Live coverage: UNLV stunned at the buzzer by San Francisco

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Published Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022 | 2 a.m.

Updated Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022 | 3:53 p.m.

San Francisco scored the final 11 points to stun UNLV, 75-73.

The Scarlet and Gray appeared to be cruising to their 11th win of the season when Victor Iwuakor streaked in for a breakaway dunk to give UNLV a 73-64 lead with 3:07 to play, but the final minutes were all San Francisco. Tyrell Roberts got things started with a 3-pointer, and Khalil Shabazz connected on a 3 to pull the Dons within 74-70.

Zane Meeks converted a post bucket, and after a Keshon Gilbert turnover, Roberts hit another triple as the shot clock expired to give San Francisco the lead with six seconds to play.

UNLV inbounded to Gilbert, who dribbled the length of the court and pulled up for a long 3. His shot caught nothing but back iron and the buzzer sounded.

Shabazz, Roberts and Meeks each finished with 17 points for San Francisco. E.J. Harkless led UNLV with 21 points but did not score in the final seven minutes.

UNLV is now, shockingly, 10-1 on the season. They'll wrap non-conference play when they host Southern Mississippi on Thursday.

UNLV leads San Francisco, 67-62

San Francisco isn't going away, but with 6:28 remaining UNLV is still in control, leading 67-62.

Luis Rodriguez has come to life in the last few minutes, scoring on a baseline drive and then knocking down a corner 3 on consecutive possessions. He then scooped up a loose ball on the offensive end and swooped in for a layup to break up a San Francisco run. Rodriguez now has 17 points, five rebounds and two steals on the day.

San Francisco has had a bit more success from beyond the arc since halftime, connecting on 3-of-10 to stay close. Zane Meeks has 15 points to lead the Dons, and Khalil Shabazz has 14.

E.J. Harkless continues to hit clutch shots for the Scarlet and Gray. His turnaround jumper in the lane two possessions ago gave him 21 points.

Can UNLV close this one out on the defensive end over the final six minutes?

UNLV leads San Francisco at half, 46-37

UNLV is shooting the ball as well as it has all season, and at the half the Scarlet and Gray have a 46-37 lead over San Francisco.

Jordan McCabe nailed an off-the-dribble 3 from the top of the key to close out the first-half scoring, and UNLV is now 7-of-15 from long range and 16-of-30 overall (53.3%). E.J. Harkless leads the team with 13 points on 3-of-7 shooting, while Jackie Johnson has nine points and two steals off the bench.

It was a closely contested 20 minutes, with UNLV and San Francisco trading the lead several times. A late 11-2 run allowed Kevin Kruger's squad to create some breathing room.

UNLV has done a good job contesting shots on defense, holding USF to 37.2% from the field, but the Dons have used their superior size to grab 10 offensive rebounds and convert them into 11 second-chance points. If the Scarlet and Gray can shore up their defensive rebounding — they've only corralled 15 so far — they'll make it very difficult for San Francisco to come back.

Harkless has UNLV in front of San Francisco, 23-15

Both teams have the hot hand early, and with 11:35 left in the half UNLV has a 23-15 lead.

Keshon Gilbert controlled the action early, scoring on a drive and dishing out a pair of assists in the opening two minutes. E.J. Harkless has put in work since then, scoring 11 points on 3-of-5 shooting, including a transition 3 that forced San Francisco to call timeout. On the possession prior, Harkless drove and dished to Victor Iwuakor for an easy layup.

UNLV and San Francisco have already combined for seven 3-pointers. Zane Meeks leads the Dons with five points.

UNLV basketball puts perfect record on the line vs. San Francisco

After three weeks in the wilderness, UNLV basketball returns to the Thomas & Mack Center for a Saturday matinee against San Francisco (2 p.m., Mountain West Network).

The National Finals Rodeo forced the Scarlet and Gray to play their last three games at other venues, but that didn’t slow down Kevin Kruger’s squad, as they won all three to improve to 10-0 on the season.

Can they make it 11-0 against San Francisco? Three keys to watch:

Defending the Dons

San Francisco won 24 games last season (including a blowout of UNLV) and made the NCAA Tournament, but this year’s version is different. Todd Golden left to become the head coach at Florida, and three of the team’s top four scorers departed. But the Dons are still dangerous.

New coach Chris Gerlufsen has USF at 8-3 overall, and the senior backcourt of Khalil Shabazz and Tyrell Roberts combine for 28.2 points and 6.3 assists per game.

UNLV will have to be vigilant in getting back on defense, because if they’re late, Shabazz and Roberts will make them pay.

UNLV senior wing Luis Rodriguez said keeping tabs on them will be a top priority.

“Stopping their guards,” Rodriguez said. “They play downhill, so just messing with their offensive schemes and stuff like that.”

No Parquet

This is the kind of matchup where UNLV really could have used Eli Parquet’s defense on the ball, but the senior guard is out with a knee injury.

Kruger didn’t provide any details on how long Parquet is expected to be sidelined, but the second-year coach did discuss the hole Parquet leaves.

“He’s elite,” Kruger said. “He bothers the ball and he’s as annoying as anybody in the country. It’s not just a hundred miles per hour and put your head down sprinting all the time, but he’s always within arm’s reach. He’s always able to make that pass a little off-target or push that pass out a little bit farther to start an offense. But we’ve got a lot of guys who are able to do it.”

Kruger said UNLV will run the same defensive system and pressure the ball, with Rodriguez, sophomore Keshon Gilbert and senior guard E.J. Harkless continuing to make life tough on opposing ballhandlers.

“We’re not going to change anything,” Kruger said.

Webster likely to start

Kruger didn’t reveal who will start in place of Parquet, but all signs point to Webster.

Webster got most of the minutes after Parquet went down early against Washington State, and he played well, finishing with eight points on 3-of-3 shooting. Analytics show the team has performed well with Webster on the court in place of Parquet.

Most of Webster’s value comes from his ability to stretch the floor, and he’s on a hot streak right now: He has made 11 of his last 13 3-pointers and is now shooting 52.0% from long range for the season.

Webster attributed his heater to his pregame routine.

“My role is to make shots,” Webster said. “I get up shots on gameday. I have a little gameday routine. That has definitely helped. Early on I was shooting terribly, but now we’ve started getting it going a little bit.”

Who: UNLV (10-0) vs. San Francisco (8-3)

When: Saturday, 2 p.m. at Thomas & Mack Center

TV: Mountain West Network

UNLV leaders

Scoring: Keshon Gilbert — 15.5 points

Rebounding: David Muoka— 6.2 rebounds

Assists: Keshon Gilbert — 3.7 assists

San Francisco leaders

Scoring: Khalil Shabazz — 14.3 points

Rebounding: Zane Meeks — 5.8 rebounds

Assists: Khalil Shabazz — 4.0 assists

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