UNLV closes nonconference play with rout of San Diego
San Diego walked into the Thomas & Mack Center on Wednesday ranked 22nd nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 58.7 points per game.
UNLV had 42 by halftime.
The Rebels led from the start, closing their nonconference schedule with an 80-57 victory.
Bryce Hamilton and Donovan Williams each scored 20 points for the Rebels, and Royce Hamm (12 points, 10 rebounds) recorded a double-double.
The Rebels enter Christmas break 8-5, having beaten every team they were favored against and losing to each school in which they were the underdog. From a pure record standpoint, UNLV is exactly where it was expected to be entering the Mountain West schedule on New Year’s Day against San Diego State.
How the Rebels got to this point, however, wasn’t necessarily simple to foresee. They are on a four-game winning streak, each by double figures.
Williams said he has seen the team’s growth since an 83-64 loss at Southern Methodist on Dec. 1.
“We had our talk, and everybody figured out what we needed to do,” Williams said. “So I think ever since then, we’ve been on the tangent everybody’s trying to find. Just finding ways to grow individually so it helps us grow as a team.”
Williams said that improvement has come from a consistent approach to every part of preparation, from practices to game-day shoot-arounds.
“We’re incredibly proud of the strides they’ve made and how they’re continuing to get better and they’re continuing to take more and more ownership of it as a group and put their stamp on it,” UNLV coach Kevin Kruger said.
UNLV established its dominance early, opening the game with a 9-2 lead and ending the first half by scoring the final seven points to go up 42-24. The Rebels put on quite a show with Aces star A’ja Wilson and Hall of Famer Spencer Haywood sitting courtside.
They didn’t let up in the second half, never allowing San Diego (7-6) to score more than four points in a row.
“That was one thing we really talked about — coming out of the game and coming out of the half with the first punch and with great intent,” Hamm said. “That’s one thing the coaches have been emphasizing is being intentional with everything you do.”
Kruger said he was concerned about this game because he didn’t know what to expect right before the break.
“Guys are making plans to go back home and see family and people coming in town,” Kruger said. “I couldn’t be happier and more proud of them because they played the way they practiced the last few days. It showed they were nowhere else. They were locked in on San Diego.”
Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @markanderson65 on Twitter.
