Rebels earn convincing victory in Josh Pastner’s return to Memphis

Josh Pastner received a tribute video and a warm ovation from the crowd prior to tipoff Sunday in his first game at Memphis since he left the school in 2016.

“They may not give me an ovation now,” the UNLV men’s basketball coach said jokingly on his postgame radio interview.

The Rebels led almost wire-to-wire and showed the energy and toughness that was lacking during their opening homestand in a convincing 92-78 victory over Memphis at FedEx Forum.

Howie Fleming Jr. scored 21 of his career-high 25 points in the first half and pulled down 12 rebounds for UNLV (2-2), which responded following Tuesday’s surprising 102-93 home loss to Montana.

Guard Issac Williamson added 25 points and five steals in his first career start. The freshman was 6-for-10 on 3-pointers and made four from behind the arc in the second half, answering each time Memphis made a run.

“I’m so proud of our young men for the way they bounced back. We had a tough home stretch and we’re trying to figure each other out,” Pastner said. “The step we made today based on these last three days of practice were outstanding. We talked about it. To win this game, you’ve got to win the fight. And we won the fight.”

Pastner coached Memphis from 2009 to 2016, guiding the Tigers to four NCAA Tournaments and three conference tournament titles. He returned with a UNLV team that played its most complete game of the season in front of 10,927 fans and an ESPN audience watching.

The Rebels shot 50 percent from the field (32-for-64) and consistently attacked the basket, going 14-for-19 on layups with seven dunks.

Memphis was forced into 18 turnovers that UNLV converted into 30 points. The Rebels also finished with 23 fast-break points.

Kimani Hamilton had 13 points, seven rebounds, six assists and a handful of floor burns from diving after loose balls. The senior forward hustled to save a ball from going out of bounds and found Williamson for a 3-pointer that gave the Rebels their biggest lead at 75-54 with 9:34 left in the second half.

Freshman forward Tyrin Jones had 14 points, all in the second half, on 6-for-7 shooting and gave the Rebels a spark inside with forward Jacob Bannarbie in foul trouble.

Memphis (1-2) got as close as 82-74 in the second half before Williamson’s 3-pointer with 4:20 left restored the Rebels’ double-digit lead. Williamson also halted a 12-0 Memphis run with a 3-pointer that put UNLV on top 80-68 with 5:34 left to play.

The Tigers were led by Julius Thedford’s 16 points. Dug McDaniel, Memphis’ leading scorer, was held to six points on 1-for-10 shooting.

UNLV, which played without forward Ladji Dembele (foot), pushed the pace from the start. The Rebels carved through Memphis’ halfcourt defense, hitting their opening five shots and nine of their first 13 attempts to lead 27-15.

Fleming had no points and fouled out in 10 minutes against Montana but went 8-for-10 from the field in the first half and had 21 points to lead the Rebels to a 49-36 halftime lead. His previous career high was 20 points during stops at Illinois State and Texas-Rio Grande Valley.

“We had to figure it out by committee. I was really proud of our defense,” Pastner said. “The toughness that they showed, the resolve that they showed, the fight that they showed, that’s what I’m most proud of.”

Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on X.