LAS VEGAS — Colorado State got 12 offensive rebounds and 16 second-chance points the first time it played UNLV. The Rebels also committed 16 turnovers and missed 10 free throws, giving away a late five-point lead in a 70-62 loss Jan. 9 in Fort Collins. Their three-game winning streak has brought improvement in those areas just in time for Wednesday’s rematch.
Both teams have won three straight. UNLV is 13-12 overall and 8-6 in the Mountain West, while the Rams are 15-10 and 6-8. Tipoff at the Thomas & Mack Center is 8 p.m. Pacific on CBS Sports Network. Josh Pastner has not forgotten how much the Rebels left unfinished in the first meeting.
Pastner’s request for a crowd came with an acknowledgment that UNLV is not playing for an at-large berth. He distinguished a meaningful conference game from the larger stakes of being in a projected NCAA field or contending for first place. The Rebels still need a home advantage, he said, while accepting that better results have to help bring supporters back. Wednesday gives them a home rematch against a team below them in the standings and playing better, too.
“We’ve got to be better so the fans come out,” Pastner said. He wants UNLV to earn back their trust through its play.
“They out-toughed us last game, the way I looked at it,” Pastner said Tuesday. He pointed to UNLV’s 16 turnovers and Colorado State’s 12 offensive rebounds for 16 second-chance points.
The Rebels led 56-51 with just under seven minutes left in January but made only one field goal over the final nine minutes. The Rams finished on a 16-4 run.
The rematch also brings a clearer choice about who plays. Pastner said Tuesday that using 10 or 11 players earlier in the season had sometimes disrupted the team’s rhythm. Injuries had delayed settling the rotation. He now wants fewer players carrying the main minutes, with enough conditioning to keep defending and rebounding through those longer stretches. That puts the responsibility on the group that has helped UNLV win three straight, rather than on another wholesale change after a poor start.
Williamson led UNLV with 14 in that meeting, while Rechsteiner scored 15 for Colorado State. Gibbs-Lawhorn’s current scoring run gives the Rebels a stronger individual source of points than a balanced list of averages can express. It does not remove the need for Williamson or Hamilton to finish the next pass. The guard has scored 89 points across the three wins, but each required help after the opponent made a run.
UNLV has since found a more settled rotation, according to Pastner, though much of the work still falls to Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn. The guard played all but 49 seconds of the 125 available minutes against Grand Canyon, San José State and Boise State. He is scoring while also organizing an offense that was built to share more of the ballhandling with teammates who have been injured.
Pastner’s demand for better decisions has a specific recent example. He recalled a first-half drive in Boise on which four defenders collapsed toward Gibbs-Lawhorn while Williamson was available in the corner. Gibbs-Lawhorn took the shot instead of making the pass. Pastner criticized the choice during a timeout. He wants the guard to find the open teammate before the defense has forced the possession into a difficult attempt, even during a game when his scoring is carrying UNLV.
His career-high 36 at Boise included 25 in the second half and the 3-pointer with 38 seconds left that forced overtime. He scored 60 across the past week to earn his second Mountain West Player of the Week award. Gibbs-Lawhorn credited the freedom Pastner has given him and described a routine built around basketball, including living away from the Strip to limit distractions.
“When you have a coach that fully believes in you and lets you play without worrying about anything, it’s hard not to be successful,” he said. “I’m just staying in the gym. Eat, sleep, play basketball.”
Pastner wants that scoring without the fouls that can take his primary ballhandler off the court. Gibbs-Lawhorn fouled out in the loss at Fresno State before UNLV gave away the game in the final seconds. His responsibilities do not end when he misses a shot or the Rebels turn the ball over.
“You’ve got to be a great defender without fouling,” Pastner said.
A reporter noted that nobody had fouled out in the previous two games. Pastner said the staff practices defending without fouling, reinforces it and reviews the mistakes on film. He credited improvement over those two games without treating it as a finished job. Keeping Gibbs-Lawhorn available is also an offensive decision: UNLV lost his ballhandling as well as his 28 points when he fouled out at Fresno State with 2:06 remaining.
