SAN DIEGO — Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn did almost everything UNLV needed Friday night.
He scored 32 points, made five 3-pointers, created difficult shots against one of the Mountain West’s most disciplined defenses and turned a late steal into a dunk that gave the Rebels one more chance in the closing seconds.
It still was not enough.
BJ Davis scored 30 points and San Diego State’s bench poured in 52 as the Aztecs held off UNLV 89-86 at Viejas Arena. The Rebels closed the regular season at 16-15 overall and 11-9 in Mountain West play, heading into the conference tournament still searching for the same thing they have chased throughout the winter: one more defensive stop when the game reaches its final possessions.
For a brief stretch midway through the second half, it looked like UNLV might find it. With 6:43 remaining, Howie Fleming Jr. caught a pass from Kimani Hamilton after an Aztec turnover and buried a 3-pointer from the wing to put the Rebels ahead 70-69. Viejas Arena, loud for most of the night, suddenly went quiet.
The lead lasted less than a minute.
Davis answered with a pull-up 3-pointer and then hit another. San Diego State regained control, and a bench unit that had been swinging the game all night continued providing the possessions that ultimately separated the teams.
The Aztecs’ reserves outscored UNLV’s bench 52-27, including 34-17 after halftime. In a game that remained within a possession deep into the final minute, that became the difference.
UNLV Lands the First Punch
The Rebels opened the game looking like the team that had dismantled Utah State four nights earlier.
Gibbs-Lawhorn hit a 3-pointer on UNLV’s first possession, Hamilton attacked downhill and Fleming pushed the pace whenever the Rebels had an opportunity. By the first media timeout, UNLV had built a 19-11 lead and was playing with the same confidence and offensive rhythm that produced one of its most complete performances of the season Tuesday.
For those opening minutes, the Rebels dictated everything.
Then San Diego State went to its bench.
Reese Dixon-Waters knocked down a jumper after an offensive rebound. Davis followed with a 3-pointer off a UNLV turnover. Miles Oden finished a transition dunk, Pharaoh Compton scored at the rim after another giveaway and Taj DeGourville capped the response with a jumper.
In a little more than three minutes, San Diego State had produced an 11-0 run and turned an eight-point UNLV lead into a three-point deficit.
That stretch introduced what would become the central problem of the night. San Diego State’s starters kept the game steady, but its bench changed it.
UNLV recovered enough to regain a 30-28 advantage midway through the half, with Gibbs-Lawhorn continuing to create off the dribble, but the offensive rhythm from the opening minutes never completely returned. San Diego State increasingly controlled the pace and forced the Rebels into the half-court possessions the Aztecs wanted.
The home team eventually pushed its lead to 42-36 with less than a minute remaining before halftime. Gibbs-Lawhorn then provided another one of the individual moments that have defined his season, burying a 3-pointer from the corner as time expired to send UNLV into the locker room trailing 42-39.
The shot kept the game within one possession, but the first-half numbers showed how much San Diego State had changed the terms of the game. UNLV finished the opening 20 minutes without a fast-break point, forcing the Rebels to grind through a set Aztec defense rather than turning stops into the early offense that had fueled their recent surge.
UNLV Finds Its Transition Game After Halftime
The opportunities UNLV could not find in the first half started appearing after the break.
Tyrin Jones finished two transition chances within the opening five minutes of the second half, getting down the floor before San Diego State could establish its defense. Gibbs-Lawhorn followed with a 3-pointer in stride off a Jones assist, and the Rebels quickly erased the halftime deficit.
Gibbs-Lawhorn tied the game at 48 with a jumper before Jones caught a lob and finished above the rim to give UNLV a 52-50 lead. For the first time since the opening stretch, Viejas Arena quieted and the Rebels had the game moving at a pace that favored them.
San Diego State answered almost immediately.
Davis hit a 3-pointer on the next possession to tie the game. UNLV turned the ball over seconds later, and DeGourville converted another 3 to put the Aztecs back in front.
Two possessions were enough to erase the momentum UNLV had created.
The Rebels still did not go away. Hamilton scored on a tip-in to tie the game at 56. Isaac Williamson knocked down a corner 3-pointer to trim another San Diego State lead to one, and Walter Brown followed with another from deep to keep UNLV within striking distance.
Then came Fleming’s shot.
After Hamilton helped force a turnover, the ball found Fleming on the wing. He stepped into the 3-pointer and knocked it down, putting UNLV ahead 70-69 with 6:43 remaining.
For a moment, the Rebels had control again.
Davis took it back.
BJ Davis Answers Every UNLV Run
Davis hit a deep 3-pointer on San Diego State’s next possession. Less than a minute later, he rose over a late closeout and made another shot, pushing the Aztecs back ahead and giving them a lead they would never surrender.
He finished with 30 points on 11-of-17 shooting and made four of his eight 3-point attempts. Twenty-one of those points came after halftime, when UNLV repeatedly pushed the game back within one possession and Davis repeatedly responded.
