Game day: UNLV suffers devastating blowout loss to Air Force

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Published Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024 | 2 a.m.

Updated Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024 | 10 p.m.

It's finally over.

Air Force just handed UNLV an 90-58 defeat at the Thomas & Mack Center, and the game was not even as close as the score indicates.

Though the Falcons came in riding an eight-game losing streak (including an 0-5 start in Mountain West play), they dominated from the opening tip, running out to an 8-2 lead and never letting UNLV breathe after that.

Air Force shot above 50% in both halves and finished at 55.4% for the game, including a scorching 14-of-28 from 3-point range. At the other end, UNLV simply couldn't figure out Air Force's zone defense. The Scarlet and Gray couldn't get the ball inside to center Kalib Boone, and when that failed, the rest of the offense stalled. UNLV shot 31.6% as a team and only made 5-of-28 from long range (17.9%).

Justin Webster led UNLV with 14 points.

Ryan Petraitis recorded a triple-double for Air Force, posting 18 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists. Ethan Taylor scored a game-high 22 for the Falcons.

UNLV is now a disappointing 9-9 on the season, and Kevin Kruger's squad drops to 2-4 in conference play. They'll next head to San Jose State for a road game on Saturday as they try to find a way to move on from this devastating loss.

Air Force leads UNLV by 36

This one is all but finished, and it's hard to imagine where UNLV will go from here when the buzzer finally sounds.

Air Force has dominated in every facet of the game, and with 6:17 remaining the visiting Falcons have a 78-42 lead over UNLV. 

Fans streamed out of the Thomas & Mack Center at the last timeout, and you can't blame them. This was supposed to be the start of a winnable stretch of games for the Scarlet and Gray, as Air Force came in with an 0-5 record in Mountain West play. Instead, the Falcons have completely outclassed UNLV on both ends of the floor.

Kevin Kruger has pulled his starters, sending up the white flag. 

Air Force builds big lead over UNLV

Five minutes into the second half, things haven't gotten any better for UNLV. With 14:22 remaining, Air Force maintains a commanding 53-31 lead.

Nothing is going right for the home team, as they continue to miss 3-pointers, commit bad fouls and all AFA players to cut for uncontested layups. UNLV has yet to make a 3 in the second half and the team is currently 4-of-19 from deep.

Unless something miraculous happens soon, UNLV is going to suffer a very demoralizing defeat.

Air Force stuns UNLV, takes 39-24 halftime lead

UNLV was able to stem the bleeding late in the half, and they head into the locker room trailing Air Force, 39-24.

It was a nightmare half for the home team, as they shot 4-of-17 from 3-point range and just 10-of-31 overall (32.3%) while falling behind by as many as 23 points. Justin Webster was able to convert a pair of 3-pointers in the closing minutes of the half to keep UNLV within hailing distance; he has a team-high eight points.

Air Force has used its deliberate offense to shred Kevin Kruger's defense, cutting for layups and shooting 51.6% over the first 20 minutes. Ethan Taylor leads the Falcons with 11 points.

UNLV is talented enough to climb out of this hole, but it's going to take 20 minutes of focused basketball, way fewer defensive lapses, and more accurate 3-point shooting. The margin for error is razor thin.

Air Force takes big lead over UNLV

Air Force came to play tonight, and UNLV doesn't seem ready for it. The Falcons just held UNLV scoreless for more than four minutes, using an 11-2 run during that time to push their their advantage to as much as 23 points.

With 3:49 left in the half, Air Force now has a 33-15 lead.

UNLV missed its first 10 3-point attempts before Justin Webster canned a long one from the wing to stop Air Force's run. Webster then scored on a baseline drive to get the deficit under 20 points.

UNLV is now 7-of-26 from the field (26.9%), while Air Force has made 13-of-23 (56.5%).

These next three-plus minutes could be big. If UNLV can keep chipping away and get back within reasonable striking distance before the half, that will provide some hope as they head into the locker room.

