LAS VEGAS — UNLV held off a resilient effort from Omaha to secure an 80-69 win Thursday night at the Thomas and Mack Center. Key performances from Jalen Hill and Jeremiah “Bear” Cherry down the stretch push the Rebels to 2-1 in non-conference play.
Hill was the MVP of the night, leading the Rebels’ offense with 17 points on 5-of-10 shooting. He got it done on defense as well, wreaking havoc on his way to a team highs in steals (5) and rebounds (8).
Cherry matched Hill’s 17 points on an uber-efficient 7-of-8 from the field. Through three games, he’s made 21 of his 23 shots and has trademarked the turnaround post-hook as frontcourts have struggled to keep him away from the rim. Despite fouling out in just 20 minutes, Cherry was an unstoppable force while he was on the floor and was a big part of the win on both ends, tying Julian Rishwain (6 points, 3 assists) for a team high in +/- (+20).
Sophomore point guard Dedan Thomas Jr. added 15 points on 4-of-9 shooting, four rebounds and two assists as he functioned at the helm of the offense. The Rebels shot 22.2% from deep but made up for it at the free throw line, going 24-of-25.
Omaha’s fight on offense was driven by Ja’Sean Glover, who posted 17 points and went 5-of-6 from beyond the arc. Marquel Sutton added 16 points and grabbed five rebounds, keeping Omaha within striking distance throughout.
UNLV took their first lead of the night with 6:57 left in the first half, and entered the break up six after a back-and-forth. After halftime, their lead swelled to 13 before Cherry picked up his fourth foul and coach Kevin Kruger subbed him out. Immediately after, Omaha went on a run, hitting four straight 3-pointers to make it a one-possession game.
The Mavericks knotted it up at 63 but never took the lead as the Rebels started to pull away. Hill got downhill into the lane on three consecutive possessions, and his six straight points provided ample cushion. UNLV went on a 17-to-6 run in the final four minutes to seal the victory.
“He’s the backbone,” Cherry said of Hill. “He’s everything we need, a leader, a vet.
“Whenever I mess up, or anybody messes up he’ll let us know. He’s a piece we definitely need.”
Hill was the engine for much of the second-half offense, as his ability to create space and attack the rim was pivotal on a night that UNLV didn’t shoot well.
“[My confidence] is very high,” Hill said. “My goal is to either draw a foul or go dunk it.
“For me it’s just making [the defender] play, and if it’s a two-on-one just making the right play.”
UNLV’s opening home stretch continues 7 p.m. Wednesday when they host Pepperdine at the Thomas and Mack Center.
Despite the relatively strong start in out-of-conference play, Kruger is locked in on areas of improvement as a team with big dreams of dancing in March.
“We’ve got to be more consistent,” Kruger said. “We’ve got to have longer stretches of more consistent play.”