UNLV Rebels guard Elijah Parquet (1) guards Wyoming Cowboys’ Ethan Anderson (20) during the second half of an NCAA basketball game at the Thomas & Mack Center Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023.
Published Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023 | 2 a.m.
Updated Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023 | 8:08 p.m.
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All of a sudden the Scarlet and Gray are hot again.
UNLV notched its third straight victory by beating Colorado State, 83-71, in what might have been the team's most impressive all-around performance of the conference season.
The lead got as high as 22 points midway through the second half before some garbage-time shotmaking by Colorado State narrowed the final margin.
E.J. Harkless (17 points) and Keshon Gilbert (16 points) carried the offensive load, while four bench players combined to chip in 33 points.
As in the previous two wins, the real star of the game was UNLV's defense. With Eli Parquet and Gilbert taking turns on Isaiah Stevens, they were able to limit CSU's leading scorer to a manageable 18 points on 5-of-11 shooting. That's a fair step down from the 33 points that Stevens hung on the Scarlet and Gray when the teams met less than three weeks ago.
After starting out 1-6 in Mountain West play, UNLV has now clawed back to 4-6 and just a half-game out of sixth place in the league standings.
Kevin Kruger's squad will try to keep it rolling when they return home to host Fresno State on Friday.
UNLV opens 19-point lead over Colorado State
UNLV picked up where it left off at the end of the first half, extending its lead to 60-41 with 11:57 remaining.
David Muoka is giving the Scarlet and Gray some really good minutes tonight. Victor Iwuakor and Keyshawn Hall both have three fouls, so Muoka got in early in the second half and has now posted six points, five rebounds, two assists and a block in 10 minutes.
He's not the only bench player producing — Luis Rodriguez, Keyshawn Hall and Shane Nowell have combined to chip in 21 points.
Colorado State looks to be in disarray on offense. The Rams are 3-of-9 since halftime with three turnovers. Isaiah Stevens did just make a short jumper a minute ago, so maybe that will spark them.
Right now, it looks like UNLV is cruising to a third straight win.
Gilbert sends UNLV to halftime with 39-30 lead at CSU
UNLV closed the first half strong and has taken a 39-30 lead into the locker room at Colorado State.
Up 36-30 with 10 seconds on the clock, UNLV inbounded to Keshon Gilbert. CSU must have miscommunicated its defensive assignments, as Gilbert was allowed to walk into an easy, uncontested 3-point attempt from the top of the key. Gilbert did his part and knocked it in before the buzzer.
It was Gilbert's third triple of the half, and he leads all scorers with 11 points. E.J. Harkless is playing a strong all-around game, and his steal-and-finish for an old-fashioned 3-point play late in the half was a highlight. Harkless has seven points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals.
The story of the game might be on the other end of the court. After scoring more than 30 points in the last meeting between these teams, CSU guard Isaiah Stevens has been limited to just five points so far on 1-of-3 shooting. UNLV guard Eli Parquet has been shadowing Stevens for most of the night, with Gilbert also taking some reps on the Rams' top scorer.
UNLV basketball opens 24-17 lead at Colorado State
Keyshawn Hall gave UNLV seven straight points off the bench, helping the Scarlet and Gray extend their lead to 24-17 with 7:55 left in the first half.
Hall came scored his first basket by working his way into the paint, then he jab-stepped before dropping a 3-pointer. Then the burly freshman drove and spun off his defender for a short bank shot.
Shane Nowell has also provided a little spark, as he checked in and immediately hit a 3-pointer.
UNLV's bench has accounted for 12 of the team's 24 points so far.
Defensively, UNLV has done a solid job, especially defending CSU point guard Isaiah Stevens. Eli Parquet has been the primary defender on Stevens, and so far he has just three points on 1-of-3 shooting.
Luis Rodriguez back in action for UNLV at CSU
Welcome back Luis Rodriguez.
The senior wing returned to the lineup tonight after missing the last two games due to a leg injury, and he has already made an impact in helping UNLV to an early 10-8 lead at Colorado State.
Rodriguez checked in as the first sub off the bench for the Scarlet and Gray, and he almost immediately came up with a steal that led to a fast-break bucket for Victor Iwuakor. On the next possession, Rodriguez ran the floor for a transition layup to give UNLV its first advantage.
Keshon Gilbert has also been hot early, swishing a pair of 3-pointers to give him a team-high six points.
While Rodriguez is back in action, UNLV is without top reserve guard Jordan McCabe. McCabe is unavailable due to an injury.
UNLV basketball team on rise primed for rematch at Colorado State
UNLV’s overtime loss to Colorado State on Jan. 14 was marked by a series of defensive breakdowns that probably still keep Kevin Kruger awake at night.
But after going through their roughest stretch of the season, the Scarlet and Gray appear to have righted the ship with two straight wins, and when they face CSU again Tuesday (6 p.m., Mountain West Network) Kruger hopes his new-look defense will be up to the task.
During UNLV’s nadir, a four-game losing streak that included the Colorado State collapse, the defense allowed all four opponents to shoot better than 50% from the field and 40% from 3-point range.
The struggles prompted Kruger to tweak his strategy, switching less often on perimeter screens. The shift in gameplan coincided with the return of senior guard Eli Parquet, a 6-foot-4 defensive ace who had missed six weeks due to a knee injury.
The results have been immediate. In two games since Parquet’s return to the starting lineup, UNLV has held its opponents to 38.6% shooting while collecting a pair of W’s.
After besting UNR on Saturday, Kruger said UNLV was back to playing the kind of aggressive defense that fueled the team’s 10-0 start to the season.
“Where our confidence really took a hit was on the defensive end,” Kruger said. “When you’re hesitant defensively, with the way we play, it can be tough. It can lead to easy looks. When you’ve got that confidence and that swagger and security within each other, you can do a lot of great things defensively.”
The next test for UNLV’s reclaimed defensive prowess will come on Tuesday when they match up against Colorado State, and specifically senior guard Isaiah Stevens.
Stevens is averaging a career-high 18.4 points per game, but UNLV fans don’t need to look at a stat sheet to understand how dangerous he is. In the first meeting between the teams, Stevens poured in 33 points to lead the Rams to victory.
Stevens drilled two late 3’s to send the game to overtime, including a ludicrous, buzzer-beating halfcourt heave. UNLV defenders simply couldn’t stay close enough to bother his outside shot, and Stevens made them pay all night, knocking in 12-of-22 shots and 4-of-6 from deep.
This time around, expect Parquet to draw that crucial assignment.
Kruger has complete faith in Parquet’s ability to stick with anyone.
“He is good an on-ball defender as there is in the country,” Kruger said.
Who: UNLV (14-7, 3-6 MWC) at Colorado State (10-12, 2-7 MWC)
When: Tuesday, 6 p.m. at Moby Arena (Fort Collins, Colo.)
TV: Mountain West Network
UNLV leaders
Scoring: E.J. Harkless — 17.0 points
Rebounding: Luis Rodriguez — 5.7 rebounds
Assists: Keshon Gilbert — 3.7 assists
Colorado State leaders
Scoring: Isaiah Stevens — 18.4 points
Rebounding: John Tonje — 5.0 rebounds
Assists: Isaiah Stevens — 6.5 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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