‘Back on track’: Rebels upset No. 22 Utah State in thriller — PHOTOS

Utah State entered the contest undefeated in the Mountain West and ranked No. 22 in the nation. Somehow, none of that mattered for the Rebels, who previously looked overmatched in back-to-back road losses to Boise State and Colorado State.

Wednesday’s 65-62 victory marked the first time the Rebels and Kevin Kruger could revel in a postgame celebration worth sharing on social media this season. The fourth-year coach started with a slow clap as he entered the locker room, but he was interrupted by excited shoving and slapping from his players that lasted until they responded with applause of their own.

“I mean, it’s fun,” Jalen Hill said of the festivities. “But that’s what we’ve got to expect night in and (out). We’ve just got to keep playing just like that.”

The upset victory came down to the final minute after point guard Dedan Thomas Jr. put the Rebels ahead 63-62 with a layup off a Julian Rishwain steal.

The Rebels held Utah State to two empty possessions, then Thomas hit a clutch jumper with 15.4 seconds to play to extend the lead to three. The Aggies missed a 3 to tie it in the final seconds.

Thomas finished with eight points after his late heroics, while Hill led UNLV (10-7, 4-2) with 15 points and eight rebounds. Rishwain added 13 points.

Tucker Anderson had a game-high 19 points for Utah State (16-2, 6-1), and Ian Martinez contributed 15.

Fighting for the win

UNLV entered halftime with a 32-30 lead despite shooting 37 percent from the field (11-for-30) and making only 2 of 16 3-point attempts.

Getting there required the “consistent fight” Kruger previously said his team was lacking. The shift was apparent to Thomas as well.

“Last week on our road trip, we didn’t show how resilient we were when we got down big early,” Thomas said. “Now that we’ve gotten back on track, I feel like we’re in a good space.”

Utah State was already off to a 7-0 run by the first media timeout. But the Rebels responded, something they didn’t show the ability to do in their past two outings.

By the 11:31 mark, the Rebels powered to a 7-0 run of their own and snatched back the advantage for the first time since Jaden Henley opened the scoring by making two free throws in the first two minutes.

The explosive run was powered by Jailen Bedford and Brooklyn Hicks, accounting for all seven points, while Jeremiah “Bear” Cherry helped by rebounding on both ends of the court and notching a highlight-reel blocked shot.

A Bedford steal turned into an emphatic fast-break dunk for Hicks that electrified the crowd and forced Utah State coach Jerrod Calhoun to call a timeout down 13-12.

The Aggies scored immediately out of the huddle, and Thomas evened the score again at 15-15 with a strong move to the basket. Still, Utah State gained the lead again with a 3-pointer from Martinez.

There was a span of two minutes, 30 seconds, that saw the Aggies go without a field goal, and UNLV took advantage of it.

The Rebels took the lead again at 27-25 after Henley made a move in the paint. Rishwain made a 3-pointer on the next possession to increase the advantage to 30-25, then Thomas drew an offensive foul to force a Utah State turnover.

Over the final 2:15 of the first half, the Rebels scored just two more points but still held onto the lead, benefiting from some missed free throws that brought the Aggies’ total from the line to 5-for-10.

Down to the wire

Midway through the second half, the Rebels were still on top at 47-42. But Utah State went on a 6-0 run to inch ahead to a 51-50 lead with 7:26 remaining. It was the Aggies’ first advantage of the period.

Martinez made two free throws, and Drake Allen followed with a 3-pointer to increase the Aggies’ lead to 56-51.

Kruger called a timeout to cool the growing momentum, as his team had gone without a field goal for nearly four minutes. The Rebels regrouped and pulled out the victory.

With the thrilling win under its belt, UNLV will next travel to face San Diego State at 5 p.m. Saturday.

Hill was quick to point out that the next opponent is a rival.

Kruger didn’t take long to mention the next task, either.

“We’re gonna enjoy this win a lot,” he said. “And then when we wake up tomorrow, or even when we finish with the film tonight, we’ll move on to the next one. … This conference is a tough one. It doesn’t matter who or when you play next. It’s always a challenge, especially at this point in the season.”

Contact Callie Fin at cfin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.