It took longer than UNLV’s basketball team would have preferred, but the Rebels finally pulled away.

Yes, from Omaha.

The Rebels beat the Mavericks 80-69 at Thomas & Mack Center on Thursday behind 17 points each from Jalen Hill and Jeremiah “Bear” Cherry.

UNLV was as opportunistic as you could be, scoring 30 points off 19 Omaha turnovers.

Hill scored six straight points when the game was tied at 63, pushing the Rebels’ lead to 69-63. The team never trailed again.

UNLV didn’t get off to the best start. It trailed 9-2, 15-7 and 20-13 before rallying. Its defense helped it erase those deficit. Omaha had 12 turnovers in the first half, many forced by the Rebels’ active hands. UNLV scored 18 points off turnovers before the break.

On offense, it was the Cherry show for the Rebels. He scored 11 first-half points while shooting 5-for-6 from the floor. Hill added seven points before the intermission, the final two coming on a basket at the halftime buzzer.

UNLV led 35-29 at the break.

Rebels senior forward Rob Whaley (back) and backup junior point guard Jace Whiting (foot) didn’t play.

Rebels ink two

UNLV received signed commitments from local products Mason Abittan and Tyrin Jones to join the program for the 2025-26 season.

Abittan is a 6-foot-6, 185-pound guard from Coronado. He chose UNLV over Colorado State and UNR.

Jones is a 6-foot-9, 190-pound forward that grew up in Las Vegas. He attends Layton Christian Academy in Layton, Utah. He also considered New Mexico, Santa Clara and UC Santa Barbara.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Contact Ed Graney at [email protected]. Follow @edgraney on X.