UNLV suffered another significant injury setback and struggled to overcome turnovers in an 81-67 loss to Mountain West champion New Mexico on Friday night at The Pit.
Sixth-year senior Julian Rishwain exited early with a knee injury, adding to the Rebels’ growing list of absences. Rishwain went down on a non-contact play with 13:38 left in the first half and remained on the bench for the remainder of the game, later seen exiting on crutches.
The Florida transfer had emerged as UNLV’s premier perimeter threat, starting 27 of 30 games and averaging 9.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.1 assists this season. With leading scorer Dedan Thomas Jr. already sidelined, Rishwain had stepped up as a key playmaker, including a career-high 26-point performance in Tuesday’s win over San Diego State. Before his injury, he recorded eight points, two rebounds, an assist, and went 2-for-2 from beyond the arc in just six minutes.
Without Thomas and Rishwain, UNLV struggled offensively, committing 16 turnovers and managing just nine assists on 25 made field goals. The Lobos capitalized, scoring 22 points off turnovers and pushing the pace in transition.
New Mexico’s Nelly Joseph dominated inside, notching a 26-point, 16-rebound double-double with three blocks. Mountain West leading scorer Donovan Dent added 20 points and six assists, continuing his strong season as one of the nation’s top playmakers.
Despite missing key contributors Rob Whaley Jr. and Jace Whiting for the season and now potentially Rishwain and Thomas, the Rebels saw key performances from Jalen Hill (16 points, four rebounds, two assists) and Jaden Henley (14 points, four rebounds, two assists). Jeremiah “Bear” Cherry added 14 points and five boards, while Jailen Bedford chipped in 10 points and a team-high seven rebounds off the bench.
Both teams had already secured their Mountain West tournament seeds—New Mexico as the No. 1 seed and UNLV at No. 6—but the Lobos clinched the regular-season title with the victory. They held a slim lead for most of the first half, taking a 40-38 advantage into the break.
UNLV hung tough in the second half, cutting the deficit to 65-64 with 6:28 remaining. However, the Rebels went scoreless for nearly six minutes, committing five turnovers and getting outscored 12-0 during that stretch, allowing New Mexico to pull away.
With the loss, UNLV finishes the regular season at 17-14 overall and 11-9 in Mountain West play. The Rebels now turn their focus to the conference tournament, where they will face last-place Air Force in the opening round Wednesday at 4 p.m. at the Thomas & Mack Center.