Keshon Gilbert provides spark as UNLV basketball beats San Jose State

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022 | 2:57 p.m.

Heading into Saturday’s matinee matchup against San Jose State, UNLV coach Kevin Kruger stressed to his players the importance of getting off to a fast start.

Coming off a tough loss at Air Force less than 48 hours earlier and dealing with a shorthanded roster — guards Josh Baker and Marvin Coleman each missed their second straight game — Kruger wanted to make sure his squad would come out with energy and not let San Jose State hang around. That plan got more complicated during pregame warmups, however, when starting wing Donovan Williams had to be scratched due to an injury.

That bit of bad news threatened to cast a pall over the proceedings. Kruger had a solution, though. Twelve minutes before tipoff he informed freshman guard Keshon Gilbert that he’d be making his first career start filling in for Williams. And it worked, as UNLV jumped out to a big early lead and held on late for a 70-62 win.

Gilbert played his role to near perfection. He put up a nice box score line of seven points, five rebounds and four assists, but Kruger was most impressed with how much energy the youngster packed into his career-high 32 minutes.

“We knew we had to come out swinging,” Kruger said. “We knew we had to get stops. Especially when you’re going to miss a guy like Donovan offensively, we knew Keshon would go out there and give it everything he had early to set the tone defensively.”

Gilbert hounded opposing ballhandlers, penetrated the defense and generated the kind of hustle plays that kept UNLV crackling on an afternoon when it would have been easy to come out flat.

But it wasn’t a deflection or a drawn charge or any tangible play that stood out most. According to Kruger, he was most impressed when Gilbert voluntarily subbed himself out of the game.

Kruger said that showed Gilbert was emptying the tank whenever he was on the floor, and that the coaches could trust him to report when he needed a break to recharge.

“He looked over and he asked for a sub,” Kruger said. “When guys do that — when they play as hard as Keshon does — that makes us feel good because that lets us know he needs a break. He’s playing really hard. He’ll go out, and when he’s asked to go back in he’ll be ready to play as hard as he can and do it all over again.”

While Gilbert provided the spark, Bryce Hamilton carried most of the offensive load for UNLV. The senior followed up his 32-point performance on Thursday by pouring in another 30 on 10-of-19 shooting.

Hamilton imposed his will late in the first half, scoring 11 straight points, and the final sequence may have been his best of the season. Hamilton drove from the top of the key and converted a slick spinning layup, then grabbed a defensive rebound on the other end with five seconds remaining. He quickly dribbled across halfcourt, looked at the clock and pulled up for a 30-footer. Hamilton nailed the shot as the buzzer sounded, sending the Scarlet and Gray into the locker room with a 38-24 lead.

UNLV led by as many as 16 points in the second half until a cold shooting spell in the final six minutes allowed San Jose State to narrow the deficit. The Spartans trailed, 64-60, and had the ball with 59 seconds remaining, but senior center Royce Hamm drew a charge on SJSU leading scorer Omari Moore.

Hamilton, Hamm and Mike Nuga then each made a pair of free throws to get UNLV across the finish line. Hamm finished with seven points and 14 rebounds.

UNLV is now 11-8 on the season and 3-3 in Mountain West play.

Kruger did not provide any timetable for the return of Williams, Baker or Coleman, meaning Gilbert could be in line for another start on Monday when UNLV travels to San Diego State.

Neither Kruger nor Hamilton felt it necessary to give Gilbert a pep talk after he was inserted into the lineup on Saturday; both said they trusted him to seize the day.

With his play, Gilbert confirmed it.

“I just stayed down and kept working until my name was called,” Gilbert said of his first career start. “I’ve been ready for the moment.”

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