RUNNIN’ REBELS TRAVEL TO FRESNO FOR SATURDAY AFTERNOON GAME
3 p.m. game against the Bulldogs will be televised nationally on CBS Sports Network
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The UNLV men’s basketball team (12-6 overall, 1-5 Mountain West) will play its second straight game on the road on Saturday, Jan. 21 at Fresno State (6-11, 2-4). The contest against the Bulldogs will be played at the Save Mart Center and is scheduled for a 3 p.m. start.
LAST TIME OUT: In its last outing, UNLV’s comeback bid fell short in a 75-71 loss at Utah State. The Runnin’ Rebels came back from nine down at the half and took a one-point lead with 2:30 left in the game. Freshman Keyshawn Hall played in the first Mountain West game of his career and led the team with a career-high 19 points on 6 of 11 shooting from the field and 6 of 6 from the free throw line. Jordan McCabe added a season-high 17 points on 6 of 10 shooting, including 5 of 7 on 3-pointers, and Keshon Gilbert contributed 14 points on 6 of 12 from the field. It was UNLV’s third straight loss.
ABOUT THE ROSTER: This season’s UNLV squad features six returners, nine newcomers, including six transfers from the Division I level, and a total of 10 upperclassmen. The lone returning starter is 6-foot guard Jordan McCabe, who was a senior last season and returns for his fifth year for 2022-23. Other returners include 6-3 senior guard Justin Webster, 6-10 senior center David Muoka, 6-4 sophomore guard Keshon Gilbert, 6-7 senior forward Victor Iwuakor and 6-3 senior guard Cameron Burist.
The newcomers include 6-10 redshirt sophomore forward Isaiah Cottrell, who is originally from Las Vegas and transferred to UNLV from West Virginia, 6-7 freshman guard Keyshawn Hall from Cleveland, Ohio, 6-3 fifth-year guard EJ Harkless, who transferred from Oklahoma, 5-11 sophomore guard Jackie Johnson III, who transferred from Duquesne, 6-10 junior forward Karl Jones, who transferred from LA Southwest College, 6-6 sophomore guard Shane Nowell, who transferred from Arizona, 6-4 fifth-year guard Elijah Parquet, who transferred from Colorado, 6-6 senior guard Luis Rodriguez, who transferred from Ole Miss and 6-1 junior guard Nick Walters, who transferred from the College of Southern Nevada.
After 18 contests, Harkless leads the team in scoring with 16.4 ppg (4th in MW) and is contributing 4.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game (8th in MW). Rodriguez is tied for second on the team in scoring with 12.4 ppg, while leading the team in both rebounding (5.9 rpg, 10th in MW) and steals (2.3 spg, 2nd in MW, 21st in the country). Gilbert is also tied for second in scoring at 12.4 ppg with a team-leading 3.9 apg (7th in MW) and 2.2 spg (3rd in MW, 34th in the country). David Muoka is second on the team in rebounding (5.3 rpg) and leads the squad in blocks with 1.5 bpg (4th in MW).
ABOUT THE OPPONENT: Fresno State has also lost three games in a row after beating then-No. 21 New Mexico. The Bulldogs lost at Colorado State (79-57) on Jan. 7, at San Jose State (74-64) on Jan. 10 and at home to Air Force (51-48) last Saturday. Fresno State is 4-3 at home this season. The Bulldogs are led in scoring by Isaih Moore (12.1 ppg) and Jemari Baker Jr. (11.9 ppg). Moore is the team’s rebound leader (7.9 rpg, 2nd in MW), while Isaiah Hill leads in assists (3.2 apg). Fresno State is No. 2 in the MW in scoring defense, limiting its opponents to just 62.9 ppg (33rd in the nation). Last season, the Bulldogs were 23-13 overall and finished sixth in the MW with an 8-9 league mark. Fresno State won The Basketball Classic postseason event in April, defeating Coastal Carolina in the championship game. This season’s team was picked to finish seventh out of 11 in the MW’s preseason poll with Joseph Hunter being selected as the league’s Preseason Freshman of the Year. Fresno State’s 15-man roster includes 11 upperclassmen. The Bulldogs are coached by former UNLV assistant Justin Hutson. He is in his fifth year at the school with a career record of 75-64 (.540).
BROADCAST INFO: Saturday’s game will be televised on CBS Sports Network with Chick Hernandez and Steve Wolf calling the action. Jon Sandler, former Runnin’ Rebel Curtis Terry and Steve Cofield (sidelines) will handle the UNLV radio call, which may be heard live on ESPN Radio 1100 in Las Vegas. All streaming links and live stats will be available at UNLVRebels.com and through the UNLV Rebels App.