LAS VEGAS – UNLV brings a three-game winning streak home Saturday against San Diego State. Whether the Aztecs have 7-foot center Magoon Gwath will help determine how readily the Rebels can get to the rim.
Gwath missed Wednesday’s one-point loss at Grand Canyon with a hip issue. Aztecs coach Brian Dutcher said the 7-footer aggravated an injury first suffered at Wyoming, and his status for UNLV had not been established as the Rebels prepared.
Last season’s Mountain West Freshman and Defensive Player of the Year has 22 blocks this season. If he plays, beating the first defender will not necessarily give UNLV a clear layup. If he does not, Jeremiah Oden, Tae Simmons and Pharaoh Compton offer other options to contest the paint.
UNLV coach Josh Pastner used “gold standard” to describe the Aztecs’ place in the league. They enter the 1 p.m. Pacific game on CBS at 13-5 overall and 7-1 in conference play. UNLV is 10-8 and 5-2 after beating Boise State, San José State and Utah State, including its first win in Logan since 2016.
San Diego State’s most recent loss also offers a warning about deciding the game too early. The Aztecs trailed Grand Canyon by double digits in the second half, then took a one-point lead on a Tae Simmons putback with 53 seconds left. They lost only after Makaih Williams made two free throws with 1.8 seconds remaining.
Elzie Harrington scored 16 points in Phoenix, making San Diego State’s first four field goals, while Dixon-Waters added 12 and Davis 11. Their production is another reason the matchup cannot be reduced to Gwath’s status. The Aztecs can get scoring from guards while changing the people who screen, finish or recover the ball around them.
The Rebels scored 40 paint points in that 86-76 win, made 7 of 14 threes and converted 21 of 25 free throws. The outside shooting exceeded their 31.4% season mark, making sound decisions in the lane more dependable to plan around than another 50% night from three.
Guard Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn, averaging 17.1 points, forward Kimani Hamilton and guard Howie Fleming Jr. have been most effective driving toward the basket and passing before help closes off the finish.
Jones leads the Mountain West with 2.1 blocks per game and supplied size and finishes through contact as UNLV erased a 14-point second-half deficit at Utah State. If Gwath returns, Jones will have to establish position before the pass rather than let the 7-footer wait between him and the rim. Without Gwath, Oden, Simmons and Compton still make an uncontested catch too much to expect.
Jacob Bannarbie leads UNLV with 6.3 rebounds per game, while San Diego State’s Miles Heide averages a team-leading five. The rebounding assignment extends beyond the anticipated Jones-Gwath matchup, especially when either coach uses a different frontcourt combination.
Free throws are another way Pastner wants those attacks to produce. UNLV converted its opportunities in Logan after failing to do so in losses to Tennessee State, Wyoming and Colorado State.
Dutcher can turn to several perimeter scorers: guard BJ Davis averages 11.6 points, Reese Dixon-Waters 11.2 and Miles Byrd 10.4. Byrd leads the team in steals and can turn loose possessions into open-floor opportunities.
The Aztecs’ reserves average around 40 points, allowing Dutcher to adjust matchups without relying on the same starters throughout the game. When their drives produce kickout passes, UNLV needs helping guards to recover and rebounders to identify their assignments.
Byrd’s value extends well beyond his 10.4 scoring average. He leads San Diego State with 2.8 assists and two steals per game, while averaging 1.1 blocks. Grand Canyon held him to six points on 2-for-10 shooting, yet he still supplied four steals and three blocks. A quiet scoring line did not prevent him from changing possessions.
Compton averages a block per game, giving San Diego State three players among the Mountain West’s top six in that category along with Gwath and Byrd. Gwath’s potential absence would remove one part of that defense, not every source of a difficult finish. A clean first step still needs a clear next decision.
Hamilton’s 10 points at Utah State came on seven attempts in only 13 minutes. He fouled out with 7:28 remaining, leaving UNLV to complete the comeback without him. Saturday provides an opportunity to carry that efficient scoring into a game in which he remains available for the finish, rather than requiring a teammate to replace his minutes late.
Brown filled a meaningful part of that absence in Logan. He scored 10, made two of three threes and collected five defensive rebounds. The shots gave Utah State another perimeter player to defend, and the rebounds ended possessions during the final push. His contribution gives Pastner another forward to use if the matchup or foul count changes.
The standings give the game a specific consequence. San Diego State has one league loss and UNLV two, with the Rebels 5-2 after the road sweep. A win would bring the teams level in the loss column. The result in Logan created that opportunity; it did not complete the climb or remove the need to defend another established contender.
Davis, Dixon-Waters and Byrd each average between 10 and 12 points, while San Diego State’s reserves produce 40.1 per game, second nationally. That combination makes it difficult to anticipate the entire scoring assignment from the starting lineup. A substitute can enter to change who finishes the same action, and UNLV has to identify him before he gets a comfortable touch.
Williamson enters averaging 10.2 points, giving Pastner another perimeter scorer alongside a rotation increasingly defined by Gibbs-Lawhorn’s drives and the frontcourt’s finishing. The freshman had five points at Utah State but also committed five turnovers. Against Byrd and the Aztecs’ other defenders, a useful shot has to be accompanied by a reliable next decision when the first opening closes.
Five straight home wins give Pastner a reason to ask fans back, though he has acknowledged rebuilding the atmosphere will take time alongside establishing a rotation. Gibbs-Lawhorn hopes the conference leader brings one of the season’s best crowds. The louder building would help; the pass made before San Diego State’s big reaches the drive will still have to come from the floor.
