In a dominating win, the Runnin’ Rebels cruised to 3-1 in an 80-59 win over Pepperdine (1-3).
Getting The Team Involved
A major key to the Runnin’ Rebels win was getting the team involved. Five different Rebels scored in the double digits in the win. Brooklyn Hicks stepped up and led the team with a career-high and team-high 16 points. He shot 7 for 11 from the field while coming off the bench. Jeremiah Cherry also contributed 14 points, Dedan Thomas, Jr. added 13 points, and guard Julian Rishwain had 12 points, his start as a Runnin’ Rebel. Jailen Bedford also chipped in with 11 points.
No Letting Up
The Runnin’ Rebels started putting the pressure on Pepperdine early in the first quarter. They went on a 9-0 run to take a 15-5 lead within the first 9 minutes of the game. By halftime, they were up 46-17. Their largest lead of the game was 38. The Runnin’ Rebels forced 16 turnovers and managed to collect 24 points off of the turnovers.
Connecting the Dots
The Runnin’ Rebels also shot a 64% from the floor in just the first half. As far as three pointers, they shot 54.5% from the field in the first half. Overall, they went 26-of–53 from the field and 12-of -24 from three-point land.
Coach Kevin Kruger said, “Really happy and proud of the guys for a very good first half. We knew we could see some lineups that hadn’t played together in games, and it was great to see them play that way, figure things out, be very talkative and try to problem solve.”
This was the 24th meeting all-time between Pepperdine and UNLV. The Runnin’ Rebels lead the series all-time 18-6.
Up Next: The Runnin’ Rebels will close out their five game homestand at the Thomas & Mack Center against New Mexico State at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 23rd.
