UNLV Rebels forward Cheikh Mbacke Diong (34) dunks the ball in the first half of a game against San Jose State at the Thomas & Mack Center Wednesday, Jan. !5, 2020.
Published Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020 | 2 a.m.
Updated Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020 | 3:07 p.m.
UNLV fired its best shot, but a lack of crunch-time offense eventually sank the Rebels as San Diego State pulled away for a 71-67 win.
The Rebels took a short-lived lead midway through the second half but immediately suffered through a six-minute drought without a field goal that allowed SDSU to regain the upper hand.
San Diego State guard Jordan Schakel hit a clutch corner 3 to make it a 10-point game with less than two minutes remaining, and Trey Pulliam drove for a tough layup a minute later to make it 65-58 and snuff out UNLV's comeback hopes.
The Aztecs improve to 21-0 on the season and 10-0 in the Mountain West. UNLV is now 11-11 overall and 6-3 in Mountain West play.
Bryce Hamilton led the way for UNLV with 29 points. Flynn scored 21 to pace SDSU.
San Diego States takes late lead over UNLV
UNLV is running out of time, as San Diego State has a 59-52 lead with 2:47 to play.
The Rebels were down eight a moment ago, and a 3-pointer by Bryce Hamilton and an alley-oop dunk by Mbacke Diong trimmed the deficit to three points. But San Diego State answered with a Jordan Schakel driving layup, and Malachi Flynn just scored again in transition to extend the Aztecs' lead to seven. Flynn was fouled on the play, so he'll also have a free throw coming after the timeout.
If UNLV has enough offense to make one more run, it has to happen now.
UNLV, San Diego State tied late in second half
Both teams may be feeling some pressure, as offense has become hard to come by in the last few minutes. With 7:26 to play, UNLV and San Diego State are tied, 45-45.
UNLV has missed its last four shots from the field and hasn't scored in more than four minutes, while San Diego State has made one of its last seven attempts.
Elijah Mitrou-Long connected on a big 3-pointer midway through the second half and will be checking back into the game after this timeout, so it looks like T.J. Otzelberger trusts him to generate some scoring, even given the high stakes.
UNLV, San Diego State tied in second half
UNLV has a real chance to knock off the No. 4 team in the country.
Marvin Coleman hit two 3-pointers to open the second half, and Bryce Hamilton followed with a driving layup to tie the score at 36-36. Matt Mitchell scored a transition layup to put San Diego State back ahead, and Amauri Hardy answered with his first basket of the game, drilling a long 2-pointer to knot the game again, 38-38 with 14:42 to play.
Hamilton now has a game-high 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting.
San Diego State is just 2-of-10 from the field in the second half, and the crowd at the Thomas & Mack Center is beginning to have an impact on the game as UNLV surges.
San Diego State leads UNLV at half, 34-28
Bryce Hamilton has 17 points at the half and his hot shooting has UNLV within striking distance, as San Diego State leads 34-28.
Hamilton has made 7-of-10 shots from the field; the rest of the Rebels are just 4-of-17. Despite the offense struggling, the Rebels have managed to stay tethered to the No. 4 team in the country for 20 minutes. San Diego State built an early 9-point lead, but the Aztecs couldn't quick shake UNLV. A Donnie Tillman layup in the final minute cut the deficit to four points, and then SDSU guard Trey Pulliam knocked in a mid-range jumper at the buzzer to make it a 6-point game at the break.
Amauri Hardy has not scored for UNLV (0-of-4 shooting), and Marvin Coleman has two points. Tillman is the Rebels' second-leading scorer with five points.
San Diego State has been led by Pulliam, who has 10 points on perfect 4-of-4 shooting. Malachi Flynn has seven points and two assists, but UNLV has limited him to 2-of-8 from the field.
UNLV hanging around against San Diego State
Kind of like they did at UNR on Wednesday, the Rebels are hanging around despite being outplayed for much of the first half. With 3:52 left before the break, San Diego State leads, 29-22.
Bryce Hamilton is the reason why this game isn't over already, as the sophomore guard has 13 of UNLV's 22 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Hamilton has had success attacking SDSU off the dribble and scoring in the paint, and he has also knocked in a couple of mid-range jumpers to keep the defense honest.
