UNLV Rebels guard Jackie Johnson III (24) takes the ball past Boston College Eagles forward Elijah Strong (31) after making a steal during the first half of an NCAA basketball game in the second round of the NIT tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center Sunday, March 24, 2024.
Published Sunday, March 24, 2024 | 4:30 p.m.
Updated 50 minutes ago
- What:
NIT second round - Who:
UNLV vs. Boston College - When:
Sunday, 6:30 p.m. - Where:
Thomas and Mack Center - TV:
ESPNU - Radio:
1100AM, 100.9FM
UNLV’s season is still alive.
The Scarlet and Gray used a second-half surge to knock off Boston College, 79-70, in the second round of the NIT. Kevin Kruger’s squad will now advance to the quarterfinals, where they will face Seton Hall.
D.J. Thomas sparkled in the second half and finished with 17 points, five assists and four rebounds. Kalib Boone boosted UNLV in his return from injury, going for 16 points and six rebounds in 23 minutes off the bench. Keylan Boone led UNLV with 19 points.
Boston College was led by Quentin Post’s 22 points and nine rebounds, but once the Eagles’ 3-point shooting cooled off in the second half, Thomas and UNLV were able to pull away. The Scarlet and Gray shot 49.2% for the game and 51.7% after halftime.
UNLV will face Seton Hall on Wednesday in New Jersey. The winner of that contest will move on to the NIT Final Four in Indianapolis.
UNLV surges to 63-54 lead over Boston College
The Mack is on its feet, as UNLV just went on an 11-0 run to take a 63-54 lead over Boston College with 7:51 remaining.
Jackie Johnson got it started by driving for layups on consecutive possessions. Rob Whaley then got a steal at the top of the key and dribble in for a breakaway layup. After a stop, UNLV had a baseline inbound play with five seconds on the shot clock; after some struggle finding an open man, Keylan Boone ended up with the ball, and he banked in a long 3 as the buzzer sounded.
Boston College missed on its next trip, and D.J. Thomas immediately drove, drew a help defender, and dished to Kalib Boone for a loud dunk. That forced Boston College to call timeout as the home crowd erupted.
A nine-point lead with eight minutes to play is not insurmountable, but UNLV has to like its position right now.
UNLV trails Boston College in NIT, 49-48
Back and forth we go, as UNLV fights to keep its season alive. With 13:04 remaining, Boston College has a 49-48 lead.
Neither team has been able to stretch a lead very far since the opening minutes. Freshman guard D.J. Thomas is doing his to assert his influence for UNLV, notching two sweet buckets in the second half to give him a team-high 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting.
Boston College is starting to give UNLV a hard time on the glass, building a 27-19 rebounding advantage. Kalib Boone’s injury is clearly hindering him, as he’s got one rebound in 15 minutes.
UNLV, Boston College tied at half
UNLV led by as many as eight points in the early going, but some hot shooting by Boston College has this one tied at the half, 37-37.
The Eagles are 7-of-16 from long distance and four different players have made at least one 3. Boston College’s 7-foot center, Quentin Post, has proved difficult to handle, as he’s got nine points, five rebounds, three assists and two blocks.
Keylan Boone leads UNLV with 11 points and five rebounds. Twin brother Kalib Boone is playing and has looked okay on offense, chipping in seven points off the bench, but he has yet to grab a rebound in 11 minutes as he battles an ankle injury.
Much like the UNLV women’s game on Saturday, this one might come down to whether the opponent stays hot. The Scarlet and Gray would probably be best served by playing tight defense and not allowing Boston College to make another seven 3-pointers in the second half.
UNLV takes early lead over Boston College in NIT
Midway through the first half, UNLV is playing like it wants the season to continue, jumping out to a 19-16 lead over Boston College with 10:25 left in the first half.
