Live coverage: San Diego State blasts UNLV, 80-55

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Published Monday, Jan. 24, 2022 | 5:28 p.m.

Updated Monday, Jan. 24, 2022 | 8:07 p.m.

The final seconds just ticked away, and UNLV will be heading home on the losing end of an 80-55 defeat at the hands of San Diego State.

And the game probably wasn't as close as the final score would indicate.

UNLV struggled for almost the entire 40 minutes as the Aztecs clamped down on defense. Bryce Hamilton scored 23 points on 8-of-17 shooting, but the rest of the team managed to make just 25.6% from the field.

At the other end, SDSU guard Matt Bradley bullied every defender assigned to him and finished with 27 points on a scorching 10-of-11 from the field. As a team San Diego State shot 52.5%.

After suffering its most lopsided loss of Mountain West play, UNLV is now 11-9 overall and 3-4 in conference. They'll have a few days off before heading to Colorado State on Friday.

UNLV trails at SDSU, 57-43

UNLV opened the second half with a 7-0 run, but it was fleeting. San Diego State quickly recovered and has pushed its lead back to 57-34 with 12:53 left.

SDSU guard Matt Bradley remains unstoppable with 25 points on 10-of-11 shooting. He just buried back to back jumpers, with the latter being a pull-up 3-pointer, forcing Kevin Kruger to call timeout.

Freshman guard Keshon Gilbert helped spark UNLV's modest push, but he got tagged with a personal foul and a technical foul on the same play, giving him four fouls and sending him to the bench. Gilbert has three points and a rebound in nine minutes.

Bryce Hamilton is leading UNLV with 15 points and five rebounds. He has made 6-of-12 from the floor, but the rest of the team is shooting just 26.1%.

UNLV trails San Diego State at half, 42-23

San Diego State played its best half of the season and so far UNLV has no answers. At halftime, SDSU has a 42-23 lead.

Two days ago the Aztecs struggled to score at all, totaling just 37 points in an ugly loss to Boise State. They've already topped that number and then some in just 20 minutes, as SDSU shot 62.1% from the field and 4-of-6 from 3-point range. Matt Bradley has been a massive matchup problem for UNLV. The burly guard has bullied his way inside and also hit from the outside, posting a game-high 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting.

On the other end of the floor, San Diego State has overwhelmed UNLV with athleticism. There are no driving lanes for Bryce Hamilton and Donovan Williams; Hamilton has still managed to finagle 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting, but Williams went scoreless (0-of-5 FGs) in his 13 minutes. As a team UNLV shot 32.0% in the half.

The Scarlet and Gray will have their work cut out for them if they intend on making this game competitive at any point over the next 20 minutes.

San Diego State up on UNLV, 26-14

Back to back dunks by Lamont Butler and Keshad Johnson have woken up a modest crowd here at Viejas Arena, and with 7:20 left in the first half San Diego State has extended its lead to 26-14.

UNLV had been showing some signs of life, but San Diego State regained momentum with an 11-0 run that featured a hammer dunk over two defenders by Johnson and a breakaway dunk by Butler.

Kevin Kruger has to be pleased with the way his team has worked on the defensive glass; after getting dominated in that area in the first meeting between these teams, UNLV has allowed just three offensive rebounds so far. Unfortunately, one of them led to a Matt Bradley 3-pointer to start the run. Bradley has a game-high seven points.

UNLV falls behind San Diego State early

This is not the start UNLV wanted.

The Scarlet and Gray have made just two of their first eight shots and San Diego State has raced out to a 13-5 lead with 14:25 remaining in the first half.

As expected, open looks have been tough to come by. Bryce Hamilton made a contested 3 to get UNLV on the board and Jordan McCabe hit a short turnaround after an offensive rebound. Other than that there haven't been any legit scoring opportunities.

San Diego State has had more success, converting three layups against the UNLV defense already. SDSU is 6-of-8 from the field.

UNLV got some good news before tipoff, as junior wing Donovan Williams returned to the starting lineup after missing Saturday's contest with an injury. Williams has emerged as the team's second-leading scorer (14.6 points per game), so his presence should help alleviate some of the pressure on Bryce Hamilton at that end of the floor.

UNLV looking for big win at San Diego State

UNLV is still looking for its first victory over a quality opponent this season, and Kevin Kruger’s squad will have a chance to earn a statement win on Monday at San Diego State.

The Aztecs are once again contenders to win the Mountain West, and they beat UNLV in the first meeting between the teams just a few weeks ago.

Three keys for UNLV as it tries to even the season series:

Hot Hamilton

Look for UNLV to run its offense through Bryce Hamilton, perhaps even more than usual. The senior guard is red hot, having scored 32 and 30 points in the last two games (making him the first Scarlet and Gray player to accomplish that feat in 19 years). And with Donovan Williams’ status in the air (he missed Saturday’s game due to injury), there may not be many other scoring options on the floor to pick up the slack.

A green light may seem like a good time for a scorer like Hamilton, but it won’t be as fun as it sounds. San Diego State’s defense is good enough as it is (currently ranked No. 3 in KenPom’s efficiency ratings), and now the Aztecs will likely be able to focus all of their attention on limiting one player. Hamilton is sure to get banged around as the SDSU defense gangs up on him; how he handles their physicality will go a long way toward determining if UNLV can score effectively enough to keep pace.

Bigger lineups

UNLV got killed on the interior in the first meeting with San Diego State, as the bigger, stronger Aztecs imposed their will on the offensive glass. SDSU grabbed 19 offensive rebounds and converted them into 16 second-chance points, taking advantage of UNLV’s four-guard lineups.

The Scarlet and Gray played just 4:51 with two big men on the court in that game, and they got outscored, 8-3, during that time. But with junior forward Victor Iwaukor in better health now, Kevin Kruger has been experimenting with more two-big lineups as of late. Against San Jose State on Saturday, Kruger upped his double-big man usage to 17:00; UNLV outscored the Spartans, 29-25, during that time.

Kruger said he likes the versatility that comes with being able to go to more traditional lineups when the matchup warrants it.

“I just think it adds to what we have,” Kruger said after the San Jose State game. “We’ve been playing four guards pretty much all year, but if we can throw out two bigs and be productive and get results, we’d love to look at that as well.”

Look for Kruger to utilize two of his three big men (Royce Hamm, Iwuakor and David Muoka) in an effort to combat San Diego State’s physical style.

Gilbert’s big chance

Keshon Gilbert continues to make strides in his debut season. The only freshman on the UNLV roster, Gilbert got his first career start on Saturday and turned in a strong outing against San Jose State, posting seven points, five rebounds and four assists in 37 minutes. He also played strong on-ball defense.

If he is tabbed to start again against San Diego State, the Scarlet and Gray will need him to continue producing. Gilbert was a non-factor in the first meeting with SDSU (eight minutes, two points, one rebound), but freshmen can come a long way in three weeks.

What: UNLV (11-8, 3-3 MWC) at San Diego State (10-4, 2-1 MWC)

When: Monday, 6 p.m.

TV: CBS Sports Network

Line: San Diego State -10.5

UNLV leaders

Scoring: Bryce Hamilton, 19.6 points

Rebounding: Royce Hamm, 10.2 rebounds

Assists: Jordan McCabe, 4.6 assists

San Diego State leaders

Scoring: Matt Bradley, 15.1 points

Rebounding: Nathan Mensah, 7.9 rebounds

Assists: Trey Pulliam, 3.7 assists

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