UNLV’s men’s basketball team blasted upbeat songs in the locker room before its matchup with Air Force at Thomas & Mack Center on Tuesday.
The normal pregame ritual worked especially well for the Rebels this time, as they burst out the tunnel and rolled to a 77-52 win.
It was UNLV’s most dominant victory of the season, surpassing an 80-59 blowout of Pepperdine on Nov. 20.
Jeremiah “Bear” Cherry led the Rebels (13-12, 7-7 Mountain West) with 15 points while shooting 6-for-6 from the field.
“We were just playing music and trying to get our intensity up before we ran out,” Cherry said. “It showed (in) how we played.”
Luke Kearney had 17 points for the Falcons (3-22, 0-14), who remain winless in conference play.
Defense fuels hot start
UNLV easily beat the Falcons 77-58 their first meeting Dec. 31 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Still, the Rebels were down 8-2 in that game before finding their footing.
This time around, UNLV grabbed a 5-0 lead behind four points from guard Jalen Henley and a free throw from Cherry. Air Force responded to tie the game 7-7, but the Rebels went on an 8-0 run powered by guard Julian Rishwain.
UNLV ultimately held Air Force to eight field goals in the first half and entered the break with a 44-22 lead.
Cherry said the Rebels’ defensive effort led to their offensive success. Coach Kevin Kruger agreed, saying the Falcons’ hot start their previous meeting led to his team being focused.
“There’s a level of respect for Air Force and how hard they cut, how hard they play,” Kruger said. “(We) knew that getting off to a good start and setting a tone on that end of the floor was a big key for us.”
Balanced effort
UNLV had no problem spreading the ball around thanks to its early success. The Rebels got a balanced scoring effort in the win, with five players scoring more than 10 points.
Rishwain had 13 for UNLV, while Henley, guard Brooklyn Hicks and guard Jailen Bedford added 11. Point guard Dedan Thomas Jr. scored seven points, failing to reach double figures for just the third time this season. But the Rebels have won all three of those games.
“(We were) just all sharing the rock and just letting coach Kruger just draw plays, and just letting us all kind of play freely, really,” Cherry said. “Because we got up early, and he kind of just let us play how we wanted.”
Kruger didn’t just like the early lead.
“A lot of guys made plays, made shots, created for each other,” he said. “But at the same time, guys were driving with the intention of finishing and being aggressive. And if they were stopped, they kicked it out, and the next teammate made a play.”
Kruger believes UNLV’s performance will provide the team with some positive momentum heading into its road game against Fresno State on Saturday.
“We were able to get Air Force into some close outs and (were) able to attack and make plays from there,” he said. “I think when we go back and watch the film, we’re gonna be really proud of our spacing and how it got better as the game went on.”
Contact Callie Fin at [email protected]. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.
