Live coverage: Boise State pulls away to beat UNLV

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Published Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023 | 5:58 p.m.

Updated Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023 | 10:02 p.m.

UNLV's defense disappeared on Wednesday, and Boise State took advantage to notch an 84-66 win at the Thomas & Mack Center.

The numbers were ugly for a UNLV team that is built on defense. They allowed Boise to shoot 56.4% from the field, and the Broncos put up 53 points in the second half alone. Tyson Degenhart and Chibuzo Agbo went for 17 apiece on a combined 14-of-19 from the field. Five Boise players scored in double figures.

As a team, Boise State made an outrageous 14-of-26 from 3-point range (53.8%).

UNLV simply couldn't keep pace. Keshon Gilbert scored 14 points and Justin Webster chipped in 13, but leading scorer E.J. Harkless shot 5-of-18 from the field for just 12 points.

UNLV is now 12-4 overall and 1-3 in Mountain West play. They'll return to the Mack on Saturday to host Colorado State. 

Harkless trying to bring UNLV back against Boise State

Basketball is a game of momentum, and UNLV has it right now. The Scarlet and Gray are on a 12-2 run, and with 7:33 remaining they have trimmed Boise State's lead to 66-60.

E.J. Harkless has been the catalyst. He has eight points during the run, including a driving layup and a floater in traffic that just forced Boise coach Leon Rice to call timeout.

Harkless now has 12 points on 5-of-15 shooting.

Boise State is still shooting better than 50% from the field, but UNLV's defense is beginning to generate some turnovers, as they've got 12 takeaways.

Boise State's hot shooting opens 45-38 lead over UNLV

Boise State came out swinging to start the second half, using a 14-3 run to take a 45-38 lead with 15:52 remaining.

The Broncos did their damage from the 3-point line, knocking down their first three triples out of the locker room — just like they did to start the game. Two of those were corner 3's by Chibuzo Agbo on which he also drew fouls.

Boise is now 9-of-16 from the arc tonight while UNLV is just 1-of-9. That discrepancy accounts for the entirety of UNLV's deficit.

Can anyone step up and make a jump shot for the Scarlet and Gray?

UNLV takes 33-31 halftime lead over Boise State

Kevin Kruger wanted a better first-half performance from his team tonight, and he got it. UNLV fell behind early but bounced back to take a 33-31 lead into the locker room against Boise State.

Senior guards Jordan McCabe and Justin Webster provided a spark, as they combined for 16 points on 7-of-13 shooting. McCabe has nine points and an impressive seven rebounds.

Boise State opened the game by making its first three 3-pointers, but UNLV found its rhythm on the defensive end and held the Broncos to 40.7% shooting overall in the half.

One problematic issue for the Scarlet and Gray has been rebounding on free throws. Twice already Boise State has missed a freebie, gotten the offensive rebound and kicked it out to Max Rice for an open 3-pointer. Those six points could be crucial, as this game has the makings of one that is going down to the wire.

UNLV takes 24-23 lead over Boise State

UNLV is on an 8-0, and with 6:33 left in the half the Scarlet and Gray have taken a 24-23 lead over Boise State.

It's the first lead of the game for UNLV, and the team has Jordan McCabe to thank for it. The senior reserve has nine points off the bench already, including a show-and-go turnaround jump shot that trimmed the Boise lead to one point a minute ago. Justin Webster then followed his own miss with a putback to put UNLV ahead.

McCabe also has six rebounds and a steal.

Boise State is still hot from long distance (5-of-10), but McCabe has made up for it almost single-handedly.

Boise State hot from 3 against UNLV

UNLV is trying to withstand a hot start by Boise State, and with 14:54 left in the first half the visiting Broncos have a 14-7 lead.

Boise guard Max Rice got things started by making a 3-pointer just four seconds into the game, and the Broncos made their next two long-distance attempts. They are 3-of-4 as a team now and 5-of-7 from the field overall.

Jordan McCabe has given UNLV an early spark off the bench, scoring a driving layup and a hitting a long 3 to account for five of the team's seven points.

Let's see if the UNLV defense can get up on shooters and cool down Boise State.

UNLV basketball looking for fast start against Boise State

After notching their biggest win of the season over the weekend at New Mexico, the Scarlet and Gray return home for another marquee Mountain West matchup against Boise State on Wednesday (8 p.m., CBS Sports Network).

Can Kevin Kruger’s squad make it two in a row? Three keys to watch:

Tale of two halves

UNLV had a reoccurring issue with slow starts early in the season, and it has cropped up again here in Mountain West play. In each of the team’s three conference games, the Scarlet and Gray have found themselves trailing at halftime.

They recovered to beat New Mexico on Saturday, but they weren’t so fortunate in losses to San Jose State and San Diego State despite late rallies.

Senior guard E.J. Harkless has been a primary factor in UNLV’s first half/second half split. After low-scoring first halves against SJSU and UNM, he exploded for 20-plus after halftime.

Against New Mexico, he tallied just four points in the first half before catching fire late and finishing with 25. That performance earned Harkless recognition as the Mountain West Player of the Week.

Kruger said it has taken Harkless some time to adjust to the level of defensive attention he is receiving as UNLV’s leading scorer (16.6 points per game), but he’s hopeful Harkless can find his groove earlier against Boise State

“When you’re in that role that we’ve asked you to be in, you’re going to be a focal point for 40 minutes,” Kruger said. “Luckily he had the second half that he had in Albuquerque to lead us to a win. Hopefully that award and that accolade he can continue that confidence and momentum and get off to a good start tomorrow night.”

Boise barrier

San Diego State gets all the attention when it comes to tough MWC defenses, but Boise State actually fields a better unit so far this season. The Broncos rank 14^th in KenPom’s adjusted defense rating, while San Diego State checks in at No. 21.

Despite having a true big man to protect the rim, Boise uses superior length across the board to make life difficult on opponents.

“They guard like crazy,” Kruger said. “They’re an elite defensive team. The do a really good job keeping the ball in front.”

Gilbert back

Keshon Gilbert bounced back in a big way against New Mexico, posting 14 points, five assists and four steals. And maybe most importantly, UNLV outscored the Lobos by 10 points in the 30 minutes he was on the floor.

That’s a relief to Scarlet and Gray fans after the way Gilbert floundered in the first two conference games.

Senior guard Jordan McCabe said Gilbert’s struggles were simple: He was taking the game too seriously.

After seeing his teammate play free and easy at UNM, McCabe is confident Gilbert will continue to produce for the rest of the season.

“Going into conference play, he started to take himself too seriously,” McCabe said. “I told him that. At the end of the day, it’s a game. Find your breath. Get back to doing what you were doing and make easy plays. And that’s what he did. It was the lob to David [Muoka] — as soon as he did that, I was like, ‘He’s back. He’ll be fine.’”

Who: UNLV (12-3, 1-2 MWC) at Boise State (12-4, 2-1 MWC)

When: Wednesday, 8 p.m. at the Thomas & Mack Center

TV: CBS Sports Network

UNLV leaders

Scoring: E.J. Harkless — 16.6 points

Rebounding: Luis Rodriguez — 5.9 rebounds

Assists: Keshon Gilbert — 3.8 assists

Boise State leaders

Scoring: Marcus Shaver — 14.5 points

Rebounding: Marcus Shaver — 6.8 rebounds

Assists: Marcus Shaver — 3.8 assists

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