Disastrous start dooms Rebels against Aztecs; veteran forward hurt

For nearly half an hour, the UNLV men’s basketball team went shot for shot with last year’s NCAA Tournament runner-up.

Coach Kevin Kruger’s squad outscored San Diego State by five points during the final 28 minutes Saturday.

Instead of creating a thrilling finish, the game ended in a quiet 72-61 defeat for UNLV at Viejas Arena in San Diego. The Rebels trailed by 16 points after the first 12 minutes of their Mountain West opener, and never pulled closer than six in the second half.

“It was a good second-half effort,” Kruger told reporters, “but unfortunately they did what their game plan was exactly to do — come out and throw a haymaker.”

UNLV has lost six consecutive games against San Diego State, with its most recent win coming Feb. 22, 2020. The Rebels are 2-22 against the Aztecs dating to 2014. Kruger is winless in five games against San Diego State.

Freshman guard Dedan Thomas Jr. and sixth-year wing Luis Rodriguez each scored 13 points to lead the Rebels (7-6, 0-1), who saw their modest three-game winning streak snapped. Fifth-year wing Keylan Boone scored six points and had six rebounds before fouling out. He was the only UNLV player with a positive plus-minus, finishing plus-4 in 21 minutes.

Fifth-year forward Jalen Hill — playing his first game since Nov. 28 because of a wrist injury — scored six points in 14 minutes but departed late in the first half with an apparent injury. He did not return and was seen on crutches with a heavy brace on his left leg after the game.

Senior forward Jaedon LeDee scored 20 to lead the Aztecs (13-2, 2-0). Senior guards Micah Parrish and Darrion Trammell added 14 and 10 points, respectively, as San Diego State shot 45.8 percent from the field.

“They’re elite at what they do,” Kruger said.

The Rebels opened the game with a disastrous 12-minute stint. San Diego State led 8-0 before a 3 from Thomas got UNLV on the scoreboard. LeDee outscored the Rebels by himself through the first five minutes of the game, and with 8:18 remaining in the first half, UNLV trailed 25-9.

UNLV’s defense helped it avoid a blowout. The Rebels finished the period on a 16-10 run to enter halftime trailing 35-25, despite shooting 2-for-14 from 3. UNLV forced 10 turnovers that it converted into 10 points.

“I just thought we did a much better job of guarding them after the first 10 or so minutes,” Kruger said.

The Rebels’ momentum was stifled by Hill’s injury. The former Oklahoma transfer was a physical presence in the low post and a good weapon in transition; however, he left the game with assistance after contesting a fast-break layup by Parrish with 2:50 remaining in the first half.

Hill’s absence was notable after the break. The Rebels held the Aztecs to just one second-chance point in the first 20 minutes, but gave up nine in the second half. San Diego State also scored 16 of its 28 points in the paint during the second half.

The Rebels kept up through Thomas. He had 10 points on 5-of-9 shooting during the final 20 minutes, along with three assists and a steal. A corner 3 by Rodriguez in the right corner with 13:53 remaining cut the deficit to six points, but UNLV was never able to get any closer.

“It’s not a big secret to what they’re going to do and how they’re going to do it,” Kruger said. “It’s just that it’s hard to implement and it’s hard to prepare for. That’s why they’ve won so many games for 25 years.”

Contact reporter Andy Yamashita at ayamashita@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ANYamashita on X.