UNLV can’t hit the big shot in loss to San Diego State

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022 | 4:55 p.m.

UNLV needed someone to make a big shot on Saturday, but it never happened, and San Diego State was able to hold off the Scarlet and Gray, 76-67, at the Thomas & Mack Center.

The failed comeback attempt dropped UNLV to 0-2 in Mountain West play, and after rolling off 10 straight victories to start the year, Kevin Kruger’s squad has suddenly lost three of its last four.

The issue on New Year’s Eve was offense.

UNLV did everything else well enough to compete with the Aztecs, who are the preseason conference favorites. They forced their customary 21 turnovers, and even battled to a standstill on the boards — an issue all year — by limiting SDSU to 12 second-chance points. But that elusive, momentum-changing shot never dropped, despite multiple chances.

For the game, UNLV went just 10-of-36 from 3-point range (27.8%).

A number of those misses could have altered the course of the game had they fallen.

E.J. Harkless went 2-of-10 from long range and 6-of-19 overall, Jordan McCabe made just one of six shots (all from 3-point range) and Keshon Gilbert was held without a field goal for the first time all season, finishing with a single point.

Kruger said the poor shooting performance was more about San Diego State’s defense than UNLV’s ability to make shots.

“Trying to score on them, especially in the halfcourt, it’s tough,” Kruger said. “It is really tough.”

San Diego State opened a 44-33 lead at halftime, and UNLV spent the final 20 minutes chipping away. They cut the deficit to six points on several occasions, and five points twice, but couldn’t get over the hump.

Conversely, SDSU turned its offense over to senior guard Matt Bradley down the stretch and he carried the Aztecs across the finish line with 23 points on 6-of-14 shooting. Darrion Trammell scored 21, as he and Bradley combined to make an efficient 9-of-15 from 3-point range.

For the second straight game, UNLV appeared to tire late as players’ minute allotments were stretched to maximum capacity. Harkless logged 37 minutes, Luis Rodriguez played 36 and Justin Webster played 35.

Kruger said San Diego State wore down UNLV on both ends of the court, which only made 3-point attempts more difficult as the Scarlet and Gray mounted their comeback.

“When you have to work as hard as you do against San Diego State, it takes a toll on you,” Kruger said. “And those shots become harder and they come with more pressure.”

Rodriguez finished with a season-high 24 points on 8-of-14 shooting, but the rest of the team went 14-of-45 (31.1%).

Rodriguez credited San Diego State’s defense, but said ultimately UNLV has to make shots.

“They did a good job of being disruptive, but for the most part I think we stuck to what we do,” Rodriguez said. “We missed a couple around the rim that we should have finished and we wish we got them back, but for the most part I think we did a pretty good job staying true to our offense even through they’re a disruptive team.”

UNLV is now shooting 32.3% from 3-point range for the season, which ranks 225^th in the nation.

Will anyone step up and become the team’s big shot-maker in 2023?

Rodriguez said an 0-2 start in the Mountain West is not going to cause the team to panic.

“It’s a long conference schedule ahead of us,” Rodriguez said. “There’s a lot more games to be played. We’re not off to the start we want to be off to, but we won’t get discouraged because we know the team we are, and the group of guys we’ve got and how resilient we are as a team.

“I’m sure we’ll turn this thing right back around.”

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