rebound and converted the putback to give UNLV a 60-50 lead over San Jose State with 5:46 remaining.
Hamilton now has 24 points on the day on just 15 shots. Royce Hamm has five points and 11 rebounds, and Jordan McCabe has 11 points.
San Jose State isn't going away, exactly. The Spartans have had the deficit to single digits on a few occasions, but every time they threaten to make the game interesting Hamilton drives for a bucket or McCabe hits a 3 to restore order. Let's see if UNLV can close this one out and get back to .500 in Mountain West play.
UNLV leads San Jose State, 52-39
UNLV has kept up its hot shooting in the second half, maintaining a 52-39 lead with 11:45 to play.
Freshman Keshon Gilbert just made a nice play, driving and drawing a defender before bouncing a nifty pass to Bryce Hamilton, who cut along the baseline behind the defense. The pass was on the money and Hamilton elevated for an easy dunk.
That slam gave Hamilton 20 points on the day, and Gilbert now has four assists in his first career start. As a team UNLV is shooting 62.5%.
Hamilton gives UNLV big halftime lead over SJSU
Bryce Hamilton scored the final 11 points of the half for UNLV, including a long 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Scarlet and Gray a 38-24 lead heading into the locker room.
The final sequence of the half was all Hamilton. First he drove from the top of the key and spun past his defender for a layup, then he grabbed a defensive rebound on the other end with five seconds left. Hamilton dribbled across halfcourt, looked at the clock and pulled up for a leaning 30-foot attempt. The shot dropped and Hamilton and his teammates jogged off the floor in high spirits.
Hamilton finished the half with a game-high 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting. UNLV is shooting 15-of-24 as a team (62.5%).
San Jose State hasn't been able to keep up. The Spartans have made just nine field goals (9-of-30), led by Omari Moore's eight points.
UNLV takes big lead over San Jose State
UNLV may be without some key players, but the Scarlet and Gray are rolling right now and have taken a 25-16 lead over visiting San Jose State with 7:54 left in the first half.
The offense has run smoothly despite the absences. UNLV is 10-of-14 from the floor and 3-of-4 from 3-point range, with Jordan McCabe knocking in a couple from long range. Bryce Hamilton is leading the way with six points.
Keshon Gilbert has looked comfortable in his first career start. The freshman has four points and an assist in nine minutes and has yet to miss a shot.
Donovan Williams out
UNLV has jumped out to a 9-4 lead over San Jose State with 15:54 to play in the first half, and they're doing it without two starters.
We knew Josh Baker wouldn't start due to a concussion, but the team served up a surprise before tipoff as junior wing Donovan Williams did not suit up. Williams went through pregame warmups, but when the Scarlet and Gray announced the starting lineup Williams was out and freshman guard Keshon Gilbert was in. Williams is on the bench in street clothes; no word has been provided yet as to why he was scratched from the lineup.
Williams has developed into a key offensive contributor this season. He has scored in double figures in nine straight games and is averaging 14.6 points per game, second on the team only to Bryce Hamilton at 19.0 points.
UNLV without Baker, Coleman vs. San Jose State
UNLV just went through its pregame warmups on the floor at the Thomas & Mack Center, and neither Josh Baker or Marvin Coleman were suited up. That means the Scarlet and Gray will be without two rotation guards again today when they take on San Jose State.
Baker has started 12 games this season, averaging 4.8 points and 1.6 assists. Coleman has split backup point guard duties with freshman Keshon Gilbert, with senior contributing 2.5 points and 1.5 assists in 13.7 minutes.
Baker and Coleman also missed UNLV's game at Air Force on Thursday. Coach Kevin Kruger inserted Mike Nuga in the starting lineup but he struggled, scoring three points on 1-of-4 shooting.
Hamilton, UNLV look to get back on track vs. San Jose State
Less than 48 hours after their worst loss of the season, the Scarlet and Gray will attempt to bounce back at home against the closest thing the Mountain West has to a guaranteed win: San Jose State.
Three keys to watch for UNLV:
Hamilton heating up
Bryce Hamilton has produced a lot of buckets this season, leading UNLV with 19.0 points per game, but over the past month his efficiency had waned. Starting with UNLV’s win over Omaha on Dec. 15, the senior guard went six straight games without making 50% of his shots in any contest.
He may be back on track now. The lone bright spot in UNLV’s loss to Air Force on Thursday was Hamilton’s performance, as he nailed 10-of-19 shots and put up 32 points (his second-highest total of the season). He didn’t have great success in the first meeting with San Jose a week ago (12 points, 4-of-16 FGs), but if he makes half his shots on Saturday the Scarlet and Gray should sail to victory.
Baker’s status
UNLV looked disjointed on Thursday without junior guard Josh Baker, losing at Air Force, 69-62. Baker is only averaging 4.8 points, but make no mistake, he is a valuable contributor in his glue-guy role.
Baker is recovering from a concussion suffered on Monday in the first meeting with San Jose State, so his status for Saturday is up in the air. If he’s unable to go, UNLV will need senior guard Mike Nuga to step up; Nuga started in place of Baker at Air Force and did not play well, scoring three points on 1-of-4 shooting.
Must win
There aren’t many games on the schedule that constitute a must-win for this UNLV team; their ultimate fate will be determined in the Mountain West tournament. But for the sake of the squad’s confidence (and the fan base’s confidence in them), a home date against San Jose State (7-9, 0-4 MWC) is as close as it gets to gotta-have-it territory.
That’s especially true after the Scarlet and Gray fell at Air Force on Thursday. That was the first game UNLV lost to an inferior opponent, and Kevin Kruger doesn’t want his team to make a habit of that.
What: UNLV (10-8, 2-3 MWC) vs. San Jose State (7-9, 0-4 MWC)
When: Saturday, 12 p.m.
Where: Thomas & Mack Center
TV: Stadium/Mountain West Network
Line: UNLV -13.5
UNLV leaders
Bryce Hamilton, 19.0 points per game
Royce Hamm, 9.9 rebounds per game
Jordan McCabe, 4.7 assists per game
San Jose State leaders
Omari Moore, 13.3 points per game
Ibrahima Diallo, 8.3 rebounds per game
Omari Moore, 4.8 assists per game
Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.
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