Rebels beat St. Joseph’s to improve to 3-2
In a season that might be measured in baby steps, UNLV nudged ever so slightly forward in a 99-85 victory over Saint Joseph’s on Thursday night at the Thomas and Mack Center.
The win marked the first time the Rebels (3-2) have won back-to-back games and gone over .500 in Josh Pastner’s maiden season at UNLV. It also reflected an impressive level of maturity coming off an emotional upset win over Memphis.
Not only did the Rebels avoid the dreaded letdown after a big win, but they also handled the long trip to Tennessee and back.
And for the fourth straight game, they scored 90 or more points.
They did so while also answering the gut punch Saint Joseph’s threw to start the second half to flip a 45-40 Rebels’ advantage into a 59-58 Hawks’ lead.
UNLV turned up the heat defensively and went into attack mode to peel off a 14-4 run to go back up 72-63. The Rebels survived one more St. Joseph’s run that trimmed the lead to 78-77 with 7:49 remaining. UNLV reeled off eight straight points to go up 86-77.
They never surrendered the lead while going up by as many as 14 points.
These aren’t season-defining developments, necessarily. But for a program looking to establish positive benchmarks, it’s a step in the right direction.
“We’ve still got to get better. We have a lot of work to do,” Pastner said. “But I love our group. I love our team.”
Dravyn Gibbs-Lawhorn led the way for UNLV with 20 points. Tyrin Jones added 16 points and 10 rebounds, freshman Issac Williamson had 15 points, including 11 in the second half, and Jacob Bannarbie and Howie Fleming Jr. each had 12. Bannarbie added 11 rebounds.
Six Rebels scored in double figures, including 11 from Walter Brown.
The Hawks (2-3) were led by Deuce Brown with 23 points, while Jaiden Glover-Toscano and Derek Simpson added 20 apiece.
UNLV outrebounded Saint Joseph’s 58-37 and turned the ball over just twice after committing 10 turnovers in the first half.
“A good win for the Rebels,” Pastner said. “That’s a good basketball team.”
Especially considering the big runs the Rebels withstood.
“Figuring out ways to win the game when the game’s not going our way,” is how Gibbs-Lawhorn put it.
It represents a steady learning growth after dropping two games against opponents that the Rebels believe they are better than. In each case, a failure to navigate difficult moments did the Rebels in.
“The start of the season, we went through tough turbulence,” Gibbs-Lawson said. “For us, it’s trying to get to smooth sailing. That goes for games the rest of the season and even during games.”
A clunky first half in which the two teams combined for 29 fouls and 41 free throws ended in a 45-40 Rebels’ lead.
Gibbs-Lawhorn finished with 15 points, including three 3-pointers and four rebounds in the first 20 minutes. Hamilton had six points, and Fleming and Jones each had five.
The lead should have been even larger, but the Rebels missed seven of their 21 free throws and committed 10 turnovers.
“Silly turnovers,” Pastner explained.
The Rebels made up for it by outrebounding the Hawks 33-22, including 13 on the offensive end that led to six second-chance points. Fleming and Hamilton combined for 13 rebounds.
The Rebels’ length and quickness helped harass Saint Joseph’s into a poor shooting half. The Hawks connected on just 11 of 36 shots from the field, including 2 of 13 on 3-pointers. UNLV also blocked five shots.
Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal. com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X
