RUNNIN’ REBELS PLAY IN HENDERSON SATURDAY
UNLV men’s basketball will face Loyola Marymount at Dollar Loan Center at 7 p.m.
- Game Notes vs. Loyola Marymount (PDF) | 2023-24 Schedule
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The UNLV men’s basketball team (3-3) will be back in action for the first time in 11 days and for just the second time in an 18-day span as it faces Loyola Marymount (5-4) at the Dollar Loan Center in Henderson, Nevada, on Saturday, Dec. 9 as part of the Jack Jones Classic. The Runnin’ Rebels’ game at Dayton, which was scheduled for Wednesday, was canceled after the tragedy on UNLV’s campus earlier that day.
ABOUT THE ROSTER: This season’s UNLV squad features seven returners from last year’s team along with seven newcomers. The newcomers are made up of three Division I transfers, a junior college transfer and three freshmen. UNLV has 10 upperclassmen, including five fifth-year seniors. A total of four players on the roster are playing in their hometown of Las Vegas. The Runnin’ Rebels return two starters in Luis Rodriguez and Justin Webster, who averaged 10.7 and 8.2 points per game last season, respectively. Rodriguez led last season’s team in rebounding (5.7 rpg).
EARLY SEASON RUNNIN’ REBEL LEADERS: After six games, four UNLV players are averaging double figures in scoring in Kalib Boone (13.8 ppg), Luis Rodriguez (12.2 ppg), Jalen Hill (11.5 ppg) and Dedan Thomas Jr. (10.8 ppg). Hill leads the team in rebounds (6.8 rpg), while Dedan Thomas Jr. is the assists leader (5.8 apg, 25th in nation). Boone also leads the team in field-goal percentage (69.6, sixth in nation) and blocks (2.0 bpg), while Rodriguez is the team’s steals leader (1.7 spg). Hill will miss time because of a recent wrist injury.
LAST TIME OUT: UNLV is coming off a 72-70 win in its last game, which was on Nov. 28 at home against Akron. Four Runnin’ Rebels scored in double figures as they snapped a two-game losing streak with the victory. UNLV led by as many as 18 points in the contest as Luis Rodriguez scored a team-high 13 with six rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots. Kalib Boone and Dedan Thomas Jr. each added 12 points, while Jackie Johnson III contributed 11. UNLV led 70-60 with just over two minutes to play, but Akron finished the game on a 10-2 run to cut it to 72-70 with 47 seconds left. The Zips had a chance at the end but Mikal Dawson missed a long 3-pointer with just a couple of seconds remaining.
ABOUT THE OPPONENT: Loyola Marymount has started the 2023-24 season with a 5-4 record. The Lions had their recent three-game win streak snapped in Saturday’s loss at UNR (73-59). The streak consisted of victories over Florida International (61-60), UTEP (67-47) and Central Arkansas (90-63). Four LMU players are averaging double figures in scoring: Dominick Harris (13.9 ppg), Justin Wright (11.2 ppg), Justice Hill (10.8 ppg) and Alex Merkviladze (10.2 ppg). Lars Thiemann leads in rebounding (5.3 rpg), while Hill is the team’s assist leader (3.8 apg), Thiemann leads in blocks (1.0 bpg) and Will Johnston in steals (1.0 spg). As a team, Loyola Marymount ranks 39th in the country in 3-pointers made per game (9.4). Dominick Harris is 15th in the country in 3-point percentage (47.3) and 43rd in 3-pointers made per game (2.9). LMU finished last season with an overall record of 19-12, placing fourth in the West Coast Conference with a 9-7 league mark. The Lions were picked to finish fourth in their league this season, while Keli Leaupepe was selected to the Preseason All-WCC Team. Led by head coach Stan Johnson, Loyola Marymount has 11 upperclassmen on its 14-man roster.
BROADCAST INFO: Saturday night’s game will be streamed on Baller TV with Tony Cordasco and Mark French calling the action. Jon Sandler, former Runnin’ Rebel Curtis Terry and Steve Cofield will handle the UNLV radio call, which may be heard live on ESPN Radio 1100 in Las Vegas. All streaming links and live stats are available at UNLVRebels.com and through the UNLV Rebels App.
LAST SEASON: The Runnin’ Rebels finished the 2022-23 season with 19 wins. UNLV won two games over ranked teams, which marked the first time the program had won multiple games against top 25 teams in the same season since 2015-16. UNLV raced out to a hot start, going 11-1 in non-conference play after winning its first 10 games. The non-conference record was its best in 32 years and the 10-0 start was its best in 34 seasons. When the team was 10-0 it was receiving votes in both top 25 polls. EJ Harkless was named Second Team All-Mountain West when conference play concluded.