HENDERSON, Nev. — Emmanuel Stephen changed what UNLV could do around the basket in his season debut, but he did not solve the Rebels’ rebounding problem by himself. Stanford still grabbed 20 offensive rebounds and scored 26 second-chance points in UNLV’s 75-74 win Sunday.
That becomes the central issue when UNLV faces Tennessee State on Saturday in the Jack Jones Classic. The Tigers average 42.1 rebounds, nearly 10 more than the Rebels, and have built much of their offense around extending possessions.
UNLV enters 4-5 after snapping a three-game losing streak at Stanford. Tennessee State is 5-4 and has not played since losing 80-53 at Alabama A&M on Dec. 3. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at Lee’s Family Forum, with the game available on BallerTV.
The Rebels needed Stephen’s return. He missed the first eight games with a foot injury before playing 30 minutes at Stanford and finishing with 18 points and 10 rebounds on 8-for-13 shooting.
Stephen became the first Mountain West player since Anthony Bennett in 2012 to record a double-double in a road game against an ACC opponent. More important for UNLV was the way it could use him.
The Rebels scored 48 points in the paint against Stanford while making only three 3-pointers. Stephen gave them a target around the basket, Kimani Hamilton was able to work from the wing and Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn did not have to create every scoring opportunity from the perimeter.
“We knew that for us to win, we were going to have to win in the combat zone,” UNLV coach Josh Pastner said after the Stanford game.
UNLV won there offensively, outscoring Stanford 48-28 in the paint. It did not control the same area defensively.
Stanford outrebounded UNLV 46-34 and grabbed nine offensive rebounds through Oskar Giltay alone. Stephen finished with 10 rebounds, but the Cardinal still recovered enough misses to take 71 shots compared with 58 for UNLV.
Tennessee State will try to create the same type of possession advantage. The Tigers average 42.1 rebounds and entered the matchup outrebounding opponents by nearly eight per game. They grabbed 42 rebounds and scored 18 second-chance points even in the 27-point loss to Alabama A&M.
Tennessee State also controlled the glass during its 70-64 win at Chattanooga, finishing with a 39-31 rebounding advantage and 14 second-chance points. UNLV cannot assume that forcing the first miss will be enough.
Jalen Pitre has led that effort for the Tigers. The 6-foot-8 forward averages 7.1 rebounds and grabbed four offensive boards against Alabama A&M. Aaron Nkrumah and Travis Harper II also average more than five rebounds from the perimeter, giving Tennessee State several players capable of chasing misses.
The Tigers do not need to shoot particularly well when they recover enough of them. They entered Saturday shooting 43.5% from the field and 27.3% from 3-point range, but their rebounding and 76.6% free-throw shooting have helped them average 81.3 points.
That scoring average needs some context. Tennessee State reached at least 98 points against Fisk, Oakwood and Tennessee Wesleyan. It scored 60 at Tennessee and 53 at Alabama A&M, its two games against the strongest defensive opponents on its schedule.
UNLV’s best chance to keep the Tigers in that type of half-court game begins with defensive rebounding. Tennessee State wants additional shots, free throws and transition opportunities. Making the Tigers score against a set defense without repeated chances would take away much of what has supported their offense.
Nkrumah remains the first player UNLV has to locate. The 6-foot-6 guard averages 17.1 points and 5.3 rebounds while also producing four steals against Alabama A&M. Harper adds 15.3 points and 5.4 rebounds, while graduate guard Dante Harris averages 13.4 points and controls most of the Tigers’ half-court possessions.
Tennessee State also averages 11.2 steals, creating another problem for a UNLV offense that has been at its best when Gibbs-Lawhorn and Hamilton can attack without needing to recover from live-ball turnovers.
UNLV has averaged 12.3 turnovers through nine games. That number has generally been manageable, but Tennessee State’s pressure gives the Tigers another way to compensate for their inconsistent shooting. Turnovers that lead directly to transition would keep the Tigers from having to create against Stephen and UNLV’s set defense.
The Rebels have their own offensive limitations to address. They are shooting 46% from the field but only 28.5% from 3-point range and 68.2% from the free-throw line.
UNLV went 16-for-27 at Stanford and needed Hamilton’s final make with 3.8 seconds remaining to win by one. Tennessee State entered Saturday shooting more than eight percentage points better from the line. Another close game would make those empty possessions harder to recover from.
Stephen should give UNLV a better chance to handle Tennessee State’s size than it had during the first eight games, but one performance does not settle how Pastner will use him or how the rotation changes around him. Jacob Bannarbie, Ladji Dembele and Myles Che missed the Stanford game with injuries, while Howie Fleming Jr. was unavailable because of conjunctivitis.
UNLV has five players averaging at least 9.8 points, led by Gibbs-Lawhorn at 16.4. Hamilton averages 13.6, Issac Williamson adds 12.9 and Tyrin Jones has provided 9.8 off the bench. Stephen’s return gives the Rebels another scorer, but Saturday will test whether it also changes their ability to complete defensive stops.
The game is also another neutral-site opportunity for a team that went 0-3 at the Players Era Championship. Tennessee State is 1-0 in neutral-site games after winning the Coke Zero Sugar Classic in Chattanooga.
UNLV opens Mountain West play Dec. 20 against Fresno State at the Thomas & Mack Center. Tennessee State is the final opponent before then, and it is built to attack the same problem Stanford exposed with 20 offensive rebounds.