UNLV Rebels guard Jackie Johnson III (24) and forward Keylan Boone (20) celebrate after a 74-56 win over the Hofstra Pride in an NCAA basketball game at the Thomas & Mack Center Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023.
Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024 | 8:59 p.m.
SAN JOSE, Calif. —
The UNLV basketball team came into Saturday’s game at San Jose State ready to ignite, but first they had to wait their turn.
After getting drilled by Air Force on Tuesday, 90-58, the Scarlet and Gray had three days off, frothing at the mouth, before their date at SJSU. And when the action finally tipped off, it was San Jose State that made 10 of its first 11 shots to run out to a double-digit lead.
In this case, instant gratification was overrated.
When the explosion came, it was worth the wait, as UNLV used a red-hot second half to blow past San Jose State, 77-65.
UNLV shot a ridiculous 80.0% from the field in the second half, connecting on 16-of-20 from the field and 11-of-12 from inside the arc.
It was a cathartic win for Kevin Kruger’s squad, which is still stinging from the letdown loss to Air Force.
“We’ve been sitting on this for three days,” Kruger said, “knowing that nobody thought we were going to come in here and play well. We didn’t hide from it.”
Thanks to the scorching shooting performance, UNLV is now 10-9 on the season and 3-4 in Mountain West play. The team can even its conference record on Tuesday when Fresno State visits the Thomas & Mack Center.
With San Jose State opening the game on fire, UNLV did what it could to hang around. An 8-0 run late in the first half helped the visitors stay within 39-32 at the break, and after going scoreless over the first four minutes of the second half, UNLV finally got to take out its frustration on the court.
Keylan Boone and Brooklyn Hicks made consecutive 3-pointers to pull UNLV within 47-46 midway through the half, and Jackie Johnson put them ahead with a driving layup in traffic. The teams traded baskets, then UNLV ripped off a quick 6-0 run in the span of 1:22 to stretch its lead to 60-53.
Johnson made a pair of 3’s around the five-minute mark to push UNLV’s advantage to double digits, and San Jose State was finished.
How hot was UNLV in the second half? Kruger’s crew made their final 14 shots, giving the Spartans no opportunity to even think about mounting a comeback.
Boone led UNLV with 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Johnson scored 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting in 15 minutes off the bench.
UNLV was without starting shooting guard Justin Webster, who suffered an ankle injury late in the Air Force loss. Junior forward Rob Whaley started in his place, but it was Johnson and Hicks, a true freshman, who filled in the backcourt minutes.
Hicks played 18 minutes and finished with seven points, setting new career highs in both categories against a Division-I opponent.
Kruger credited his reserves for stepping into heightened roles and doing what it took to come away with the win.
“We had to try some things early tonight, and they responded,” Kruger said. “You talk about Brooklyn and Jackie and how they came in and made a huge difference, huge impact. It was really great to see.”
With Webster set to be out for “a little while,” according to Kruger, UNLV will continue to call on Hicks.
“There are a few of us that knew we were going to pick up on his minutes, and we were going to run with it,” Hicks said.
While it’s not realistic to expect UNLV to shoot 68.2% from the field again this season, Boone believes the attitude they displayed against San Jose State will help the Scarlet and Gray get back on track.
“We’re in the middle of the season, and there are a lot of highs and lows,” Boone said. “You don’t want anything — high or low — to deter you. Stay resilient. Stay cruising, and we’ll figure it out as a team. And that’s exactly what we did.”
Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.