UNLV falls behind early against Air Force

This game certainly hasn't started the way anyone expected, as Air Force — winless in the Mountain West this season — has jumped out to a 22-8 lead with 11:16 left in the first half. 

An early 8-0 run by Air Force put the Scarlet and Gray in the position of having to play catch-up. Luis Rodriguez opened the scoring with a layup off a baseline out-of-bounds play to make it 2-0 in favor of UNLV, but then the visitors ran off eight straight points while UNLV missed its next four shots. Back-to-back 3-pointers by Beau Becker pushed the AFA lead to 14-4 with 14 minutes left in the half.

When Ethan Taylor hit another 3 to make it 17-4, the crowd at the Thomas & Mack Center let out and audible groan. UNLV forward Rob Whaley gave them something to cheer about with a dunk, but Becker quickly drilled another 3 to quiet the assembled.

The Falcons have made 6-of-7 from 3-point range, and the good news for UNLV is that they can't keep up that pace forever. The problem is, Kevin Kruger's squad is now in a deep hole against a methodical team that isn't going to let UNLV go on many sustained runs.

The Scarlet and Gray have their work cut out tonight.  

UNLV basketball returns home to host Air Force

After splitting last week’s road trip to Boise State and Colorado State — two teams in the top 50 of the NCAA NET rankings — UNLV returns home to host Air Force on Tuesday (8 p.m., CBS Sports Network).

Though Air Force doesn’t boast a tournament-caliber résumé, Kevin Kruger wants his team to guard against a letdown as they seek to get back to .500 in Mountain West play.

Three keys to watch:

Tempo test

When it comes to playing slow basketball, Air Force does it as well as anyone. The Falcons currently rank No. 358 in KenPom’s adjusted tempo rating, and there are only 362 teams in Division I, so that says a lot.

UNLV is not exactly in a hurry, either — the Scarlet and Gray are No. 301 — but AFA’s extreme pace can present a real challenge, especially for a young point guard like D.J. Thomas.

Now, Thomas has aced just about every test he’s faced this season, so he’ll probably handle the Air Force zone once he gets used to it. But watch out for early kinks as UNLV adjusts.

Rotation rounds out

Kevin Kruger really tightened his lineup usage in Friday’s matchup at Colorado State, sticking to a seven-man rotation for almost the entire contest. Some of that is due to injuries — Jalen Hill is out for the year, and Isaiah Cottrell is battling a foot issue — but some of it is just roles coalescing as the season goes on.

If UNLV can open a comfortable lead against Air Force, it might give Kruger an opportunity to play reserves like Brooklyn Hicks and Shane Nowell for longer stretches, and rest his core rotation players as we approach the dog days of the season.

Schedule ramps down

After opening the Mountain West portion of the schedule with a five-game gauntlet against potential NCAA Tournament teams, the schedule eases up for the Scarlet and Gray over the next two weeks.

After hosting Air Force, they’ll travel to San Jose State, then return home for games against Fresno State and Wyoming. The combined conference record of those teams: 5-15.

If UNLV can run off a 4-0 streak — not an easy task, but not improbable, either — it would put Kruger’s squad at 6-3 in MWC play and likely in the top half of the standings. Not bad for the midway point of the conference season, if they can pull it off.

Who: UNLV (9-8, 2-3 MWC) vs. Air Force (7-10, 0-5 MWC)

When: Tuesday, 8 p.m.

Where: Thomas & Mack Center

TV: CBS Sports Network

Radio: 1100 AM, 100.9 FM

UNLV leaders

Scoring

Kalib Boone: 13.3 points

Rebounds

Luis Rodriguez: 7.0 rebounds

Assists

D.J. Thomas: 6.4 assists

Air Force leaders

Scoring

Rytis Petraitis: 17.3 points

Rebounds

Kellan Boylan: 6.4 rebounds

Assists

Rytis Petraitis: 3.3 assists

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