UNLV Rebels guard Keshon Gilbert (10) and center David Muoka (12) talk during an NCAA basketball game against the Incarnate Word Cardinals at the Thomas & Mack Center Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022.
Published Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2022 | 3 p.m.
Updated Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2022 | 9:11 p.m.
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UNLV mounted a huge comeback in the second half but sputtered down the stretch and in overtime, falling at San Jose State, 75-72.
E.J. Harkless powered UNLV's comeback by scoring all of his team-high 19 points in the second half, but the senior clearly ran out of gas down the stretch. He went 0-of-2 in overtime and committed a turnover while the Scarlet and Gray scored just seven points in the extra period.
They had their chances, however. Down 72-70 with 30 seconds left, Jordan McCabe stole an inbound pass and got it to Keshon Gilbert in the open court, but Gilbert missed a driving layup that would have tied it. San Jose State got the rebound and made 3-of-4 free throws in the final 20 seconds to seal the win.
Omari Moore finished with 15 points and seven assists for San Jose State.
UNLV is now 11-2 overall and 0-1 in Mountain West play. The Scarlet and Gray will try to recover in time to host San Diego State on Saturday.
UNLV, San Jose State head to overtime
UNLV and San Jose State both came up empty on their final possessions, and we are heading to overtime, tied 65-65.
E.J. Harkless missed a 3-pointer with 10 seconds left, and after a scramble for the offensive rebound, Luis Rodriguez canned a mid-range jumper. After review, however, the basket was waved off as the shot clock had expired.
SJSU took over possession with 7.6 seconds on the clock, but Omari Moore's long 3-pointer at the buzzer bounced off the rim.
Harkless played the entire second half and scored 19 points, and he seemed worn down in the final minutes. We'll see how much he and the rest of the UNLV team have left in the tank in OT.
UNLV storms back to tie San Jose State in second half
UNLV finally went on a run, and suddenly we've got a tie game here, 58-58 with 6:51 remaining.
The Scarlet and Gray clamped down on defense and E.J. Harkless made a handful of driving baskets to power a 13-0 surge. Harkless now has 11 points after being held scoreless in the first half.
Jordan McCabe also notched five points during the run. He is a team-best plus-9 tonight, making him plus-32 over the last two games.
San Jose State will shoot a pair of free throws after the timeout. Can UNLV complete the comeback?
San Jose State leads UNLV, 56-45
Eight minutes into the second half, UNLV has not been able to cut into the San Jose State lead. The Spartans still maintain a 56-45 advantage with 11:52 remaining.
The good news for the Scarlet and Gray is that E.J. Harkless and Luis Rodriguez are finally on the board; Rodriguez hit a 3-pointer and Harkless scored an and-1 finish on a drive. The bad news is that SJSU continues to carve up the UNLV defense, shooting 13-of-21 on shots inside the arc.
UNLV has made a habit of going on sustained runs this season, but time is running out for a game-changing surge.
UNLV trails San Jose State at half, 41-30
San Jose State closed the half on a 16-2 run, and UNLV is going to need a big second-half comeback if they want to pull this one out. At the break, SJSU leads, 41-30.
UNLV struggled to score over the final 10 minutes, as the trio of E.J. Harkless, Luis Rodriguez and Keshon Gilbert managed just one field goal and two points between them.
At the other end, the Spartans had little trouble handling UNLV's aggressive defense. Omari Moore got into the paint at will, and SJSU ended up shooting 48.4% from the field. When they did miss, they were able to grab seven offensive rebounds and turn them into seven second-chance points. Moore has seven points and four assists.
Justin Webster is leading UNLV with eight points.
UNLV is in danger of beginning conference play with a major stumble unless they're able to figure it out over the next 20 minutes.
San Jose State surges ahead of UNLV, 34-28
UNLV may be in a little bit of trouble. San Jose State is on a 9-0 run, and with 2:49 left in the half the Spartans have taken a 34-28 lead.
It's been a struggle to score for UNLV. San Jose State went to a zone defense and held UNLV without a field goal for more than three minutes, and they've done a good job on UNLV's top three scorers; E.J. Harkless and Luis Rodriguez have yet to score, and Keshon Gilbert has two points on 1-of-5 shooting.
SJSU is making its shots at the other end. They've taken 15 3-pointers and made 5, and they've also hit the offensive glass to generate eight second-chance points.
UNLV will have to figure out a way to get its top scorers on track in the second half.
Gilbert comes off bench at San Jose State
Jackie Johnson and Justin Webster have started fast, and with 11:28 left in the first half, UNLV has a 17-16 lead at San Jose State.
