SAN DIEGO -- UNLV weathered a strong second-half surge by San Diego State to claim a hard-fought 76-68 victory Saturday night at Viejas Arena, securing just their second win at the venue since 2014.
Dedan Thomas Jr. led the Rebels with 19 points and five assists, going a perfect 10-for-10 from the free-throw line. His clutch performance down the stretch helped UNLV (11-7, 5-2) maintain their lead as SDSU (11-5, 4-3) threatened late.
Brooklyn Hicks added 13 points off the bench, while Jaden Henley contributed 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Henley also matched Thomas’ free-throw perfection, going 6-for-6 as the Rebels shot 22-for-27 overall at the line.
UNLV’s physicality and defensive tenacity dictated the pace early, holding SDSU to just 23 first-half points on a dismal 7-for-26 shooting. The Rebels forced seven turnovers and limited the Aztecs to 3-for-16 from beyond the arc in the opening period.
After a back-and-forth start with seven lead changes, UNLV seized control midway through the first half and took a 31-23 lead into the break.
Hicks and Jailen Bedford combined for 16 first-half points as the Rebels’ bench provided a spark and outscored the starting unit, which shot 4-for-11 and struggled to find rhythm.
UNLV’s lead swelled to 13 early in the second half, but the Aztecs responded with a 10-0 run fueled by Miles Byrd and Nick Boyd. Byrd, who was scoreless in the first half, erupted for 21 points after the break, including 4-of-8 shooting from deep. Boyd added 14 of his 16 points in the second half, and the duo combined for 35 of SDSU’s 45 points in the period.
Despite the Aztecs cutting the deficit to four in the final minute, Thomas delivered the dagger—a high-arcing turnaround jumper over Byrd, one of the Mountain West’s elite defenders, to effectively shut the door on any hope of a comeback. It was nearly identical to Thomas’ game-winner over Utah State on Thursday.
Thomas scored or facilitated 10 of UNLV’s final 11 points as he continues to find comfort operating at the behest of the offense in clutch time.
UNLV shot 16-of-19 from the free-throw line in the second half to fend off the SDSU’s rally and improve their conference standing.
With two wins in a row over Mountain West contenders, the Rebels climb up to fourth in the standings and the Aztecs slip down to sixth.
Next up, UNLV will look to extend their winning streak Tuesday night as they host Wyoming at the Thomas & Mack Center, with tip-off set for 8 p.m.