LAS VEGAS – Sophomore Dedan Thomas Jr. delivered a standout performance, tallying 22 points, five rebounds and four assists to propel UNLV (4-1) to a gritty 72-65 victory over New Mexico State (3-2) on Saturday night.
Thomas set a career high in the free-throw column, making 13-of-19 in a game that was plagued with fouls. The Runnin’ Rebels converted 30 of their 42 attempts from the charity stripe, while the Aggies managed just 17-of-27.
New Mexico State’s physical defense tested Thomas, who leveraged their lack of discipline by attacking the rim and making his mark at line.
“They were a very physical team, so I just used their aggression against them,” Thomas said. “Just drawing fouls and trying to get to the line as much as possible.”
Jalen Hill also shined, bouncing back from a scoreless outing in his previous game to record 16 points, nine rebounds and three assists while going 8-for-10 from the stripe.
Julian Rishwain continued to capitalize on the increased opportunity as he stayed in the starting lineup with Rob Whaley, Jace Whiting and Jaden Henley still injured. Rishwain shot 50% from deep on his way to 12 points and all three of his makes from deep came at key second-half moments to maintain the Rebels’ lead.
Jeremiah Cherry was the fourth Rebel in double figures, scoring 10 points, grabbing eight rebounds and continuing to solidify himself as the defensive anchor. He blocked five shots and the Rebels’ kept their opponents to just 8-of-22 on layups.
New Mexico State shot 31% from the field, but stayed competitive the whole game due to gritty defense and a scoring outburst from their bench unit. Their reserves combined for 39 points, including 28 of their 34 in the first half.
Gabe Pickens and Peter Filipovity led the Aggies’ bench, combining for 24 points in their 18 minutes on the floor. Christian Cook and Robert Carpenter each had 10 as the only starters to notch double figures.
Despite both teams’ shooting struggles, UNLV failed to pull away as all 10 of Cook’s points came on second-half runs to cut into the deficit, including a deep three to tie the game at 62. On the next trip, Pickens made a free throw for New Mexico’s first lead of the second half with 4:06 to play. However, they could only muster one more field goal as UNLV mounted a 10-2 run to close them out.
The Runnin’ Rebels will now enjoy a much-needed four-day break before heading to Tempe for the Arizona Tip-Off. They’ll face Mississippi State on Thanksgiving Day, and either Butler or Northwestern on Friday.
With three consecutive wins, the Rebels are building momentum, though they may still be without three key contributors for next week’s tournament.
“Two very big-time games that we’re going to be playing in [next weekend],” Thomas said. “Of course, our roster is a little short, so guys just have got to step up and be ready to play.”