The UNLV Runnin' Rebels won their first game in the Mountain West Tournament against the Air Force Falcons with a score of 80-52. The Rebels started off slow committing early turnovers and having a sloppy offense. But their heavy pressure defense kept the Falcons out of the paint for the majority of the game especially during the second half. "Many of the things you need to do to guard the three point line effectively we were able to implement and do today," said Runnin' Rebels head coach T.J Otzelberger after the game. "It's things that we work on all the time. And, as a coach, the things you practice on a daily basis come to fruition during the game you're pleased as a coach."
The Rebels went on a 21-6 run that gave them a 31-16 mostly in part to their defense and constant motion offense despite having broken plays on some possessions. Runnin' Rebels guard Bryce Hamilton scored 14 points at the end of the first half as he was able to get inside the paint and shoot effectively from the outside.
The second half wasn't any difference than the first except the early foul trouble and early turnovers UNLV found themselves in. With those two factors, Air Force seemed like they were going to be able to get back into this game. There was a point in time where the Rebels hadn't scored for 2:55 after guard Moses Wood's layup at 14:17 in the second half.
Otzelberger was forced to call a timeout and since that point the Rebels started to find their game once again. Consistent play on both ends of the floor kept the Rebels' lead with guard David Jenkins Jr. leading the way with 21 total points in the game. Hamilton followed behind with 18 points for the game.
According to the Mountain West, UNLV's 28 point victory made history twice in this tournament. The first is that this was the largest victory for the Runnin' Rebels against a conference opponent since Jan. 19, 2019. They defeated San Jose State with a score of 94-56. Secondly, this victory is the fourth largest victory margin in Mountain West tournament history. The Wyoming Cowboys had a 31 point victory earlier this day making that the second largest victory margins in tournament history.
The Runnin' Rebels move on to the quarterfinals match against the number two team in the tournament, the Aggies of Utah State. UNLV will face off against Utah State tomorrow night at 6 pm at the Thomas & Mack Center. Fans are still not permitted inside the arena due to COVID-19.
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