The Rebels faced No. 2 seed San Diego State on March 6 in their regular-season finale, and they battled down to the wire. UNLV came up just short in an 89-86 loss, but the back-and-forth finish delivered a must-watch game.
UNLV wanted to close the regular season by showing the conference what it can do against a top seed. Even in the loss, the Rebels matched San Diego State punch for punch.
Statistically, the teams were nearly even. Both shot better than 45 percent from the field, topped 40 percent from 3-point range and cleared 65 percent at the free-throw line. The difference came down to turnovers. UNLV committed 12, which led to 14 Aztecs points. If the Rebels trim even a couple of those mistakes, the ending might have flipped.
UNLV star Dra Gibb-Lawhorn led the way again, turning in another 30-point night on strong efficiency. He finished with 32 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists, plus 3 steals, while shooting 50 percent from the field. Tyrin Jones played a key supporting role with 22 points, 6 rebounds and 1 assist, plus 3 blocks.
However, those performances were not enough to stop the Aztecs. BJ Davis scored 30 points, and Reese Dixon-Waters added 19 to lead San Diego State to the win.
Even in the loss, UNLV showed it can go toe-to-toe with anyone in the conference. The Rebels closed the regular season at 16-15, and fans in Las Vegas are ready to see what comes next.
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Jesse Vanderveer is a basketball reporter and writer for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X via @JesseVanderveer22
