LAS VEGAS – Six straight free throws in the final 38 seconds saved UNLV from another collapse Saturday. The Rebels went without a field goal after taking a 15-point lead with 2:41 left, then held off Grand Canyon 80-78 to end a four-game losing streak.
UNLV finished 18-for-19 at the line, including all 10 attempts after halftime. Four days after a five-point lead disappeared in the final seconds of a 98-96 loss at Fresno State, those made shots gave coach Josh Pastner’s team enough to survive another opponent’s late run. The Rebels improved to 11-12 overall and 6-6 in the Mountain West.
“Mission accomplishment has to be more important than personal comfort,” Pastner said.
The afternoon had begun with two more lineup problems. Tyrin Jones remained out with the shoulder injury that had sidelined him since Jan. 27, and Howie Fleming Jr. was ruled out late with an ankle injury. Earlier absences left UNLV effectively down four projected starters, Pastner said. The available players had to replace Jones’ interior defense and scoring and Fleming’s ballhandling and rebounding.
Center Jacob Bannarbie helped make that scoring stand up without Jones. He had five points, 15 rebounds and five assists as UNLV outrebounded Grand Canyon 41-36 and recovered 13 of its own misses. His work gave the Rebels more chances to score while they were missing a starting big man.
“The reason we won today was our five spot,” Pastner said.
Bannarbie’s passing gave UNLV another way to play through the center position. His five assists were a third of the team’s 15, substantial production from a player whose scoring line could easily obscure his effect on the offense. While Gibbs-Lawhorn managed the ball screens, Bannarbie could help finish a possession with a rebound or send the ball to someone in better position to score.
With 7:31 remaining, he rebounded a missed Gibbs-Lawhorn 3-pointer and found Green for a layup. Later, after recovering another missed shot at the defensive end, he helped UNLV return to its offense. His five points did not express how often the ball stayed with the Rebels or reached a teammate because he was involved.
Stephen supplied six rebounds in 11 minutes, three of them on offense. His limited time still gave UNLV chances to continue a possession while Jones was out. Bannarbie received most of the attention at center because of his 15 boards, but the available big men both contributed to the team total. Stephen finished with four fouls, another reminder of how closely the rotation had to be managed.
Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn supplied much of the offense, scoring 20 of his game-high 29 points before halftime. He used ball screens patiently, keeping the trailing defender on his back as he approached the opposing big man. That gave him time to choose a floater, continue to the basket or find the next pass.
“We knew they were going to be in a drop,” Gibbs-Lawhorn said. “You’ve got to be patient … keep the defender on your back.”
He played all 40 minutes and finished 10-for-23 with three 3-pointers and six free throws in six attempts. Al Green added 13 off the bench, and Kimani Hamilton and Issac Williamson scored 10 each. The Rebels led by as many as 16 in the first half and went into the break ahead 44-34.
Green’s 13 points also gave UNLV offense beyond the starting group. The Rebels’ bench outscored Grand Canyon’s 21-10, and UNLV finished ahead 30-24 in paint points. Those contributions kept the game from becoming solely a contest between Gibbs-Lawhorn’s jumpers and the Lopes’ rebounding. UNLV had enough different ways to score to rebuild its lead after Grand Canyon first closed within four.
Green helped restore the late cushion before the closing problems arrived. He scored on consecutive possessions to put UNLV ahead 72-57 with 3:37 remaining. Hamilton’s dunk followed less than a minute later. The Rebels had received productive offense from a reserve and a starter after the Lopes had already made one push in the middle of the half.
GCU had cut the margin to four on three occasions during that earlier stretch. UNLV answered by scoring on four consecutive possessions, temporarily preventing the game from turning into a one-possession finish. That sequence gives Green’s 13 points a place in the result beyond his total. He helped create the cushion that the Rebels later had to protect at the line.
Former UNLV wing Jaden Henley scored 15 of his 17 points after halftime and added 10 rebounds in his first game back at the Thomas & Mack Center. He had said beforehand that returning to his old school gave him extra motivation. Forward Nana Owusu-Anane led the Lopes with 19 points and 13 rebounds, six on offense, providing another way to keep possessions going after a miss.
Owusu-Anane’s 19 points were also more varied than the six offensive rebounds might suggest. He made three of four 3-pointers and six of nine shots overall, adding three assists without a turnover and four steals. UNLV had to account for his shot away from the rim, his pursuit of the miss and his ability to disrupt a Rebel possession.
Grand Canyon made only 22 of 57 field-goal attempts, or 38.6%. The Lopes nevertheless had 35 free-throw attempts, 16 more than UNLV, and two double-doubles. Their offense could continue through foul shots and recovered misses when the first attempt failed. The Rebels’ 41-36 rebounding edge was useful, but it did not eliminate the difficulty posed by Owusu-Anane near the rim.
Foul trouble remained unresolved as well. Two Rebels fouled out, and three others finished with four. UNLV had escaped the result it suffered at Fresno State while again playing a finish affected by a thinning rotation. Saturday’s difference was that the free throws kept arriving in the basket. Williamson‘s pair with five seconds left required no further offensive possession to make Grand Canyon’s final score harmless.
Gibbs-Lawhorn stayed available for the entire game and committed only two fouls. That was a useful difference from Fresno State, where his disqualification removed him with 2:06 left. Saturday he was still there to handle the ball and make the late free throws. His five turnovers and the Lopes’ comeback showed that availability did not guarantee a smooth finish, but it preserved UNLV’s leading scorer as an option.
The final inbound remained another potential point of failure. The Lopes nearly stole the pass before UNLV retained possession and Williamson went to the line. The Rebels still had to get the ball into a teammate’s hands before the free throws could provide their answer.
The result dropped Grand Canyon to 15-8 overall and 8-4 in the Mountain West, while UNLV returned to 6-6 in the league. The Lopes had entered above the Rebels and remained there afterward. UNLV’s immediate gain was ending the losing streak and protecting a home opportunity against a team already in the conference’s upper group.
