Courtesy of UNLV Athletics
LAS VEGAS - The UNLV men's basketball team improved to 3-0 for the first time since the 2022-23 season with a 76-68 victory over previously undefeated Stanford Friday night at the Thomas & Mack Center.
The Runnin' Rebels (3-0), under second-year head coach
Josh Pastner, used a 13-0 first-half run to build an 18-point lead and held the Cardinal (3-1) to just 14.3% shooting from 3-point range (3 of 21) to complete a perfect three-game season-opening homestand.
Three UNLV players scored in double figures, led by sophomore guard
Cam Miles' 17 points, including four 3-pointers for the second consecutive game. Sophomore forward
Tyrin Jones added 16 points and six rebounds, while senior guard
Sebastian Mack contributed 15 points, five rebounds and a game-high five assists.
Freshman forward
Jackson Kiss added eight points and a career-high four blocked shots, while sophomore guard
Issac Williamson contributed seven points, five rebounds and three assists off the bench. Williamson also finished with a team-best plus-11 rating.
Stanford was led by Austin Maurer's game-high 20 points on 10-of-11 shooting from the field, along with nine rebounds. Julius Price added 16 points, while Nick Townsend scored 11.
FIRST-HALF RUN: With the score tied at 14 and 11:43 remaining in the first half, UNLV went on a 13-0 run to take a 27-14 lead with 7:56 to play. The Runnin' Rebels held Stanford scoreless for 4:19 during the stretch. UNLV continued to build its advantage, eventually taking its largest lead of the game at 36-18 on a Miles 3-pointer with 3:48 remaining. However, Stanford closed the half on a 15-3 run to cut UNLV's lead to 39-33 at the break.
SECOND-HALF BATTLE: Stanford continued its momentum after halftime, eventually pulling within one point at 45-44 with 14:20 remaining. UNLV responded and pushed its advantage back to nine points at 60-51 on a Miles 3-pointer with 9:08 to play. The Cardinal battled back again, cutting the deficit to three points at 69-66 with 2:12 remaining, but Williamson answered with a 3-pointer at the 1:55 mark to extend the lead to six. The Runnin' Rebels held Stanford scoreless from the field the rest of the way to secure the victory.
DEFENSIVE PRESSURE: UNLV's full-court pressure once again played a significant role in the victory, disrupting Stanford's offense and helping hold the Cardinal to just 40.0% shooting from the field (24 of 60). Stanford missed all nine of its 3-point attempts in the first half and finished just 3 of 21 from beyond the arc. UNLV also recorded six blocked shots, including four by Kiss, and forced 11 turnovers.
STATS OF THE GAME: UNLV shot a season-high 57.8% from the field (26 of 45), including 58.3% from 3-point range (7 of 12). The Runnin' Rebels shot 60.0% from the field in the second half (12 of 20) and recorded 15 assists on their 26 made field goals. UNLV finished with a slight 30-29 rebounding advantage and outscored Stanford 20-15 in fast-break points.
QUOTABLE: "I thought our press did a great job again today in being able to play within the style that we wanted. It allowed us to keep them off rhythm. We did a good job taking the three out, as they were 3 for 21. I love the press. It's our identity. It's who we are. It's what we're about. It's what we're doing. I'm committed to it." – UNLV head coach
Josh Pastner
OTHER NOTES:
- UNLV improved to 3-0 for the first time since the 2022-23 season, when the Runnin' Rebels opened with 10 consecutive victories.
- Miles and Mack have each scored at least 15 points in all three games this season. Mack leads UNLV in scoring at 21.0 points per game, while Miles is averaging 17.3.
- Miles has made 10 3-pointers through the first three games, including four in each of the last two contests.
- Jones has scored in double figures in all three games and now has 81 career blocked shots.
- UNLV has recorded 18 blocked shots through three games, an average of 6.0 per contest.
- The Runnin' Rebels have outrebounded all three opponents this season, holding a combined 105-83 advantage (+7.3 per game).
- UNLV has held consecutive opponents to 25.0% shooting or worse from 3-point range, limiting Samford to 25.0% and Stanford to 14.3%.
- The Runnin' Rebels extended their streak of consecutive games with at least one made 3-pointer to 1,298, the second-longest active streak in NCAA Division I men's basketball.
- UNLV has won its last two meetings against Stanford, evening the all-time series at 3-3. The Runnin' Rebels defeated the Cardinal on the road last season 75-74 (Dec. 7).
NEXT FOR THE RUNNIN' REBELS: UNLV will open play at the Players Era 8 against No. 15/14 Kansas on Tuesday, Nov. 17, at 6:30 p.m. at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas. The Runnin' Rebels will then face either West Virginia or Auburn on Wednesday, Nov. 18, before concluding the three-day event Thursday, Nov. 19.