UNLV forward Rob Whaley Jr. (5) celebrates after a basket during the second half of an NCAA basketball game against UNR at the Thomas & Mack Center Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024.
Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024 | 10:46 p.m.
Colorado Springs, Colo. —
Following Saturday’s 69-66 loss to UNR, most people focused on the way UNLV played in the final few minutes. Not Rob Whaley — he had a big problem with the way the team played for all 40 minutes.
Whaley, UNLV’s most physical player, didn’t like the way UNR crushed the Scarlet and Gray on the glass, out-rebounding them 41-20 on their home floor. So Whaley and his frontcourt partners decided to do something about it.
According to Whaley, he and starting forwards Keylan and Kalib Boone held an informal meeting ahead of Wednesday’s game at Air Force, and there was only one item on the agenda.
“Me, K.B., Key, we got together, and we were like, ‘We need to be physical,’” Whaley said. “‘We need to get on the glass more and get more rebounds, because we can’t be out-rebounded by 20 like we were last game.’”
Problem solved.
The trio of Whaley and the Boones combined to out-rebound Air Force all by themselves as UNLV pummeled the Falcons on the scoreboard, 72-43.
Whaley’s assessment of UNLV’s physicality?
“It was a lot better,” he said.
Whaley was the driving force from the opening tip. The 6-foot-7, 260-pound bruiser wasted no time bullying his way into the paint and pushing around Air Force’s undersized front line. He posted a team-high 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting (all in the restricted area) while pulling down seven rebounds.
As a team, the Scarlet and Gray out-rebounded their hosts, 44-19. Keylan Boone led all players with eight boards, while Kalib Boone pulled down five.
UNLV built a 10-point lead midway through the first half. When Air Force cut it to four, the Scarlet and Gray responded by closing the half on an 8-2 run to get it back to double digits.
Whaley put it away in the opening minutes of the second half. He posted up and converted a layup on the first possession, found Kalib Boone under the rim for a dunk on the second possession, then finished through contact for a 3-point play to make it a 17-point margin. UNLV pushed the lead as high as 30 points in the second half, largely thanks to a 40-22 advantage in points in the paint.
Last-place Air Force stunned UNLV at the Thomas & Mack Center back on Jan. 23, jumping out to an early lead and pulling away for a 90-58 win — still the Falcons’ only Mountain West victory of the season. There was no chance for a repeat of that on Wednesday, as UNLV held AFA to 34.6% shooting, including a woeful 5-of-28 showing from 3-point range.
Air Force forward Rytis Petraitis recorded a triple-double in the first meeting, but was only able to manage six points on 3-of-11 shooting this time around.
Whaley said UNLV was better prepared to defend Air Force’s exacting offensive system in the return game.
“We were active,” Whaley said. “We came together as a team defensively. We were way better compared to the first time we played them. We were more in sync. We played together.”
While the win won’t erase either January’s loss to Air Force or Saturday’s loss to UNR, it does help UNLV get back on track. The team improved its overall record to 15-10 and its conference mark to 8-5, moving them ahead of Colorado State (8-6) for sixth place in the Mountain West standings.
Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.
