LAS VEGAS — UNLV took complete control early and never let it slip, cruising to an 80-59 win over Pepperdine on Wednesday night at the Thomas and Mack Center.
The Rebels’ offense was clicking throughout, shooting 12-of-24 from beyond the arc and capitalizing on the Waves’ mistakes, converting 16 turnovers into 24 points.
Entering the game, UNLV was down three players, as Rob Whaley (back), Jace Whiting (foot) and Jaden Henley (foot) all sat out due to injury.
In their absence, sophomore Brooklyn Hicks stepped up, scoring a team-high 16 points on 7-for-11 from the field and 2-of-5 from deep. He did his usual work slashing and finishing at the rim, but has also taken a step in the shooting department and credits his work in the offseason.
“I’ve always had the athleticism, so I knew that the jump shot would have to come eventually to play at this level,” said Hicks. “Day in, day out, I’ve put in that work and it’s starting to show off.
“This year we have a new team, coach has a little more confidence in me, teammates like playing with me. So those shots are starting to come, just trying to figure out where I can take them.”
Julian Rishwain, making his first start of the season, added 12 points and shot 2-of-5 from three.
“I’m happy I’m here and found a staff that really embraces my game,” said Rishwain. “And that showed tonight, you saw what our team can do with five guys in double digits.”
Dedan Thomas Jr. added an efficient 13 points and six assists, shooting a near-perfect 3-of-3 from deep, 4-of-4 from the free-throw line and 3-of-5 from the field. Center Jeremiah Cherry scored 14 and grabbed five rebounds, while Jailen Bedford rounded out the fifth Rebel in double figures as he posted 11.
Jalen Hill finished with zero points but four assists as he dictated the offense when Thomas was on the bench. He also continued his on-ball defensive showcase and finished with five steals for the second game in a row.
As a team, the Rebels came away with 14 steals.
“Defense turns to offense,” Hicks said. “So we always try to focus on creating quick turnovers or getting deflections that lead to the other end.”
Causing havoc, getting deflections and creating turnovers has become a key part of coach Kevin Kruger’s defensive scheme and in turn, his offensive scheme.
“We got to create some easy looks and free points,” Kruger said. “I thought we did a really good job of converting those turnovers into points.
“Brooklyn had a couple, DJ created some advantages. So if we get deflections and get some live-ball turnovers we can turn them into good looks.”
UNLV’s defensive scheme helped stifle one of the nation’s top scorers, Stefan Todorovic. Entering the game ranked seventh nationally at 25 points per game, Todorovic was held to 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting, including just 1-of-7 from three. The Rebels’ pressure forced him into difficult looks all night.
With key contributors missing for the next several weeks, Kruger will have to lean on this scheme and continue to apply stressful levels of on-ball pressure to create number advantages and fast breaks.
“That’s something we’re going to need to do here, especially over the next handful of weeks,” Kruger said. “We’re going to have to figure some things out here, it’s almost like game one again for us tonight until everyone comes back.”
With the growing list of injuries, 18-year-old freshmen bigs, Jacob Bannarbie and Pape N’Diaye will continue to see increased run and have heightened opportunities to grow and showcase their ability.
“Those are two guys that, I think, as the more reps they get, they’re just going to get better and better,” Kruger said. “At the same time, we’ve got to lean on the older guys a little bit to make sure we’re communicating.”