LAS VEGAS — Dedan Thomas Jr. delivered in the clutch, lifting UNLV to a 65-62 upset over No. 22 Utah State at the Thomas & Mack Center on Thursday night, snapping the Rebels’ two-game losing streak and securing their first quality win of the season.
Thomas, who struggled offensively for much of the night, took over in the final minutes. Down by one with less than two minutes remaining, the sophomore guard drove the lane and converted a tough layup through contact to give UNLV the lead. On the final possession, with the play initially drawn up for Jalen Hill, Thomas ad-libbed, hitting a turnaround jumper from the elbow to secure the victory.
“I just improvised and hit a big shot,” Thomas said. “The play was actually for Jalen, but he was getting denied and set me a screen.”
The Rebels (10-7, 4-2) held Utah State (16-2, 6-1) to a contested 30-footer on the final possession, sealing the upset with smothering defense. Hill, who finished with a team-high 15 points and eight rebounds, was instrumental, denying the ball from Ian Martinez, Utah State’s late-game hero against Boise State just days earlier.
“I knew it was going to come back for [Martinez],” Hill said. “I just top-blocked it, and he didn’t get the shot off.”
UNLV’s defensive effort was the difference in a game where both teams struggled offensively. The Rebels shot just 41% from the field, 24% from beyond the arc, and 65% from the free-throw line but forced Utah State into 12 turnovers and held them to 1-of-10 shooting in the final five minutes.
“That was the aggression that we’ve been missing a bit,” coach Kevin Kruger said. “We've had games where we’ve had really good levels of aggression there, but we need to foul more…and be much more physical. And tonight we did.”
The Rebels controlled the paint, outscoring the Aggies 36-20 and winning the second-chance points battle 11-5. Julian Rishwain fueled a second-half surge, scoring nine of his 13 points after halftime on 3-of-4 from deep.
Brooklyn Hicks added nine points and seven rebounds off the bench, posting a team-high +14 in 24 minutes. UNLV also got contributions from senior guard Jailen Bedford, who chipped in 10 points and two triples as the two continued their instant impact with the second unit.
Tucker Anderson led Utah State with 19 points, hitting 4-of-8 from deep. Martinez added 15 points but was stifled in the final seconds by Hill’s tenacious defense.
“If Martinez had a clean catch, it was going in,” Kruger said. “For [Hill] to have that awareness and recognition to take that clean catch-and-shoot away I think was, without a doubt, the play of the game.”
UNLV closed the game on a 12-2 run, holding Utah State to just one made field goal in the final five minutes.
The victory marked UNLV’s most significant win of the season and a potential turning point. After back-to-back road losses, the Rebels are determined to maintain their momentum heading into their trip to San Diego.
“It’s fun, but this is what we have to expect every night,” Hill said of the postgame locker room. “We’ve got a big game Saturday against our rivals, and we’ve got to go in there and do the exact same thing.”
UNLV will look to build on this victory Saturday in a showdown against San Diego State. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m. at Viejas Arena.
“Honestly, we didn’t have the fight in us on the road and we want to change that narrative,” Thomas said. “I feel like we have so much more juice, our mentality has changed completely, and we’re going to do that for our road game”