Rebels erase a 14-point second-half deficit, close on a 13-3 run, and move to 5-2 in Mountain West play.

LOGAN, Utah – The Runnin’ Rebels didn’t just survive the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum on Tuesday night.

They took it from Utah State.

UNLV entered the building as a 16.5-point underdog, trailed by 14 points in the second half, and still walked out with an 86–76 win over the Aggies, the program’s first victory in Logan since 2016. It also handed Utah State just its fifth home loss in the last four seasons and pushed UNLV to 5-2 in Mountain West play.

The pregame question wasn’t whether UNLV could keep up. It was whether UNLV could interrupt control.

It did, possession by possession, and then finished the job.

Early Storm: Surviving the Spectrum

The opening minutes looked exactly like every bad night UNLV has ever had in Logan.

Utah State punched first. The Aggies ran the floor off turnovers, scored inside, and built an early cushion as the Spectrum came alive. UNLV missed early looks at the rim, got caught in traffic, and had to absorb the kind of pressure that usually turns into a quiet runaway.

Instead, the Rebels steadied.

Kimani Hamilton cleaned up a miss with a tip-in. Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn knocked down a rhythm three. Howie Fleming Jr. jumped a passing lane and finished in transition. Every answer mattered; not because it flipped the game, but because it kept it from slipping.

By the final four minutes of the half, UNLV was no longer reacting. The Rebels were rebounding through contact, getting to the line, and forcing Utah State to execute in the half-court.

At halftime: 38-38.

The game hadn’t broken, and that alone mattered.

The Breaking Point That Didn’t Break Them

Utah State came out of the locker room like a team determined to reassert control.

Live-ball turnovers turned into dunks. Missed layups became runouts the other way. In less than eight minutes, the Aggies pushed the margin to 58–44, the exact kind of separation this building usually turns into inevitability.

UNLV could’ve fractured there.

They didn’t.

Kimani Hamilton sliced into the lane for a layup. Then another. Tyrin Jones finished through contact. Emmanuel Stephen owned the glass on both ends, extending possessions and erasing misses.

The run didn’t come all at once. It came in layers.

A bucket. A stop. A free throw. A rebound that mattered more than it looked like it should.

Slowly, the margin shrank.

Turning Chaos Into a Street Fight

This is where the game changed. UNLV stopped trying to beat Utah State clean. The Rebels made it physical. They lived in the paint. They turned offensive rebounds into points. They forced Utah State to defend multiple actions on the same possession, something the Aggies rarely have to do at home.

Over and over, UNLV finished possessions:

• 40 points in the paint
• 40-31 rebounding edge
• 21-25 at the free-throw line
• 50% shooting from the field

This wasn’t a shooting night. It was a pressure night.

Winning Time: The Stretch That Decided It

With 3:24 left, MJ Collins buried a three to tie the game 73-73.

The Spectrum was ready to explode.

Instead, UNLV responded with its cleanest basketball of the night.

• 2:52 – Tyrin Jones gathers a miss and finishes inside: 75-73
• 2:03 – Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn pulls up and drills the dagger three: 78-73
• 1:02 – Emmanuel Stephen calmly knocks down two free throws: 80-73

From there, UNLV never blinked.

Jones. Gibbs-Lawhorn. Fleming Jr., one trip after another. One free throw after another. Utah State was forced to foul. UNLV was ready every time.

The Rebels closed on a 13-3 run over the final 2:52, in one of the Mountain West’s most unforgiving buildings.

By the Numbers: How UNLV Won

This win wasn’t accidental.

• 48-38 scoring edge in the second half
• 7-14 from three (50%)
• Utah State: 7-24 from three (29.2%)
• Utah State: 17-31 at the line (54.8%)
• 10 ties, 7 lead changes
• UNLV trailed by 14 and still finished up 10

The math flipped because the Rebels forced it to.

Leaders: Answers Everywhere

UNLV didn’t rely on one hot hand. It relied on balance.

• Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn: 21 points (8-12 FG, 3-5 3PT)
• Tyrin Jones: 20 points, 10-12 FT
• Emmanuel Stephen: 10 points, 8 rebounds
• Walter Brown: 10 points
• Kimani Hamilton: 10 points on 5-7 shooting
• Howie Fleming Jr.: 6 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists

Five in double figures. Multiple closers. No weak link.

What It Means

This wasn’t just a road win. It was a proof-of-concept win. UNLV walked into Logan as a 16.5-point underdog, absorbed Utah State’s best punch, erased a double-digit deficit, and closed like the home team. It’s the Rebels’ first win in Logan since 2016, moves them to 5-2 in the Mountain West, and confirms something important:

This team can win without the game behaving. Utah State wants control. UNLV brought disruption, and on Tuesday night, disruption won.