Rebels overcome flu bug enough to roll past Air Force

How best in basketball to overcome a flu bug?

UNLV would tell you it’s to defend.

And, boy, did the Rebels ever do that Saturday.

Even while missing a few regulars due to an illness that went through its team this past week, UNLV had little trouble dismissing Air Force.

The Rebels beat the Falcons 67-39 in a Mountain West game before an announced gathering of 6,321 at Thomas &Mack Center.

All was said and done five minutes into the second half, when UNLV (7-6, 2-0 MW) had opened with a 10-0 run and Air Force had missed its first 11 shots.

UNLV has now won three straight games for the first time this season.

Al Green and Naas Cunningham sat with the flu, but it didn’t matter the way UNLV controlled things at the defensive end.

UNLV coach Josh Pastner primarily played seven bodies and six logged more than 20 minutes.

“I thought defensively we really guarded,” Pastner said. “I just thought we executed the game plan. They scored 20 points in the first half and 19 in the second. Our execution was at a high level and our guys followed through with it. Defensively, we were really, really good.”

Board man paid

Think about it: The Falcons (3-11, 0-3) shot 28 percent for the game and were 3 of 19 on 3s.

UNLV also owned the boards, outrebounding Air Force 49-32. Included in those numbers were 15 offensive rebounds for the Rebels.

Four players scored in double figures for UNLV, led by a double-double (10 points, 12 rebounds) from Howie Fleming Jr.

“I tell everyone that the board man gets paid,” Fleming said. “That’s just how I go out and play. I kind of find my niche for my guys and whatever it is I need to do that night, I go out and do.

“Some days it might be scoring 20 points, some days it might be to get 10 assists. It may be just guarding the best player. Today, it just so happened it was for me to get the rebounds.”

The Rebels opened up a 35-20 halftime lead by dominating the paint and boards. It was 10-6 UNLV when the Rebels closed on a 25-14 run over the final 11:32 of the half.

UNLV’s lead could have been more had the Rebels not struggled from the free-throw line, making just 7 of 14 before intermission. They finished 11 of 20.

UNLV also had nine first-half turnovers, not helped by the fact point guard Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn spent several minutes on the bench in foul trouble. That number was cut to two in the second half.

Tyrin Jones led the Rebels in scoring with 14 points on 7-for-10 shooting. Gibbs-Lawhorn added 12 and freshman Issac Williamson 10.

It’s the latter who continues to improve as he handles backup point guard duties.

“He has had good practices,” Pastner said. “Proud of Issac. He’s going to keep getting better. He’s a really good shooter. Like with some of our guys, you have open looks, you have to keep shooting.”

Things definitely get tougher from here.

The Rebels next hit the road for conference games at Wyoming on Tuesday and Colorado State on Friday.

It’s a good test for a UNLV team that opened league play against the likes of Fresno State and Air Force at home.

Respect for league

“We started off (conference) with two good home wins and now have two more great opportunities,” Pastner said. “I think the Mountain West is a really good basketball league. This is my first year I have coached in it, but I know from afar that I’ve had great respect for the league.

“There are great coaches, great players, great teams. So we know that every time we step on the floor, we have to be at a very, very high level if we want to have an opportunity to win the game because that’s how good this league is. I think we continue to get better.”

If the Rebels defend as they did Saturday, they’ll be in conference games all the way through. You hold someone under 40 points — no matter who’s wearing the other team’s jersey — you’ve done something.

Flu bug or not.

Contact Ed Graney at egraney@reviewjournal.com. Follow @edgraney on X.