UNLV Rebels forwards Kalib Boone, left, and Keylan Boone (20) leave the court after an 87-86 loss to the Utah State Aggies at the Thomas & Mack Center Saturday, Jan.13, 2024.
Published Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024 | 2 a.m.
Updated Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024 | 2:18 p.m.
UNLV is going to feel this one for a while, as they allowed Utah State to pull out an improbable 87-86 win at the Thomas & Mack Center.
The Aggies trailed by four points with less than 20 seconds to play, but a rare five-point possession allowed them to take the lead and stun the home crowd.
Great Osobor converted an and-1 to bring the Aggies within 78-77 with three minutes left, and Keylan Boone knocked down a long 3 on UNLV's next possession to create some breathing room. After a stop, Kalib Boone backed down Osobor and scored over him with a hook shot to make it 83-77.
After an out-of-bounds review, Utah State gained possession and Darius Brown nailed a long 3 to cut the score to 83-80 with less than a minute to play. D.J. Thomas missed a 3 on UNLV's ensuing possession; UNLV got a second chance after Keylan Boone tracked down the offensive rebound, but Luis Rodriguez missed a mid-range jumper. That led to a fast-break layup for Mason Falslev, getting Utah State within 83-82.
Thomas was fouled intentionally and made 1-of-2 to put UNLV up by two points with 23 seconds to play. Utah State called timeout to set up a post-up for top scorer Great Osobor, but Osobor missed from close range and Rodriguez grabbed the defensive board.
Rodriguez made both free throws, but it wasn't over. Brown raced downcourt and made another 3 to make it a one-point game, and Osobor was fouled in the scrum underneath. He was awarded two free throws and made both, giving Utah State the improbable lead with eight seconds left.
Thomas took the inbound pass and drove into the paint, but his pull-up jumper at the buzzer bounced off the rim.
UNLV led for the entire game, until Utah State's final possession.
The Scarlet and Gray are now 8-7 on the season, with road games coming up at Boise State (Tuesday) and Colorado State (Friday).
UNLV has late lead over Utah State, 74-68
Can UNLV hang on for its second impressive home win in a row? It's probably going to come down to the final possessions, as Kevin Kruger's squad holds a 74-68 lead over Utah State with 5:46 remaining.
Utah State had trimmed the deficit to a single possession, but Luis Rodriguez stepped into a 3 from the wing on UNLV's last possession and swished it to restore a six-point advantage. Rodriguez now has 19 points and eight rebounds.
Keylan Boone and Rob Whaley both have four fouls, so Kruger will have to handle his substitutions with care down the stretch.
Utah State making run, UNLV still up in second half
UNLV has enjoyed a double-digit lead for much of the second half, but Utah State has trimmed it to 64-60, and the Aggies will shoot a pair of free throws after the timeout.
Ian Martinez has haunted the Scarlet and Gray all afternoon, knocking down 6-of-9 from 3-point range, and he just came up with a breakaway windmill dunk to quiet the crowd. That jam was part of a 9-2 run for Utah State, and Martinez now leads all scorers with 20 points.
An issue to monitor for UNLV: Keylan Boone and Rob Whaley are both in foul trouble, as Boone has four personals and Whaley just picked up his third. Kevin Kruger will have to find a way to get his patchwork frontcourt across the finish line today.
UNLV leads No. 20 Utah State at half, 47-40
Is UNLV about to spring an upset?
After 20 minutes of torrid offense, the Scarlet and Gray have a 47-40 lead over No. 20 Utah State.
Luis Rodriguez may have just played his best half since coming to UNLV, posting 13 points, five rebounds and a steal in 16 minutes. He shot 5-of-5 from the field in the half and played smothering defense, while also chipping in a pair of offensive rebounds. Rob Whaley also provided a big boost off the bench, logging 15 minutes and providing 10 points and seven rebounds. Whaley also gave UNLV strong post defense against Utah State top scorer Great Osobor, limiting him to four points on 1-of-5 shooting.
It's also worth noting that Utah State shot 6-of-11 from 3-point range in the half, while UNLV was just 2-of-10. If those shooting numbers normalize over the next 20 minutes, it should bode well for Kevin Kruger's squad.
UNLV holds 33-28 lead over No. 20 Utah State
UNLV continues to scores at a very healthy rate, and with 8:00 left in the first half, Kevin Kruger's squad has a 33-28 lead over Utah State.