Johnson and Webster have each made a 3-pointer, and they've combined for 10 of UNLV's points so far. As a team the Scarlet and Gray are 7-of-15 from the floor.
There was a minor shake-up in the starting lineup, as point guard Keshon Gilbert came off the bench. Gilbert was unable to get a flight back to Las Vegas in time for yesterday's practice and had to join the team in San Jose. He checked in around the 16-minute mark and has an assist in four minutes.
UNLV's Keshon Gilbert arrives in San Jose
It was a precarious couple of days, but Keshon Gilbert finally rejoined the UNLV basketball team last night in San Jose.
Gilbert, UNLV's sophomore point guard, was stranded in his hometown of St. Louis due to flight cancelations and was unable to make it back to Las Vegas after the holiday break. He missed Tuesday's afternoon practice on the UNLV campus, but was able to finally catch a flight to San Jose on Tuesday night. He is currently on the floor warming up, which is a welcome development for the Scarlet and Gray as Gilbert averages 14.3 points and a team-high 3.8 assists.
UNLV basketball scrambling ahead of game at San Jose State
After a hectic holiday break, UNLV is set to return to action on Wednesday when the Scarlet and Gray travel to take on San Jose State in the conference opener for both teams (7 p.m., Mountain West Network).
Three keys to watch:
Planes, Trains and Automobiles
The nationwide air-travel crunch that ruined everyone’s Christmas has also affected UNLV, as several players had difficulty making their way back to campus after spending the holiday break at home.
“Everybody who had a flight had some sort of delay or hiccup with their arrangements,” head coach Kevin Kruger said.
The player in the most distressing situation was sophomore guard Keshon Gilbert, who was unable to book a return flight to Las Vegas from his hometown of St. Louis. Gilbert remained stranded while the rest of the Scarlet and Gray practiced on Tuesday, and Kevin Kruger said the tenuous plan was for Gilbert to join the team on the road when they arrived in San Jose on Tuesday evening.
That would presumably give Gilbert time to participate in a team meeting, then go through shootaround on game day before suiting up as the team’s starting point guard — if his flight arrived as scheduled.
It's an unusual situation, especially with Gilbert being such an integral player for UNLV, but Kruger doesn’t think it will take long for him to get up to speed.
“As far as the prep, we didn’t really reinvent the wheel once we got back,” Kruger said. “My concern is more of the two extra days of sitting around airports, in cars, without the ability to get his wind back necessarily as quickly as everyone else. I’m sure he’ll get in a workout today, at least. He won’t be walking in off the plane.”
Not the same old Spartans
San Jose State has served as the doormat of the Mountain West for a long time, but under second-year coach Tim Miles the Spartans went 9-4 in non-conference play and are a respectable 151st in the KenPom ratings.
Led by senior guard Omari Moore, SJSU shoots it well, ranking 68th in 3-point accuracy (36.5%) and 62nd in field-goal percentage (46.7%). They are loose with the ball, however, committing turnovers on 19.5% of possessions (No. 243 nationally). That should give UNLV the green light (as if they needed it) to attack ballhandlers and hunt for deflections.
“They’re playing really well,” Kruger said of San Jose State. “They’re playing confident and playing together. I think the guys know it’s going to be an incredibly tough game.”
Mountain West begins
UNLV set a goal of making the NCAA Tournament this season, and the Scarlet and Gray put themselves in great position by going 11-1 in non-conference play. A strong showing over the next 18 games — against Mountain West opponents — could cement their résumé.
It won’t be easy. The MWC has been resurgent this season, with five teams in the Top 60 in NET rating (including UNLV), so on most nights Kruger’s crew is going to have its work cut out. Just as there will be opportunities to score quality victories, any slip-up can mean a tough loss.
“I think there should be a heightened level of excitement around the league,” Kruger said. “The conference did a nice job representing the Mountain West. All 11 teams showed that they have highly competitive groups that are able to win games in the non-conference.”
Who: UNLV (11-1) vs. San Jose State (9-4)
When: Wednesday, 7 p.m. at San Jose State
TV: Mountain West Network
UNLV leaders
Scoring: E.J. Harkless — 15.5 points
Rebounding: David Muoka— 5.9 rebounds
Assists: Keshon Gilbert — 3.8 assists
San Jose State leaders
Scoring: Omari Moore — 13.9 points
Rebounding: Sage Tolbert — 8.2 rebounds
Assists: Omari Moore — 4.5 assists
Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.
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