The good news for the Scarlet and Gray is that Keylan Boone remains red hot. The senior wing made his first 3-point attempt, then came down and swished a very difficult turnaround mid-range shot. He added another 3-pointer with 12 minutes left to give him a team-best eight points. D.J. Thomas has also made a couple of tough floaters to go along with a pair of assists.
Kalib Boone did not start, but checked into the game as UNLV’s first sub with 17:46 left in the half and has made an impact. UNLV immediately went to him in the post on the next possession, and Boone drew a foul on a jump hook; he made 1-of-2 from the line to put UNLV ahead, 8-5. Two trips later, he posted up again and maneuvered his way into an open hook shot, which he dropped in to make it a 12-5 game. He then made a longer hook from the baseline to give him six points in seven minutes of action.
Boston College center Quentin Post has six points to lead the Eagles, including a pair of second-chance baskets. It remains to be seen if UNLV has the size to keep Post from tilting the game, but so far he has made his presence felt.
UNLV hosts Boston College in NIT second round
UNLV picked up its first postseason win in more than a decade on Wednesday, and now the Scarlet and Gray are looking to extend their NIT run against Boston College (6:30 p.m., ESPNU).
It’s a home game for UNLV, and a win would advance Kevin Kruger’s squad to the round of eight against the NIT’s top overall seed, Seton Hall.
Can they pull it off? Three keys to watch:
Major Key
One reason UNLV was so tough to beat down the stretch was the play of Keylan Boone, and he only appears to be getting hotter as the postseason run continues.
In his last four games, the senior wing has put up 18.8 points and 8.5 rebounds while making 15 3-pointers. Boone is now UNLV’s season leader in 3-pointers per game and rebounds per game. Against Princeton, he had 18 points and 11 rebounds while shooting 8-of-13 from the field and 6-of-8 from 3-point range.
If the Scarlet and Gray get another performance like that from Boone on Sunday, there’s a very good chance they’ll keep playing.
Kalib Boone
The biggest question leading up to tipoff will be the status of center Kalib Boone. He tried to play through an ankle injury in the Mountain West tournament game against San Diego State but could only manage one minute; he missed the Princeton game entirely.
But Boone attended practice on Friday and had shed the ankle brace he had been sporting for the past week, a sign that he could be trending toward suiting up.
Kevin Kruger said it’s going to be a game-time decision, and that it won’t be Boone making the decision.
“At the end of the day, it’s going to be my call,” Kruger said. “I want to give him a chance for success. I want him to do well and have fun doing it. I don’t want him running around out there in pain.”
If Boone is able to go, UNLV would benefit from the extra size. He started 25 of 32 games this season and posted 11.1 points and 5.2 rebounds.
Defending the Post
Another reason Kalib Boone’s status is so pivotal is, well, the matchup in the pivot. Boston College is led by one of the few true centers in the country, 7-foot senior Quinten Post.
The aptly named Post averages 16.9 points, 9.1 rebounds and 1.7 bocks per game. He shoots 53.9% from 2-point range and 43.6% from beyond the arc. In short, he’s a tough assignment for anyone, but he might pose particular problems for UNLV.
Against Princeton, the Scarlet and Gray went with 6-foot-7 Rob Whaley at center, and he was able to use his physicality to log an outstanding game (21 points, eight rebounds, 8-of-8 FGs). But if he’s giving up five inches to a real center, that might change the equation.
Who: UNLV (20-12, 12-6 MWC) vs. Boston College (20-15, 8-12 ACC)
When: Sunday, 6:30 p.m.
Where: Thomas & Mack Center
TV: ESPNU
Radio: 1100 AM, 100.9 FM
UNLV leaders
Scoring
D.J. Thomas: 13.8 points
Rebounds
Keylan Boone: 6.8 rebounds
Assists
D.J. Thomas: 5.2 assists
Boston College leaders
Scoring
Quinten Post: 16.9 points
Rebounds
Quinten Post: 9.1 rebounds
Assists
Jaeden Zackery: 4.3 assists
Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.
