Bryce Hamilton, Donovan Williams lead UNLV to second straight win

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021 | 3:13 p.m.

Bryce Hamilton and Donovan Williams combined for 65 points to lead UNLV to a 95-78 win over Hartford on Saturday at Michelob Ultra Arena.

Hamilton tallied a season-best 33 points, while Williams netted 32 points to set a new career high.

UNLV improved to 6-5 with the victory, but more importantly the two wings may have provided a glimpse of better times ahead for the scarlet and gray — provided Hamilton and Williams can keep it up.

That’s reasonable to expect of Hamilton, as the team’s leading scorer seems to have rediscovered his groove over the past week (25.3 points, 61.2 FG% in three games). For Williams, however, this is uncharted territory.

The transfer from Texas came into this season with a previous single-game high of 13 points, and he’s been up-and-down at the offensive end for UNLV, shooting 41.2% over the first 10 games. There’s no denying Williams’ physical abilities, however, and the 6-foot-7 swingman put it all together against Hartford.

Kevin Kruger used Williams as a high-post option against Hartford’s 2-3 zone, and the one nicknamed “Stretch” by his teammates went to work, slicing through the back end of the defense for easy baskets (and free-throw attempts; Williams was 9-of-15 from the line).

And when Williams decided to step outside he displayed soft touch on his jumper, nailing all three of his 3-point attemps.

Hamilton, who has been UNLV’s top scorer for three years running, seemed to recognize that Williams is capable of big things at that end of the floor and was grateful for the offensive support on Saturday.

“He’s been thru a lot of ups and downs,” Hamilton said. “I’m just very happy for him to have this moment. He played a great game today and we’re going to expect that more throughout the season.”

Williams attributed his explosion to shot selection. That’s been a key theme for UNLV through the early part of the season, as Kruger and his staff have worked to get the players — starting with Hamilton and Williams — to understand the difference between good shots and bad shots.

Williams was flawless in that department against Hartford. In addition to the three 3-point attempts, his other nine shots all came in the paint (he made seven). No mid-range jumpers to be found.

Williams believes the entire team is getting the message and making it a point to work for better shots.

“The coaching staff has been very strict on us in terms of the shot selection,” Williams said. “I think now we’re starting to turn that corner of instead of taking mid-range shots or contested jump shots or whatever, we’re putting our heads down.”

Hamilton made 12-of-21 from the field and 4-of-8 from 3-point range, while Williams went 10-of-12 and added six rebounds and three steals.

While he doesn’t expect them to each top the 30-point mark on a nightly basis, Kruger liked the way Williams and Hamilton played off each other in leading UNLV to its second straight win.

“The more reps they get together and the more practices and games we have, I think they’ll continue to do a good job,” Kruger said.

The only thing that didn’t work for Williams? A fast break late in the second half in which he tried to toss an alley-oop off the backboard for trailing center Royce Hamm. The pass was off target, however, and Hamm was unable to corral the ball in flight. The play resulted in a turnover.

Kruger said he didn’t have to admonish Williams when he checked out of the game a few plays later because he already understood what he’d done wrong.

The coach doesn’t want to dampen the team’s spirit, so he encouraged Williams and the rest of the squad to continue running the floor and seeking out highlight plays.

“It was fun for them,” Kruger said. “Really proud of them. They were having fun and that’s what we want to see them do.”

While Hamilton and Williams handled the scoring, senior point guard Jordan McCabe dished out 11 assists and came up with four steals.

With the rodeo clearing out of town, UNLV will return to the Thomas & Mack Center on Wednesday to host Omaha.

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