Game day: Colorado State rallies to sink UNLV, 78-75

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Published Friday, Jan. 19, 2024 | 2 a.m.

Updated Friday, Jan. 19, 2024 | 9:37 p.m.

UNLV built a 10-point lead midway through the second half, but Colorado State rallied late to send the Scarlet and Gray home disappointed, 78-75.

Isaiah Stevens simply took over down the stretch, engineering a 15-4 run in the final minutes to overtake UNLV. Stevens finished with 18 points and seven assists.

Keylan Boone scored 21 points, but UNLV was unable to keep up with CSU's late 3-point barrage. For the game, the Rams made 10 3-pointers to UNLV's four.

UNLV is now 2-3 in Mountain West play and will head home to host Air Force on Tuesday.

UNLV leads at Colorado State, 52-48

Midway through the second half, UNLV is poised to pull off its second-straight road shocker, as Kevin Kruger's squad has a 52-48 lead over Colorado State with 12:12 remaining.

UNLV had some difficulties on offense coming out of the locker room, as Kalib Boone committed turnovers in the post on three of the first four possessions. The Scarlet and Gray were able to lean on their defense, though, as they held Colorado State without a field goal for a four-minute stretch to maintain the lead.

UNLV has turned to post play since the break, taking turns throwing it inside to the Boone twins or Rob Whaley on almost every possession, and it's working. Those three have combined for 31 points so far.

Colorado State's 3-point shooting has been off for most of the night, as the Rams are just 6-of-20 from deep, but Isaiah Stevens has single-handedly kept his team in it. After UNLV extended its lead to 52-42 with 13:19 left on the clock, Stevens scored a fast-break layup, then assisted on back-to-back transition layups to power a 6-0 run for the home team.

Keylan Boone leads all scorers with 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting.

UNLV opens 39-32 halftime lead at Colorado State

UNLV closed the half strong, using a late surge to open a 39-32 lead over Colorado State at the break.

Keylan Boone got it started by making four free throws, then the lanky swingman canned a long contested 2-pointer to give UNLV a 35-30 advantage with 1:37 on the clock. On the final possession of the half, D.J. Thomas drove into the paint and converted a soft floater to make it a 7-point game, matching the visitors' biggest lead of the night.

Boone leads all scorers with 13 points, and Jackie Johnson has chipped in eight points off the bench. Johnson has also been key to UNLV's defensive game plan, as he and Luis Rodriguez have taken turns defending Colorado State leading scorer Isaiah Stevens. So far, they've limited the slithery guard to nine points on 3-of-7 shooting.

UNLV is 20 minutes away from a second straight impressive road win, and with the way they're playing right now, it wouldn't be shocking to see them close it out.

UNLV leads Colorado State, 22-19

With 7:26 left in the first half, UNLV holds a 22-19 lead at Colorado State.

Kevin Kruger's squad came to play tonight, and they appear to be settling in defensively. Colorado State opened hot, knocking down four of its first six attempts from 3-point range, but other than that the Rams are just 3-of-10 from the field with five turnovers.

Rob Whaley has once again made his presence felt in the early going, as he came off the bench and immediately converted a 3-point play in the post. He posted four points and an assist in his first stint, which lasted six minutes.

UNLV, Colorado State tied early

Four minutes in, and this is about as intense an environment as UNLV has experienced this season. The Scarlet and Gray are hanging in, tied with Colorado State at 6-6.

Kevin Kruger isn't messing around with his defensive assignments, as Luis Rodriguez has been attached to CSU guard Isaiah Stevens. Rodriguez has been UNLV's best perimeter defender of late, and his 6-foot-6 length could give Stevens less room to work. So far, Stevens has three points on a made 3-pointer.

It will be interesting to see how UNLV responds to playing in front of the frenzied crowd here inside Moby Arena. The last time they played in an environment this hostile, they fell behind by 16 points out of the gate at San Diego State. Let's see if they've learned from that experience.

UNLV basketball looks to close out road trip with another big win

Hot off one of its most impressive performances of the season, UNLV finishes up its week on the road with another tough test Friday, as the Scarlet and Gray take on Colorado State (7:30 p.m., FS1).

Can Kevin Kruger and his squad build off their big win at Boise State and make it a perfect 2-0 trip through the icy north? Three keys to watch:

Whaley makes an impact

UNLV’s sudden surge in conference play can be directly traced to Rob Whaley’s emergence as a difference-maker in the frontcourt, and the burly junior did it again at Boise State, scoring a team-high 18 points to lead the way.

At 6-foot-6, Whaley is agile enough to face the basket on offense and strong enough to serve as a one-man wall when defending the post. Add his above-the-rim athleticism, and he’s really been on a hot streak over the past four games.

Whaley said he has been playing more assertively, and the results have followed.

“We’ve been playing more together as a team, and that’s increasing everyone’s confidence, especially myself,” Whaley said. “Confidence is something that’s been key for me.”

Whaley played a season-high 29 minutes against Boise State; look for Kruger to call on him early and often at Colorado State as well.

Isaiah Stevens, again

Kruger wasn’t happy to hear that Isaiah Stevens was coming back for a fifth year at CSU. The senior point guard has been a thorn in UNLV’s side for half a decade now, hitting tough shots and generally making life miserable for the Scarlet and Gray, and he may be having his best season.

Stevens is averaging 17.1 points and 7.2 assists, and his efficiency is ridiculous, as he’s making 53.8% of his 2-point attempts, 46.7% of his 3’s, and 80.3% from the free-throw line.

“I was hoping all summer that he would decide to go to the NBA,” Kruger joked after the Boise State win. “I think he’s an NBA player. He’s smooth, he’s confident, he’s secure. He’s obviously a big shot maker, big-time scorer, big-time facilitator for them. We’re going to have our work cut out for us.”

In eight career games against UNLV, Stevens has averaged 21.6 points and 5.1 assists while nailing 27 3-pointers. And a lot of those makes have been of the clutch variety.

Now that Stevens has a good squad around him — the Rams boast four double-figure scorers — it’s no surprise CSU is making noise as a potential NCAA Tournament team. UNLV’s game plan will have to focus on slowing down Stevens and putting the onus on his teammates to come through.

Climbing the rankings

It’s been an up-and-down season for the Scarlet and Gray, but recent wins over New Mexico and Boise State have served to demonstrate this team’s ceiling. Those victories have also boosted UNLV’s rankings, which are suddenly not as bad as you might think.

After a Quad 1 win over Boise, UNLV rose to No. 83 in the NET rankings, which is used by the NCAA selection committee. They’re even higher in the KenPom ratings, sitting at No. 77.

That’s not going to get UNLV into any at-large conversations, but it shows that the team still has a lot to play for. With the Mountain West offering many more opportunities for quality wins (starting against Colorado State), UNLV could keep climbing — as long as they keep winning.

Who: UNLV (9-7, 2-2 MWC) at Colorado State (14-3, 2-2 MWC)

When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Where: Moby Arena (Fort Collins, Colo.)

TV: FS1

Radio: 1100 AM, 100.9 FM

UNLV leaders

Scoring

Kalib Boone: 13.3 points

Rebounds

Luis Rodriguez: 7.0 rebounds

Assists

D.J. Thomas: 6.3 assists

Colorado State leaders

Scoring

Isaiah Stevens: 17.1 points

Rebounds

Nique Clifford: 6.3 rebounds

Assists

Isaiah Stevens: 7.2 assists

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.