Elijah Harkless was staring down an expiring shot clock.

With eight minutes remaining and a tie game against No. 21 Dayton, Harkless got the ball at the top of the key with less than 10 seconds on the shot clock. The UNLV guard drove left, ran into a wall of Flyers’ defenders, and retreated.

Then, he spotted sophomore Keshon Gilbert open in the right corner. Harkless whipped a skip pass into Gilbert’s awaiting hands and the sophomore launched a 3-point attempt.He nailed it, and the Thomas & Mack Center crowd erupted.

Gilbert’s shot put the Rebels ahead, and UNLV never gave the lead back, beating No. 21 Dayton 60-52 Tuesday night. It’s the Rebels first win against a ranked non-conference opponent in Las Vegas since December 2014, when UNLV defeated No. 3 Arizona 71-67.

UNLV’s defense impacted Dayton throughout the first few minutes, mainly forcing the Flyers into travels and also drawing two quick charges. The Rebels (3-0) forced four turnovers in the first three minutes, and Dayton had 12 turnovers by halftime.

The Rebels’ own carelessness with the ball prevented them from creating a significant buffer. UNLV gave the ball away 10 times in the first 20 minutes, which Dayton turned into six fastbreak points. The Flyers (2-1) also stopped the Rebels from getting out in transition, which has been a key part of UNLV’s offense this season.

The Flyers found some success against the Rebels’ smaller second unit. With UNLV trotting out a three-guard lineup featuring Justin Webster, Jordan McCabe and Jackie Johnson III — all listed at 6-foot-3-inches or smaller — the Dayton offense feasted off second-chance opportunities.

The Rebels had their chances, though. Five quick points from Harkless helped UNLV cut the deficit to three points, but the Rebels hit a massive scoring drought before halftime.

Again running out its three-guard lineup, UNLV went the final 5:27 without a single make from the field. Two free throws from Webster with two seconds remaining were the Rebels only points during that span. UNLV trailed 32-22 at halftime. Coach Kevin Kruger’s team shot 29.2 percent from the field during the first half and 18.2 percent on 3-pointers. The Rebels struggled against the Dayton zone defense, in particular.

The UNLV starters finally found some rhythm out of halftime, and Kruger shortened his rotation to his starters plus Webster and senior forward Victor Iwuakor. Luis Rodriguez hit the first 3-pointer of his UNLV career, before Webster added another one to cut the lead to three points with less than 15 minutes remaining. Gilbert’s free throws and a Harkless layup tied the game at 38 with 13 minutes remaining.

Gilbert’s return from foul trouble spurred the Rebels’ comeback. The sophomore guard, who set career-highs in scoring during both of the Rebels first two games, had 16 points, three assists and three steals in limited action Tuesday. Harkless added 24 points. UNLV also got some big offensive rebounds and steals from senior David Muoka down the stretch.

The Rebels’ defense forced 24 turnovers Tuesday. During its first two games, UNLV combined to create 53 giveaways against Southern and Incarnate Word. Dayton went the final 6:46 without making a field goal.

Contact reporter Andy Yamashita at ayamashita@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ANYamashita on Twitter.