Utah State torches shorthanded UNLV, 90-75

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Saturday, Feb. 5, 2022 | 5:24 p.m.

UNLV’s modest two-game winning streak came to an end Saturday at the hands of the hottest team in the Mountain West, as Utah State caught fire in the second half to down the Scarlet and Gray, 90-75.

After consecutive impressive victories over Colorado State and UNR, Kevin Kruger’s squad couldn’t keep up with the Aggies, who shot 64.0% from the field and 41.2% from 3-point range.

UNLV is now 13-10 on the season and 5-5 in Mountain West play.

A look at where UNLV stands after seeing its streak snapped:

Defense reaches breaking point

For most of the first half, UNLV’s defense employed a bend-but-don’t-break style, closing out softly on shooters and challenging Utah State to beat them over the top. While it didn’t exactly work — Utah State shot 59.1% over the first 20 minutes — UNLV was able to manage the game enough to stay close.

Then Utah State hit 3-pointers on four of its final five possessions to take a 42-38 lead into the break, and the floodgates were officially open. That was a warning sign.

By the time Utah State came out of the locker room for the second half they had UNLV completely figured out. The ball zipped around the court and always found the open man, as the Aggies scored on 11 straight possessions during one stretch to turn a one-point game into a blowout.

Utah State, which ranks No. 8 in the nation in assists, finished with 22 helpers on 32 made field goals. The Aggies nailed 10-of-22 from 3-point range. Senior forward Justin Bean exploded for 32 points on 11-of-15 shooting.

It was a disappointing showing for UNLV considering the Scarlet and Gray had played such strong defense in their wins over Colorado State and UNR. Utah State employs a different style of offense, however, relying more on the pass and less on the dribble. Due to the unbalanced schedule, UNLV and Utah State won’t face each other again in the regular season, but if they match up in the MWC tournament expect Kruger and his staff to go back to the drawing board with their defensive gameplan.

Hamilton hot again

Bryce Hamilton poured in 33 points on Saturday, making it the fourth time in the last six games he has topped the 30-point mark.

Hamilton didn’t get a ton of help on that end of the floor; Jordan McCabe shot the ball well and scored 13 points, while Justin Webster came off the bench to chip in 10. That might be enough to win a low-scoring game, but with Utah State scorching the nets UNLV just couldn’t keep up.

The absence of Donovan Williams was felt on Saturday. The junior wing is averaging 14.1 points per game, but a knee injury has kept him sidelined for three of the last five games. Williams did not play against Utah State.

Hamilton did his best to carry the offense, making 11-of-21 from the field, 4-of-7 from 3-point range and 7-of-10 free throws. While it wasn’t enough against Utah State, the good news is that no one in the Mountain West appears to have a blueprint for slowing him down. The senior guard is now up to 24.8 points per game in conference play.

It might be time to stop thinking of this as a hot streak for Hamilton and start recognizing it as his standard level of play.

Iwaukor exits

One of the big storylines of the first half of the season was the status of junior forward Victor Iwaukor. A shoulder injury limited him to two games and just 15 total minutes in nonconference play, but he appeared to be getting stronger in recent weeks, providing another athletic defensive-minded body in the frontcourt.

Then he left Saturday’s game early, and his availability is a question mark again.

Iwuakor was in the starting lineup against Utah State but played just five minutes before exiting the game. He did not return, and the team did not provide any updates during the game. Iwuakor’s shoulder injury was serious enough that the coaches were considering a medical redshirt earlier in the year; if we’re back to the point where reaggravation is a concern every game, that’s a huge blow for a UNLV defense that appeared to be coming together nicely.

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