Live coverage: UNLV basketball 3-0 after tight win over North Dakota State

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Published Monday, Nov. 15, 2021 | 5 p.m.

Updated Monday, Nov. 15, 2021 | 8:57 p.m.

UNLV basketball has a game plan: Play 40 minutes of defense and turn the offense over to Bryce Hamilton late, and they executed that script to secure a 64-62 victory over North Dakota State on Monday.

The defense had to extend for all 40 minutes, as Royce Hamm stepped up and blocked a driving layup attempt at the buzzer to preserve the win. It was Hamm's second game-saving block in three days.

Hamilton played his role to perfection as well, scoring key buckets down the stretch to put UNLV in position. With four minutes left he drove into the paint and sank a floater to put the scarlet and gray ahead, 54-52. Two possessions later he made a similar move, but spun to his left to create a wide-open layup to make it 56-52. After a North Dakota State free throw Hamilton went to work again, working into the lane and pump-faking his defender into the air before hitting a leaner to make it 58-53.

Donovan Williams hit a big 3-pointer to make it 61-56 with two minutes to play, and Hamilton went to work again, dribble through the paint for a tough bucket to extend the lead to seven with a minute on the clock.

Hamilton finished with a team-high 17 points. Williams enjoyed his most productive outing of the young season with 15 points on 5-of-11 shooting. Hamm scored three points, pulled down 17 rebounds and blocked two shots.

UNLV is now 3-0 in a season for the first time since the 2017-18 squad opened the year 6-0 under Marvin Menzies.

The scarlet and gray will have three days off before facing No. 4 Michigan at T-Mobile Arena on Friday in one of the biggest games on the schedule.

UNLV, North Dakota State tied late

Donovan Williams has thrown down two monster dunks in the last few minutes, but North Dakota State continues to keep pace and with 5:17 remaining this game is tied, 50-50.

Williams' first dunk came off a steal by Marvin Coleman. Coleman threw a look-ahead pass to Williams, who soared above the one trailing defender and hammered it home. A few possessions later Williams did it all himself, catching a pass on the right wing and driving past his man with one dribble before taking off for a one-handed jam.

Williams now has a team-high 12 points on 4-of-10 shooting. UNLV would love it if he can stay hot over the final five minutes.

UNLV trying to hold off North Dakota State

UNLV just can't seem to shake this North Dakota State team. With 11:21 remaining the scarlet and gray are still clinging to a 42-20 lead.

Keshon Gilbert just had a chance to pad UNLV's advantage a little bit as he came up with a steal and got a breakaway opportunity, but NDSU's Willie Guy chased him down from behind and blocked Gilbert's layup attempt from behind.

Royce Hamm has three points and 13 rebounds, but once again UNLV is struggling from long distance as they've made just 3-of-14 from beyond the arc.

UNLV leads North Dakota State at half

UNLV scored the final four points of the half, which counts as an explosive run in this game, and at the break the scarlet and gray have a 32-27 lead.

It was another 20 minutes of grind-it-out offense for UNLV, but a pair of 3-pointers from Jordan McCabe (team-high eight points) and a couple driving layups from Mike Nuga (six points) have helped keep the home team afloat.

On the other end of the court, North Dakota State has had trouble getting inside the UNLV defense. The Bison shot just 31.0% in the first half, led by Rocky Kreuser's eight points.

Bryce Hamilton has hit on 3-of-8 from the field and has seven points, but more importantly he finished out the half without picking up his third foul. If he can stay on the court and get into a rhythm in the second half it will surely help UNLV get its offense up and running.

UNLV, North Dakota State locked in defensive battle

Much like UNLV's first two games, this contest is turning into a defensive grind. Neither team has scored in more than three minutes, and with 7:15 left in the first half North Dakota State has an 18-16 lead.

Bryce Hamilton sat out eight minutes of game time due to foul trouble and has wasted no time reintegrating himself into the offense, but he has missed both of his shots since returning to the floor. As a team UNLV is 6-of-18 from the field, but they've held North Dakota State to 6-of-19.

Royce Hamm has done a nice job on the boards with six defensive rebounds (seven total), but he has missed all three of his shots and is scoreless.

North Dakota State takes early lead over UNLV

Bryce Hamilton picked up two fouls in the first three minutes, and with 14:40 left in the first half North Dakota State has a 10-7 lead over UNLV.

Hamilton went to the bench after his second foul, and that's bad news for a UNLV team that has struggled to score this season. Hamilton notched a 3-point play to put the scarlet and gray on the board, and the rest of the squad has shot 2-of-6 so far.

It will be interesting to see how long Kevin Kruger keeps Hamilton sidelined, especially if North Dakota State continues to extend its lead.

UNLV basketball seeking 3-0 start under Kruger

UNLV has started the season 2-0 for the first time since 2017-18, and Kevin Kruger and company will attempt to keep the early momentum going when the scarlet and gray host North Dakota State today (7 p.m., Yurview).

Three keys to watch:

Keep Hamm on the floor

UNLV big man Royce Hamm has been a revelation in the first two games, averaging 12.5 points, 12.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocks, but he ran into some trouble on Saturday against Cal — foul trouble, to be specific.

After logging 30 minutes in the opener, Hamm picked up four fouls against Cal and was limited to 21 minutes. He still came up big down the stretch, including a game-saving block in the final seconds, but Kruger surely wants Hamm anchoring the defense for more than 21 minutes. With Hamm on the floor this season, UNLV is outscoring opponents 75-65; without him, the scarlet and gray have been outscored 45-44.

This is the first time in Hamm’s career he has been counted on to play extended minutes. He never averaged more than 12.3 per game at Texas, so perhaps he needs to gain some experience and learn how to play without picking up needless fouls. The sooner he figures that out, the better off UNLV will be because it looks like this team plays its best with Hamm in the lineup.

Rotation experiments

As he said in the preseason, Kruger is playing a large rotation, preferring to keep players fresh with frequent substitutions. He is also using the early part of the schedule to tinker with his rotation options.

In the season opener, Kruger employed 21 different lineups, which is tied for the most lineups T.J. Otzelberger used in any game last season. Against Cal, Kruger trimmed it to 17 lineups, but this is all being done with power forward Victor Iwuakor sidelined with an arm injury; once he becomes available he is expected to play a significant role.

Look for Kruger to continue experimenting against North Dakota State, whether it’s three-point guard looks or lineups with multiple big men.

Worthy opponent

Don’t underestimate North Dakota State as a non-conference opponent. The Bison are No. 127 in the KenPom rankings, which is two spots ahead of UNLV at 129, so this is a game that could go either way.

North Dakota State is a team that likes to play at its own pace (No. 335 in adjusted tempo), and much like UNLV they have struggled to shoot the ball in the early going (26.4 3FG%). It’s not hard to imagine this one turning into a slow, grind-it-out affair that comes down to the final possessions, but that kind of game seems to suit this new defense-and-toughness UNLV squad just fine.

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