UNLV basketball is close but not good enough in loss at Boise State

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Sunday, Feb. 19, 2023 | 9:15 p.m.

Sunday night’s meeting between UNLV and Boise State turned into the kind of game that good teams win. And a good team won it.

In a contest where every rebound, every free throw, every turnover ended up mattering, Boise State made enough plays down the stretch to secure a 73-69 victory, while UNLV is left wondering what if.

The Scarlet and Gray have now lost three straight, sinking to 5-10 in Mountain West play (16-11 overall).

Boise State improved to 21-6 and is breathing down San Diego State’s neck at the top of the MWC standings, just a game back of first place at 11-3.

UNLV head coach Kevin Kruger said Boise State rose to the occasion.

“I just thought both teams did a really good job competing,” Kruger said. “Us trying to force a tough shot, them trying to get a good shot. At the end of the day, [Boise State’s] shots went in.”

UNLV came into the game down two starters, as senior wings Luis Rodriguez and Eli Parquet were both unavailable due to injury, but a solid defensive effort kept the score close for most of the night.

Down the stretch, when every play became magnified, Boise State withstood every punch and did what it had to do to hold off UNLV’s late run.

All-Mountain West guard Marcus Shaver went 6-of-6 from the free throw line in the final minute to preserve Boise’s narrow lead, while UNLV’s soon-to-be All-MWC guard E.J. Harkless missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 2:54 remaining and his team trailing by four points.

UNLV was down 65-63 with less than two minutes remaining and desperately needed a defensive stop, and they almost got it when Boise’s Tyson Degenhart missed a point-blank attempt. But Degenhart grabbed the offensive rebound, and later in the possession Max Rice made a floater to extend the lead to four again.

The game was filled with moments like that, where short-handed UNLV fought to stay close but couldn’t quite get over the hump.

That’s the difference between good teams and teams on three-game losing streaks.

Kruger tried to accentuate the positive, praising his team for the fight they showed despite missing some key players.

“We couldn’t have asked any more of them,” Kruger said. “Couldn’t be more proud of what they went out there and tried to accomplish.”

It’s a tact Kruger has to take at this point in the season. With three games remaining, there is little left to motivate UNLV aside from the hope of a Cinderella run in the Mountain West tournament. And if injuries linger for Rodriguez and Parquet, it makes for even longer odds.

The good news for UNLV is that sophomore wing Shane Nowell stepped in and played well in his first career start, tallying 14 points on 4-of-8 shooting.

Nowell has seen his playing time increase in the second half of the season, and he agreed with Kruger that UNLV needs to focus on improvement, no matter what the standings say.

“Coach Kruger has been honest about our intensity, especially on defense,” Nowell said. “I feel like we can really build off this game leading into the tournament.”

Harkless finished with 14 points to tie Nowell for the team high. David Muoka posted six points, five rebounds and five blocks.

UNLV will have four days to regroup and try to get healthy before hosting Air Force on Friday.

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