The UNLV Runnin’ Rebels came out strong against the Pacific Tigers, earning a 72-65 win in Henderson. This was the fourth game ever at Lee’s Family Forum for the Runnin’ Rebels.
Back on Track
Julian Rishwain and Dedan Thomas, Jr. came up big for the Runnin’ Rebels, with Rishwain scoring 21 points and tying a career-high five three-points, while Thomas, Jr. had 16 points and five assists in the win. Jaden Henley scored 11 points and Pape N’Diaye added a career-high 10 rebounds. This was the first game back for Jaden Henley since the November 14th game against Omaha. He has been out with a foot injury.
Big Bench Play
The Runnin’ Rebels bench players stepped up big. The bench led in scoring 26-3. They also capitalized on points off of turnovers, 18-9.
Smothering Defense
The Runnin’ Rebels held the Tigers to just a minimal 39.7% from the floor and 19.0% from the three-point line. The Runnin’ Rebels defense kept Tigers leading scorer, Elias Ralph to 6-17 from the field.
What’s Next for the Runnin’ Rebels?
In the post-game press conference, coach Kevin Kruger said, “I’m really proud of the guys. I thought we did a lot of things that we wanted to do from the scouting report and our approach. They [Pacific] made some really tough shots. We guarded them the way we wanted to and put them into the spots that we wanted to. Our guys didn’t let them affect them too much. When they took the lead, DJ changed gears and ended up being the difference. He made some big-time shots and big-time plays. We came up with some stops to get the lead back, and of course, Julian extended it with back-to-back threes.”
The Runnin’ Rebels will travel next to Ohio to take on the Dayton Flyers on Tuesday, December 14th at 4 p.m. PST. The game will be available for viewing on Peacock.
