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Story by Alan Snel Photos by Hugh Byrne
LAS VEGAS, Nevada — Who knows what UNLV team Josh Pastner will be coaching today when the Runnin’ Rebels host the perennially competitive San Diego State Aztecs.
Will it be the team that stunned Utah State down the stretch to register a rare win in Logan, Utah or the team that got obliterated by Wyoming on the road in Laramie? UNLV’s roller-coaster season includes away wins against Stanford and Memphis and home losses to UT Martin and Montana.
Pastner, a passionate, demonstrative and expressive coach who covers a lot of ground roaming the sidelines and even the baseline, watched the Rebs go toe-to-toe with San Diego State in the first half. UNLV trailed, 39-34, after the first.
But the Aztecs methodically dismantled UNLV in the second half, extending a two-point lead to an 82-71 win. UNLV drops to 10-9 on the season and trails San Diego State, Utah State, New Mexico, Nevada and Grand Canyon in the league. San Diego State has a MWC best record of 8-1.
It wass UNLV’s biggest Mountain West Conference game of the season so far.
With San Diego State, Utah State, Fresno State, Boise State and Colorado State all leaving the Mountain West for the newly-rekindled Pac-12, this will the last regular season game in the Mountain West between UNLV and San Diego State in Las Vegas. The Rebs and Aztecs play again in San Diego March 6 in the final regular season game
UNLV’s Dra Gibbs-Lahorn was the Runnin’ Rebels’ best player today, scoring 27 points. Kimani Hamilton added 12, while Tyrin Jones chipped in with ten. UNLV made only 12 of 22 free throws, with Jones only two of ten from the FT line.
“You can’t have that many empty possessions,” Pastner lamented at his postgame presser.
San Diego State’s smooth lefthanded-shooting guard Miles Byrd (seven for eight from the field) led the Aztecs with 23, while Reese Dixon-Waters and Taj DeGourville each added 13.
“Byrd was a stud today,” Pastner said. “He looked like a pro today. Byrd was a high-level dude today.”
UNLV reported attendance at 7,217, though the actual number of people in the arena looked like about 5,000.
UNLV hosts New Mexico Tuesday at 8 PM.
PSA
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