LAS VEGAS — UNLV’s furious comeback attempt in the final seconds came up just short Tuesday night as the Rebels fell 63-61 to Wyoming at the Thomas & Mack Center. Dedan Thomas Jr. had a chance to send the game to overtime, but his turnaround fadeaway clanked wide right as time expired.
“We wanted to go put pressure on the rim,” coach Kevin Kruger said about the final play. “Being down two, we talked about the spacing we wanted getting downhill.”
It was almost déjà vu, as Thomas’ miss came from the same spot and move of his previous two game winners.
The Rebels (11-8, 5-3) trailed by as many as 11 with under three minutes to play before storming back in the closing minute. Jaden Henley’s layup brought the score within six, and after a quick steal, he threw down a thunderous dunk to cut it to four. Following a missed Wyoming free throw, Thomas grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back to make it 63-61 with just seconds remaining.
Wyoming (10-9, 3-5) was led by star guard Obi Agbim, who scored 19 points, including 14 in a scorching second half where the Cowboys shot 9-of-14 from three-point range. Jordan Nesbitt added 13 points and 12 rebounds, hitting key shots to keep the Rebels at bay until the final moments.
UNLV’s offensive struggles were evident throughout the game. Despite winning the turnover battle 16-5 and dominating points in the paint (34-14) and second-chance points (14-7), the Rebels shot just 26% from deep and 40% overall. They also missed seven free throws, finishing 10-of-17 from the stripe.
“We weren’t competing for our type of shots,” Henley said. “I think we got selfish, fell into their game plan, and these are the results.”
Thomas led four Rebels in double figures with 17 points and four assists. Henley added 15, while Jeremiah “Bear” Cherry and Jalen Hill chipped in 10 apiece. Cherry, coming off the bench for the first time this season, grabbed a team-high nine rebounds.
“Honestly, I try not to let [coming off the bench] affect me,” Cherry said. “I just had some miscommunications with Coach Kruger, but I’ll be back in the starting lineup Saturday. I told Pape [N’diaye] he’s got to bring energy, and I’ll do the same.”
N’diaye made his first career start at center but did not start the second half. Cherry saw extended minutes and was featured in the closing lineup as the Rebels attempted their late rally.
The Rebels opened the second half on an 8-3 run to take a 32-28 lead, capped by a Henley three-pointer. But the momentum was short-lived as Wyoming responded with a barrage of threes. Agbim’s back-to-back treys midway through the half pushed the Cowboys ahead, 52-43, and the Rebels went cold, making just one of their next 10 shots.
Kruger praised his team’s defensive effort, despite some lapses.
“Defensively, it wasn’t a terrible game,” Kruger said. “A few plays stick out, especially giving up multiple offensive rebounds that led to threes. But offensively, we were stagnant and on our heels. Wyoming came out and punched us in the mouth early.”
UNLV now enters the toughest stretch of its conference schedule, facing the Mountain West’s top two teams. First, the Rebels host first-place New Mexico on Saturday at noon, followed by a trip to Logan, Utah, on Jan. 29 to face the Aggies.