Gibbs-Lawhorn tied the game at 77 after drawing contact on a 3-point attempt and making all three free throws. Davis answered by getting downhill and finishing to restore San Diego State’s advantage.
That sequence summarized most of the second half. UNLV would create the play it needed, and San Diego State would answer before the Rebels could stack another stop behind it.
Jones continued applying pressure inside and kept UNLV close, but the Aztecs never allowed the Rebels to completely flip the game.
Gibbs-Lawhorn Gives UNLV One Last Chance
The final minute provided one more opening.
Gibbs-Lawhorn jumped a pass near midcourt, took it the other way and finished a dunk that cut San Diego State’s lead to 86-84. The play tightened the building again and gave UNLV another opportunity to complete a road comeback.
San Diego State did not give the ball back easily.
Davis missed on the other end but grabbed his own rebound, drew a foul and converted both free throws to restore a four-point advantage. Hamilton missed a layup on UNLV’s next possession, but Gibbs-Lawhorn fought through traffic for the offensive rebound and tipped it back in to make the score 88-86 with 20 seconds remaining.
The Rebels still had a chance.
Dixon-Waters split a pair of free throws, leaving UNLV down three with the ball going back to Gibbs-Lawhorn. He had been the best shot creator on the floor for the Rebels all night and had already scored 32.
He never got the opportunity to take the final shot.
Davis reached in near midcourt and stripped the ball before Gibbs-Lawhorn could gather himself, ending UNLV’s final possession and sealing the victory for San Diego State.
The Bench Gap Was Too Large
Gibbs-Lawhorn finished with 32 points on 11-of-22 shooting and made five 3-pointers, continuing the scoring run that has pushed him firmly into the Mountain West Player of the Year conversation.
Jones gave UNLV another major performance with 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting, six rebounds and three blocks. His transition running and finishing repeatedly gave the Rebels a way to attack before San Diego State could establish its half-court defense.
Hamilton played 39 minutes despite dealing with foul trouble and finished 4 of 10 from the field. Fleming, coming off a triple-double against Utah State, scored six points on 2-of-8 shooting.
UNLV shot 48.4% from the field and 43.5% from 3-point range. The Rebels forced 14 turnovers and scored 16 second-chance points. Those are offensive numbers capable of winning on most nights in the Mountain West.
San Diego State simply produced more.
The Aztecs shot 55% from the field and received 52 points from their bench. That production allowed them to survive whenever UNLV’s best players made a push. When Gibbs-Lawhorn scored, Davis answered. When Jones created pressure inside, San Diego State found another scorer. When the Rebels briefly took the lead late, the Aztecs had enough offensive options to immediately take it back.
UNLV led for just under 10 minutes and trailed for more than 23. The fact that the Rebels still had the ball with a chance to tie in the closing seconds reflected the resilience they have developed during the second half of the season.
It also showed why the same defensive concerns remain.
UNLV Still Needed One More Stop
Since Jan. 13, Pastner’s team is 10-6 with wins over Utah State, Boise State and UNR, a stretch that changed the direction of a season that once looked like it might never stabilize.
Friday showed both sides of that improvement.
UNLV is good enough offensively to go into Viejas Arena, shoot better than 48% from the field, make 10 3-pointers and push a desperate San Diego State team into the final possession. Gibbs-Lawhorn is playing like one of the best guards in the conference. Jones has become a legitimate second scoring option and defensive presence. The Rebels have enough offensive answers to survive stretches that would have buried them earlier in the season.
The other side is that San Diego State still scored 89.
The Rebels gave up 55% shooting, watched an opposing reserve score 30 points and allowed the Aztecs’ bench to produce 52. Every time UNLV reached the point where one additional stop could have changed the game, San Diego State found another basket.
That has been the unresolved part of the season. The offense has grown into something capable of beating almost anyone in the Mountain West. The defense has not always followed it.
Friday became another example.
The Mountain West Tournament Is Next
The regular season is over at 16-15 overall and 11-9 in conference play. UNLV will now wait for Saturday’s remaining results to determine its final Mountain West Tournament seed, with the Rebels expected to land either seventh or eighth.
The exact seed will change the opponent and the route through the bracket. It will not change what UNLV has to accomplish.
The Rebels have not advanced beyond the Mountain West Tournament quarterfinals since 2014.
This team will return to the Thomas & Mack Center next week believing it is playing better basketball than it did for most of the season. Gibbs-Lawhorn is producing at an elite level, Jones has made a significant late-season jump, Fleming has stabilized the offense and UNLV has shown it can beat some of the best teams in the league.
Friday provided another reason to believe a run is possible. It also showed what will end that run if the Rebels do not fix it.
UNLV scored 86 points on the road against San Diego State and still left without a win.
The offense gave the Rebels enough.
They needed one more stop.
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