UNLV’s improved ball security also has an individual component. Fleming had four assists without a turnover in Boise despite going scoreless. Williamson likewise had no turnovers, added three steals and made the overtime 3-pointer that tied the game. Those players helped the offense continue without needing to lead the scoring. Against Colorado State, the next quick decision has to come from whoever receives the ball after Gibbs-Lawhorn attracts the defense.
Jones‘ place in the starting group is still a coaching choice. Pastner said the freshman had only recently been cleared to practice before returning against San José State. Coming off the bench has not reduced the value of his minutes. Pastner said Jones would enter early and play substantial time whether he starts or not. Against Boise State, the Rebels received 12 points and four blocks from him after he entered as a reserve.
In Boise, UNLV finished with eight turnovers, 11 offensive rebounds and 16 second-chance points after falling behind 32-9 and remaining 17 down late. Kimani Hamilton made second-half 3-pointers and Issac Williamson‘s overtime 3-pointer tied it before Gibbs-Lawhorn’s drive. Tyrin Jones protected the rim; Walter Brown completed the final defensive rebound. Those teammates kept the recovery from depending on the scoring alone.
Hamilton scored 23 against San José State and 13 at Boise State. His next catch against the Rams may arrive before the shot clock demands a hurried attempt. A pass into the middle of the zone gives him time to turn and locate Jones or a perimeter teammate before Colorado State can recover.
Colorado State can make those possessions demanding in different ways. Pastner expects the Rams’ perimeter shooting to require close attention, with UNLV needing to judge how much help it sends toward a drive. An extra defender in the lane can leave a shooter outside, and the recovery has to come before that player releases the ball.
“They can really shoot the ball,” Pastner said.
Colorado State’s offense gives Pastner a reason to emphasize decisions away from the ball. The Rams enter shooting 39.5% from 3-point range, ninth nationally. Their effective field-goal percentage, which gives a 3-pointer its additional value, is 58.7%, 11th nationally. The threat is not just the occasional difficult outside make. CSU has been getting strong overall value from the shots its offense creates.
Jevin Muniz leads the Rams at 4.4 assists per game, third in the Mountain West, with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.0. Kyle Jorgensen leads the scoring at 12.3 points per game.
Carey Booth leads Colorado State with 5.8 rebounds and a block per game.
The Rams’ own winning streak includes victories over San José State, Air Force and Wyoming. They are 3-5 in true road games, giving UNLV a home opportunity against an opponent whose recent results have also improved.
Ali Farokhmanesh is in his first season as Colorado State’s head coach after seven seasons on its staff.
The Rams also went to a zone late in the January meeting, slowing UNLV when the ball stopped moving. Hamilton can offer a target near the foul line, while Jones can move along the baseline into the short corner behind a low defender. Those are potential ways to give Gibbs-Lawhorn a pass once a defender stops his drive, rather than leaving him to dribble against the same set defense.
Pastner wants the first pass made early when a second defender moves toward Gibbs-Lawhorn’s live dribble. The next receiver then has to find a shot or make another pass before Colorado State can cover both players. Holding the ball would let the Rams return to their spots around the lane.
“I’m asking you to be great on the glass,” Pastner said.
Bannarbie’s recent rebounding gives Pastner a useful option if the first unit struggles. His 15 against Grand Canyon helped UNLV win with Jones out. Stephen had seven against San José State, including three on offense. Jones then returned to supply three blocks against the Spartans and four at Boise State.
Bannarbie averaged 1.8 rebounds last season. His current 5.5 gives UNLV a much larger contribution from its only returning player.
Pastner has emphasized conditioning as his main contributors play longer stretches, calling for “VO2 max shape” to sustain the defense, rebounding and decisions late. With six regular-season games remaining, UNLV has recovered from four straight losses and returned above .500, but its conference tournament position remains unsettled.
