LAS VEGAS — UNLV’s 18-point lead was down to three with just over two minutes to play when Issac Williamson got his chance from beyond the arc. The sophomore guard hit a 3-pointer with 1:55 remaining, and the Runnin’ Rebels held Stanford without a field goal the rest of the way to win 76-68 Friday night at the Thomas & Mack Center.
Cam Miles led UNLV with 17 points and made four 3-pointers for the second consecutive game. Tyrin Jones added 16 points and six rebounds, while Sebastian Mack finished with 15 points, five rebounds and five assists. The Runnin’ Rebels swept their three-game opening homestand and improved to 3-0 for the first time since the 2022-23 season, when they won their first 10 games.
UNLV took control midway through the first half with a 13-0 run that broke a 14-all tie. The Rebels held Stanford scoreless for more than four minutes and went up 27-14 with just under eight minutes left in the half. Miles later hit a 3-pointer to make it 36-18, UNLV’s largest lead of the night. Stanford closed the half on a 15-3 run to cut the deficit to 39-33 despite missing all nine of its first-half attempts from beyond the arc.
The Cardinal (3-1) got within one with a little more than 14 minutes remaining. UNLV rebuilt its lead, going up 60-51 on Miles’ fourth 3-pointer with 9:08 to play, but Stanford closed to 69-66 with 2:12 remaining. Williamson answered 17 seconds later to make it 72-66. He finished with seven points, five rebounds and three assists off the bench, and UNLV outscored Stanford by 11 points with him on the floor.
The Runnin’ Rebels used their full-court press to disrupt Stanford’s offense, forcing 11 turnovers and holding the Cardinal to 40% shooting. Stanford finished 3 of 21 from 3-point range, and freshman forward Jackson Kiss blocked a career-high four shots to go with eight points. UNLV had six blocks, matching its average through three games.
“I thought our press did a great job again today in being able to play within the style that we wanted,” UNLV coach Josh Pastner said. “It allowed us to keep them off rhythm.”
Austin Maurer kept Stanford in the game, scoring a game-high 20 points on 10-of-11 shooting and grabbing nine rebounds. Julius Price added 16 points and Nick Townsend scored 11. The Cardinal got up 15 more shots than UNLV, but the Rebels made two more baskets, shooting a season-high 57.8% from the field and going 7 of 12 from 3-point range. UNLV shot 60% in the second half and had 15 assists on 26 made field goals overall.
Miles and Mack have each scored at least 15 points in all three games. Mack leads the Rebels at 21 points per game, and Miles is averaging 17.3 with 10 made 3-pointers. UNLV has also outrebounded each of its first three opponents and has won its last two meetings with Stanford, including a 75-74 road victory last December.
The Rebels stay in Las Vegas to face No. 15 Kansas at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Michelob Ultra Arena in the Players Era 8. They will play either West Virginia or Auburn on Wednesday before closing the event Thursday.