Aside from Hamilton's hot shooting, the rest of the Rebels are 3-of-13 from the field.
Elijah Mitrou-Long has checked in for two separate stints, marking his first playing time since UNLV's game at Cincinnati on Nov. 30.
San Diego State takes early lead over UNLV
Defensive stops have been hard to come by for UNLV, and with 9:46 left in the first half San Diego State has an 18-9 lead.
The Aztecs have been dialed in from 3-point range (2-of-5) and they have also exploited the interior of UNLV's defense for some easy points in the paint. As a team, SDSU is shooting 53.8 percent.
Not only will UNLV have to find a way to defend San Diego State, but the Rebels will have to do it without Mbacke Diong for the rest of the half. Diong picked up two fouls in the first six minutes and has been on the bench since.
Three keys for UNLV basketball vs. No. 4 San Diego State
UNLV is set to play one of its biggest games of the season on Sunday, when No. 4 San Diego State visits the Thomas & Mack Center (1 p.m., CBS Sports Network). The undefeated Aztecs (20-0, 9-0 Mountain West) are looking to solidify their stranglehold on the conference, while an upset win for UNLV (11-10, 6-2 MWC) would create huge momentum for the program and help the Rebels maintain their second-place slot in the league standings.
Three keys to watch:
Get defensive stops
San Diego State has a reputation as a defensive team, but the Aztecs have one of the nation’s best scoring attacks as well, ranking No. 26 in KenPom.com’s adjusted offense. UNLV struggled to slow down UNR’s 3-point based offense in Wednesday’s loss, but the Rebels should match up a bit better against SDSU, which focuses more on the mid-range and working the ball inside.
When San Diego State goes to its pick-and-roll offense with guard Malachi Flynn on the ball — which is the main staple of the Aztecs’ playbook — UNLV will have to defend as a team and keep Flynn from distributing to teammates for layups and open 3’s. He is willing to pull up and shoot long 2’s despite making just 28.6 percent of those attempts, according to Synergy Sports data, so the Rebels’ should focus on hemming him in and encouraging him to shoot from inside the arc.
Get to the basket
UNLV won’t get many chances to penetrate the SDSU defense, as the Aztecs allow fewer shots around the rim than any team in the country. But when the Rebels do put the ball on the floor they have to make a concerted effort to power through the mid-range area and get all the way to the basket.
San Diego State allows opponents to shoot 62.2 percent around the rim, which ranks No. 269. Even for a team that struggles to finish like UNLV, that has to be tempting.
“It’s really important,” Otzelberger said. “We have to be intentional and get the ball all the way to the rim. They do a great job kind of bumping you out and trying to get you to settle for 5- or 8-foot jump hooks and turnarounds as opposed to getting all the way to the rim.”
Get offensive rebounds
UNLV is going to miss a lot of shots on Sunday; that’s just how it is when you go up against perhaps the best defensive team in America. The important thing will be not focusing on the misses and instead focusing on grabbing the rebounds.
The Rebels are great in that area, as they rank fifth in the nation in offensive rebounding (36.0 offensive rebound rate). San Diego State won’t be easy to crack, though, as they rank No. 38 in defensive rebound rate (77.6 percent). UNLV will undoubtedly have to accumulate a sizable advantage in second-chance points in order to score enough points to beat SDSU.
TV: CBS Sports Network, 1 p.m.
UNLV: 11-10, 6-2 MWC (KenPom No. 133)
Coach: T.J. Otzelberger
Leading scorer: Amauri Hardy, 15.1 points per game
Leading rebounder: Mbacke Diong, 9.0 rebounds per game
Leading assists: Elijah Mitrou-Long, 3.8 assists per game
San Diego State: 20-0, 9-0 MWC (KenPom No. 7)
Coach: Brian Dutcher
Leading scorer: Malachi Flynn, 16.6 points per game
Leading rebounder: Nathan Mensah, 6.8 rebounds per game
Leading assists: Malachi Flynn, 5.0 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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