UNLV held on to beat Fresno State 52-51 on Saturday at Save Mart Center in Fresno, California.

It was the lowest-scoring outing for the Rebels this season. They shot 34 percent (22 of 65), but defense secured their third straight win.

Coach Kevin Kruger dismissed some of the uglier aspects of the effort.

“We’ll take a win every single way, any way we can get it,” he said. “We’re going to have an extremely fun rest of our time here in Fresno, and it’s going to be happy and it’s going to be enjoyed by the guys.”

The victory came down to the wire after the Rebels (14-12, 8-7 Mountain West) led 26-18 at halftime. The Bulldogs (5-21, 1-14) never led, but went on a 10-0 run to come within one point with a minute left.

Point guard Dedan Thomas Jr. missed the front end of a one-and-one in the final eight seconds. Jalen Weaver had a chance to make a game-winning 3-pointer for Fresno State but missed at the buzzer.

Thomas finished with 7 points and seven rebounds. Jaden Henley and Jailen Bedford led the team in scoring with 13 points each.

Elijah Price had a game-high 15 points for the Bulldogs.

N’Diaye’s block saves game

In the final moments of the game, the three keys to success that Kruger listed after UNLV’s practice Friday were placed on center stage.

“The first is gonna be toughness,” he said. “They’ve got a lot of guys that can get downhill. They’ve got a lot of guys that are great with the ball in their hands and getting to the rim. So we’ve got to be tough. We’ve got to play defense without fouling, because they do an unbelievable job of getting to the free-throw line. And then lastly, we’ve got to rebound it. When we rebound, we win.”

7-foot freshman Pape N’Diaye abided by each of those keys to save the game for the Rebels.

UNLV scored only two points in the final eight minutes and desperately needed a defensive stop amid the Bulldogs’ offensive burst.

N’Diaye provided that as former Bishop Gorman High star point guard Zaon Collins drove into the paint for a layup with 13 seconds left, only to be stopped by an emphatic block. The Ivory Coast native followed up by snagging a defensive rebound.

N’Diaye said the defensive effort resulted in the best block of his career.

“I was like, ‘Nah, we have to win that game, no matter what’s gonna happen,’” N’Diaye said. “So I just chased the block. And I’m like, ‘Oh, I got that one,’ and I just go and block it. I just want to win.”

The Rebels committed five turnovers in the final eight minutes as the Bulldogs closed on a 12-2 run.

“It’s tough, because when you go back and watch it on film, you’re going to feel like, ‘This is an opportunity. This is your chance,’” Kruger said. “But as the flow and the momentum of games goes, it’s not always that simple … (It was) clearly one of our better 40-minute defensive games.”

UNLV gets a week off before returning to action Feb. 22 against Colorado State at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Contact Callie Fin at [email protected]. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.