FSM Essential Recap: UNLV vs New Mexico - Game 10

Photo Credit: UNLV Athletics

FSM Essential Recap: UNLV vs New Mexico – Game 10

UNLV (4-6) vs. New Mexico (4-8)

UNLV sweeps New Mexico in two game series.

The Runnin’ Rebels cruise to another victory over the New Mexico Lobos winning 53-46. UNLV has now won 3 straight improving their record to 4-6 and evening up their conference record at 2-2. New Mexico continues to struggle losing their 8^th straight Mountain West Conference game. They are now 4-8 overall, 0-8 in the conference.

UNLV uses a strong defensive performance to defeat the Lobos 53-46.

The Runnin’ Rebels produced a season-high 20 turnovers in the win on Monday night. They held New Mexico to a season-low 46 points. It was the best defensive performance they have had all season. Before this game, the defense for UNLV had been a real problem and a big reason for their losses. New Mexico did not shoot the ball well in the first game between these two teams and it was the same in this second game. The Lobos shot 34 % from the field. Their leading scorer was Saquon Singleton who had 11 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists. Makuach Maluach was held to 3-12 shooting limiting him to only 9 points.

For the Runnin’ Rebels, their offense did not have a great night either. They only shot 36 % from the field as a team as many players had cold shooting nights. Bryce Hamilton, as usual, was their leading scorer with 14 points. Only one other player was in double-digit scoring for UNLV and that was Niquel Blake for the second straight game. Niquel Blake and Moses Wood have provided a huge spark off the bench for UNLV during this current 3 game win streak. Those two provided 18 points combined off the bench in the win Monday night.

The game started out slow for UNLV as they fell behind 13-3 early on. They only had 8 points within the first 12 minutes of the game and trailed most of the first half. With minutes remaining in the opening half, UNLV eventually took a narrow lead before Emmanuel Kuac hit a three-pointer for the Lobos with a second to go to give New Mexico the one-point lead going into the break 28-27.

As the second half began, UNLV still struggled shooting the basketball and could not regain the lead. The Lobos led by 5, 39-34, halfway through the second half. From then on, it was all Runnin’ Rebels. UNLV dominated the rest of the game finishing it with a 19-7 run. During that run, Bryce Hamilton took over. It was not his best game, however, he scored 8 of his 14 points in the final 5 minutes propelling the Runnin’ Rebels to the victory.

UNLV will look to continue win streak when they host the Benedict Ravens.

Another midseason scheduled contest is what is up next for UNLV as they host the Benedict Ravens. This will be a game where the Runnin’ Rebels are heavy favorites once again and a chance for them to keep building momentum and confidence. UNLV is currently 3-0 on the homestand with 3 more games to go. After the matchup with Benedict on Thursday, they host two games with conference opponents Utah State who currently have a record of 11-3 and are undefeated on conference games. The Runnin’ Rebels are starting to find their game and their identity as they continue to find ways to win. They have another home battle against the Benedict Ravens on Thursday.