Rebels dismantled by San Diego State as series skid continues

SAN DIEGO — The San Diego State fans began filing out of Viejas Arena with 3:19 remaining in UNLV’s 82-71 loss Saturday. The game was over long before they began climbing the massive sets of stairs leading to the exits.

“We’ve got to get better,” UNLV coach Kevin Kruger said. “Keep working and get better.”

The Rebels lost their fifth consecutive game against the Mountain West-leading Aztecs (20-5, 11-2). UNLV (16-9, 5-8) trailed by 20 points at halftime and didn’t register its first assist until the second half.

Fifth-year guard EJ Harkless led UNLV with 24 points and sophomore Keshon Gilbert added 19, but the Rebels shot 27.3 percent on 3-pointers and surrendered 18 offensive rebounds.

UNLV is 2-21 in its past 23 games against San Diego State, going back to the 2013-14 season. The Rebels haven’t beaten the Aztecs since Feb. 22, 2020, and Kruger is 0-4 against San Diego State.

“It’s (Kruger)’s second year,” Harkless said. “What he’s building here is amazing, so hopefully us players can do a better job in the postseason to show the improvement we’ve been making.”

The Rebels were competitive for about five minutes against the No. 25 Aztecs. Harkless’ 3 with 14:17 remaining in the first half pulled UNLV within five points, but two minutes later, San Diego State launched a 14-0 run that put the game out of reach.

San Diego State punished UNLV in the paint all day. Aztecs forward Keshad Johnson scored 11 points during the first seven minutes. Johnson and senior center Nathan Mensah, who played in Las Vegas at Findlay Prep, exploited their size advantage early, running backdoor cuts to the rim for uncontested dunks and layups.

UNLV gave up 30 points in the paint.

However, the Aztecs’ height was most impactful in rebounding, where they had a 42-23 edge. San Diego State had five more offensive rebounds than UNLV managed on the defensive side of the glass, which led to 22 second-chance points. Mensah’s 11 rebounds equaled all of the Rebels’ starters combined.

“They go get it,” Kruger said.

Harkless expanded on his coach’s analysis: “They just don’t care, honestly. They get guys who don’t care about shooting the ball. They get guys who want to go get the ball off the rim.”

UNLV also didn’t keep up with San Diego State’s depth. The Rebels’ bench — which had been a strength since Kruger shook up the rotation — was outscored 33-23. Aztecs reserve guard Adam Seiko scored 18 points and went 6 of 10 from 3, making as many shots from beyond the arc as the Rebels’ entire roster.

“They rotate guys off the bench who come in harder than the guy that was starting the game,” Harkless said. “That’s a big thing for them, the depth. Each guy wanting to come in and make an impact — offensive rebounding, defensive rebounding, playing defense.”

A Seiko 3 with four minutes remaining extended the Aztecs’ lead to 23 points. The Rebels cut it to a more respectable 11-point deficit by the time the buzzer sounded. Kruger said he was glad his team showed fight near the end but admitted there wasn’t much to take away from the final scoreline.

“It was good that the guys continued to compete,” Kruger said. “But at the same time, it was something we had to do a little bit earlier to get something going.”

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