UNLV Rebels guard Bryce Hamilton (13) grabs a loose ball during the second half of a game against the Michigan Wolverines in the Roman Main Event tournament at T-Mobile Arena Friday, Nov. 19, 2021.
Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021 | 1 a.m.
Bryce Hamilton came out of the locker room red hot to start the second half of UNLV’s showdown with No. 4 Michigan on Friday. After scoring seven of UNLV’s final nine points of the first half, the senior guard knocked down a pair of 3-pointers, then canned a silky fadeaway mid-range jumper to tie the score at 40.
Unfortunately for UNLV there were still 17 minutes left at that point, and despite Hamilton’s “in the zone” moment, Michigan used its superior size, talent and experience to methodically pull away for a 74-61 win at T-Mobile Arena.
In UNLV’s first three games—all wins—the scarlet and gray were able to pair 40 minutes of tough defense with a hot Hamilton spurt to pull out close decisions. That formula just didn’t get it done against a team of Michigan’s caliber, despite UNLV executing that gameplan better than it has all season.
After being dealt his first career loss, head coach Kevin Kruger avoided the “moral victory” label, though he was obviously proud of his team for the way they competed against a legitimate national title contender.
“This is the fourth game in a row that we’ve gotten better offensively,” Kruger said. “If there is a silver lining to it, it’s that we’re getting better offensively. And defensively we competed like crazy, we just couldn’t get those stops when we needed.”
Indeed, Michigan proved exceedingly difficult to stop, especially for a UNLV team that is undersized in the frontcourt. The Wolverines shot 9-of-15 around the rim, scored 30 points in the paint and pounded their way to a 21-4 advantage in free-throw attempts (a disparity that Kruger admitted was probably on the level).
Michigan center Hunter Dickinson and power forward Moussa Diabate worked the lane relentlessly and combined to score 27 points on 12-of-16 shooting.
Shortly after Hamilton’s jumper tied the game early in the second half, Michigan embarked on a 13-2 run to regain control. Dickinson and Diabate each scored at the rim during that stretch, while guard Eli Brooks hit a 3-pointer and canned a pair of free throws to reestablish the lead.
UNLV never got closer than six points over the final 10 minutes, as Michigan responded to each run by executing and converting at the offensive end. For the game Michigan made 51.0% of its field goals, a season high for a UNLV opponent.
Kruger tipped his cap to the Wolverines for maintaining their composure in the face of UNLV’s defensive intensity.
“I thought the guys guarded,” Kruger said. “That’s a well-oiled machine, Michigan. They’re where we want to be. You can just see how in sync they are, how in tune with each other they are.”
While Michigan stayed the course and kept scoring at an efficient clip (1.21 points per possession), UNLV found it much tougher to put the ball in the basket. After catching fire in the middle of the game, Hamilton made just two of his final eight attempts and finished 8-of-22 from the field.
Hamilton finished with a team-high 21 points but gave props to Michigan’s team defense.
“It was tough,” Hamilton said. “They’re a good defensive team. They use their athleticism really well.”
Mike Nuga and Donovan Williams chipped in 12 points apiece but shot 5-of-14 and 5-of-12, respectively. UNLV connected on just 39.7% of its shots on the night.
That was good enough to keep UNLV close for a while, but Kruger doesn’t want his team to be content just to hang around against top competition.
“I would love to sit back and say we’re happy that we hung tough, but honestly that’s not the feeling right now,” Kruger said.
UNLV is now 3-1, with a consolation matchup against Wichita State set for Sunday at T-Mobile Arena.
Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.
