For the fourth time this season, the UNLV men’s basketball team had an opportunity to put a quality victory on its resume.
Once again, the Rebels fell short of a signature win.
UNLV was unable to keep pace with hot-shooting Creighton on Saturday and lost 83-65 at CHI Health Center in Omaha, Nebraska.
“Everyone’s confidence is just a little rattled right now,” Rebels coach Kevin Kruger said in his postgame interview with Learfield Sports. “It’s something in the second half, you could sense it.”
Jailen Bedford had 17 of his 20 points in the second half to lead UNLV (4-4), which lost its third straight. Dedan Thomas Jr. finished with 18 points, and Julian Rishwain added 10 points.
The Rebels were looking to bounce back from losses to Mississippi State and Northwestern at the Arizona Tip-Off tournament but struggled to find a rhythm offensively and couldn’t slow Creighton (7-3).
The Rebels led 22-21 with 7:46 remaining in the first half but missed 17 of their next 19 shots. By the time UNLV forward Jacob Bannarbie scored on a dunk with 16:41 left, Creighton had a commanding 49-29 advantage.
UNLV finished with seven assists on 27 field goals and shot 42.2 percent from the floor overall.
Bedford, who came off the bench for the second straight game, was one of the lone bright spots offensively for the Rebels, going 7-for-10 from the field after halftime.
Jeremiah “Bear” Cherry got into early foul trouble and finished with four points in 16 minutes, while Jalen Hill was held scoreless on 0-for-8 shooting. UNLV played without Rob Whaley Jr., Jaden Henley and Jace Whiting.
“They’re competing, they’re battling,” Kruger said. “They’re trying to figure it out. … Hopefully our team can turn the corner with our confidence.”
Creighton’s Jamiya Neal just missed a triple-double with 19 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. Steven Ashworth added 17 points and seven assists, and Isaac Traudt came off the bench for the Bluejays to score 15 on five 3-pointers.
The Bluejays made 10 of 20 from 3-point range and shot 63.3 percent from the floor overall.
Creighton closed the first half on an 18-5 run to lead 39-27 at the break and scored the first 10 points of the second half. The Bluejays missed their first two shots after halftime then made 10 straight field goals to go up 62-41.
The Bluejays led by as many as 23 points and were 19-for-26 (73.1 percent) from the floor in the second half to pull away.
“They’re bummed. They’re down,” Kruger said of his team. “But we have to remind them we lost to four teams that are going to play in the (NCAA) Tournament.”
Cherry sparked UNLV early with a follow-up dunk, and Thomas scored seven of UNLV’s first 11 points as the Rebels started quickly.
Thomas finished the first half with 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting, but didn’t get much help from his supporting cast. The Rebels were held without an assist on 11 made first-half baskets.
Creighton’s balance, which was the difference in Wednesday’s win over No. 1 Kansas, proved to be too much for the short-handed Rebels. Traudt drained three of his five 3-pointers before Neal threw down a transition dunk as part of a 9-0 spurt that put the Bluejays on top 30-22.
Ryan Kalkbrenner finished with 12 points and six rebounds despite being double-teamed inside by UNLV, and Jasen Green had 12 points off the bench for Creighton.
The Bluejays were without Pop Isaacs of Coronado High, who will undergo hip surgery and miss the remainder of the season.
Contact David Schoen at [email protected] or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on X.