Luis Rodriguez just swished a corner 3 to give him a team-high nine points (4-of-4 FGs), and UNLV is shooting 57.9% as a team.
The Scarlet and Gray advantage reached as high as 11 points, but Utah State guard Ian Martinez is single-handedly keeping his team close. Martinez has made three 3-pointers in a row, including a deep, contested make from the left wing on the Aggies' last possession. He has made 4-of-5 from deep and has 12 points off the bench to lead all scorers.
UNLV jumps to quick lead over No. 20 Utah State
UNLV is off to a fast start, taking a 10-4 lead over the No. 20 team in the nation with 15:59 remaining in the first half.
D.J. Thomas got the scoring started with a driving layup, then on Utah State's first possession, Thomas attacked an entry pass, picked it off and went the other way for a breakaway bucket. When Luis Rodriguez scored on a similar steal-and-breakaway, it gave UNLV a 10-2 lead less than four minutes into the action.
Utah State's normally-efficient offense went scoreless on its first four possessions; the Aggies are now 2-of-6 from the field with a pair of turnovers.
Kevin Kruger has to like the way his team has come out for this matinee start.
UNLV goes for two in a row against Utah State
After evening their conference record with a blowout win over New Mexico on Tuesday, the Scarlet and Gray have an opportunity to really make a statement on Saturday, when they host No. 20 Utah State (12 p.m., CBS Sports Network).
Three keys to watch:
Perception is reality
This game is important not just for UNLV’s place in the conference standings, but because of the perception of the two programs.
Kevin Kruger is currently in his third year as head coach and struggling to get his team over the hump to contend in the Mountain West. Meanwhile, Danny Sprinkle is in his first year at Utah State, had to recruit an entirely new roster, and already has the Aggies at 15-1 and ranked No. 20 in the nation.
If Utah State comes into the Thomas & Mack Center and beats UNLV, it’s going to look good for Sprinkle and bad for Kruger, and it would undoubtedly prompt people to ask why it’s taking so long to build a winner at UNLV.
It’s going to be tough to topple the Aggies, who rank 47th in offensive efficiency and 20th in assists.
Kruger called Utah State “the most confident team in the country,” a nod to how well they share the ball and execute their offense.
“You can tell they’re in sync,” Kruger said. “They run their sets really well, but at the same time you can tell they’re on the same page. If somebody goes to make a play, they adjust accordingly and create for each other. They’re fun to watch.”
Boones better together
It took half the season, but the Boone twins are finally both in the starting lineup, and the early returns are spectacular.
Kalib Boone started at center against New Mexico and scored 29 points — all of them coming from the paint. Keylan Boone made his first start as well, and he chipped in 17 points, with all five of his makes coming from beyond the 3-point line (5-of-11.
Kalib Boone’s interior presence has been established for most of the season. Now that Keylan is helping to spread the floor, UNLV’s offense looks a lot more balanced.
“Keylan’s length and ability to shoot from the perimeter is something that was really good for us last game,” Kruger said.
Kruger confirmed he will stick with both Boones in the starting lineup against Utah State.
Big man, great impact
Utah State has produced some good bigs recently, but the latest edition isn’t just good — he’s Great.
Great Osobor played his first two years at Montana State under Sprinkle, then followed his coach to Utah State this year. Osobor checks in a 6-foot-8, 245 pounds, and so far very few have been able to stop him in the paint, as he’s averaging 18.6 points and 9.4 rebounds.
Isaiah Cottrell missed UNLV’s last game due to a foot injury, so look for Kalib Boone and Rob Whaley to draw the task of leaning on Osobor. Whaley in particularly did a good job against San Diego State center Jaedon LeDee, so he could be a key matchup piece off the bench.
Who: UNLV (8-6, 1-1 MWC) vs. Utah State (15-1, 3-0 MWC)
When: Saturday, 12 p.m.
Where: Thomas & Mack Center
TV: CBS Sports Network
Radio: 1100 AM, 100.9 FM
UNLV leaders
Scoring
Luis Rodriguez: 12.6 points
Rebounds
Keylan Boone: 6.7 rebounds
Assists
D.J. Thomas: 6.3 assists
Utah State leaders
Scoring
Great Osobor: 18.6 points
Rebounds
Great Osobor: 9.4 rebounds
Assists
Darius Brown: 7.6 assists
Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.
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