The Rebels outscored the Wildcats 22-8 over the final 9:42 after Abilene Christian had tied the game at 50.
UNLV Basketball
Cleveland Edwards, an assistant men’s basketball coach on UNLV’s national championship team who later served as the interim head coach, died Saturday.
The 6-foot-3-inch guard chose the Rebels over UNR, San Diego State, Colorado State, Washington State and Minnesota. He averaged 15.2 points last season for the Aggies.
The 6-foot-2-inch guard announced Saturday that he had chosen the Rebels over Gonzaga and Oregon. He averaged 19.7 points last season for South Dakota State.
The Rebels have timing working in their favor for their nonconference games, with a chance to pick up some nice victories that otherwise might be more difficult to achieve.
Wyoming senior guard Justin James leads the Mountain West with 20.7 points per game. UNLV visits the Cowboys at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Laramie.
UNLV plays San Jose State at 4:30 p.m. Saturday at the Thomas & Mack Center. The Rebels hope to respond after Wednesday’s 106-88 loss at Air Force.
Dan Ayala, who owns the highest winning percentage among UNLV women’s basketball coaches, died Monday in hospice care at 82. Ayala coached the Lady Rebels from 1975 to 1980, going 109-23 for an 82.7 winning percentage.
UNLV senior Shakur Juiston was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches Honors Court, which recognizes academic achievement.
Five burning questions for when UNLV’s basketball team plays Mississippi Valley State at 8 p.m. Wednesday and Northern Colorado at 7 p.m. Friday at the Thomas Mack Center.
Fans were introduced to the UNLV men’s and women’s basketball teams at the Scarlet & Gray Showcase at the Thomas & Mack Center Wednesday night.
Some Mountain West basketball coaches want a 20-game conference schedule, but not everyone is on board. Also, the conference tournament could stay in Las Vegas in 2020, but also could move to San Diego or Phoenix.
The Mountain West media picked UNLV to finish sixth in the conference. Forward Brandon McCoy was chosen Preseason Freshman of the Year.
UNLV basketball coach Marvin Menzies said he wasn’t concerned about the playing status for forward Dwayne Morgan. Instead, Menzies said he was trying to help Morgan get his life in order.
Desiree Reed-Francois was incredibly impressive, and it’s now obvious why and how she annihilated the competition to become UNLV’s next athletic director when the process reached final interviews.
