UNLV Tops Rival Nevada, 62-54
Rebels take care of Wolf Pack
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UNLV gets a solid win
UNLV extends its winning streak to three, taking the Tuesday night contest against inter-state rival Nevada, 62-54.
With the win Tuesday night, the Runnin’ Rebels swept Nevada for the first time since the 2013-14 season. UNLV shot nearly 50%, outscoring the Wolf Pack 49-38 in the second half. This scoring spree in the second half was led by none other than Rebels leading scorer, Bryce Hamilton. Hamilton led both teams with 27 points, on 10-25 shooting. The 6’4 guard also grabbed eight rebounds in what would be yet again an impressive night leading the Rebels.
Both teams started slow, with turnovers and missed shots leading to a slim 8-7 Nevada lead at the first U-16 media timeout. UNLV then went on an 8-2 run to go up four points with 11 minutes in the first half. Sherfield was able to score back-to-back baskets to tie the contest at 15 with eight minutes to go in the half. In a low-scoring, defense-dominated half, Nevada would hold on to a 26-23 lead heading into the locker room.
The second half was where the Rebels won the contest. Hamilton scored 19 of his 27 points in the second half, which directly correlated to the win for UNLV. Nevada’s gauge of success, Grant Sherfield, scored 11 points and got little to no help in the second half. The Wolf Pack went scoreless for four full minutes late in the contest. Nevada couldn’t get a bucket from the seven-minute mark to the three-minute mark in the game. The Rebels were able to go on a 10-0 run which proved to be the dagger for the Wolf Pack.
This game was a true win-by-committee for UNLV. All nine Rebel players that saw the court scored a basket. Justin Webster was UNLV’s next leading scorer with eight points. UNLV seemed to have more energy, fighting for every rebound. Despite the height disadvantage, the Rebels out-rebounded Nevada, 41-34. UNLV also grabbed 13 offensive rebounds, which led to 16 second-chance points.
One other huge difference in this contest was the bench productivity for the Wolf Pack. Nevada’s second-leading scorer, Desmond Cambridge Jr. was sidelined in this game, which further limited Nevada’s choices on offense. Grant Sherfield led the Wolf Pack with 19 points and eight assists. Sherfield got some much-needed help on offense from Warren Washington. In the first game back from nearly a month out due to injury, the 7’0 big man finished with a double-double, scoring 12 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Outside of those two, Nevada got little to no productivity on offense, leading to a disastrous second half. The Wolf Pack played from behind and relied heavily on the three-point ball, shooting 3-18 (16%) in the second half. UNLV wins in Reno, 62-54.
MVP
The MVP for this game has to be Bryce Hamilton. Hamilton finished with 27 points, eight rebounds, and three assists. However, it was what Hamilton did in the second half that truly sealed things up for UNLV. The 6’4 guard scored 19 points in the second half, leading the Rebels to the first sweep of Nevada since the David Carter era.
Up Next
UNLV (17-11, 9-6) hosts the Boise State Broncos (22-6, 13-2) in a 7 PM PST matchup on Saturday. Nevada (12-14, 6-9) travels to Wyoming (22-4, 11-2) to play a hot Cowboys team Saturday at 5 PM PST.
