UNLV hosts Bethesda University before Mountain West opener

By Alex Wright Las Vegas Review-Journal

12 months ago

UNLV Rebels forward Rob Whaley Jr. (5) shoots a layup around Carroll College Fighting Saints ce ... — UNLV Rebels forward Rob Whaley Jr. (5) shoots a layup around Carroll College Fighting Saints center Zane Foster (0) during a college basketball game at Thomas and Mack Center on Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Daniel Pearson/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

UNLV Rebels forward Rob Whaley Jr. (5) goes in for a layup around Carroll College Fighting Saints center Zane Foster (0) during a college basketball game at Thomas and Mack Center on Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Daniel Pearson/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Just a few weeks ago, UNLV didn’t have a basketball game scheduled for Jan. 2.

But after the Rebels’ Dec. 6 game at Dayton was canceled because of a shooting on UNLV’s campus that killed three professors, a 12th nonconference game was added during what would have been a five-day break before their Mountain West opener against San Diego State on Saturday.

“A little bit of a different situation because of the added game and the way it, unfortunately, became an option, but we’ll go out — and it’s for the reps and for the guys as a group to play together and prepare together,” UNLV coach Kevin Kruger said Sunday after the Rebels’ 87-51 win over Carroll College.

UNLV (6-5) hosts Bethesda University, a private school in Anaheim, California, that’s a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association, at 1 p.m. Tuesday at Cox Pavilion. “Disney on Ice” is performing at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Against Carroll, all 12 Rebels who played scored, led by 16 points from Justin Webster. He was one of five players who scored in double figures. Among notable reserves who saw significant minutes were freshman Rob Whaley Jr., who scored 11 points, junior Shane Nowell and freshman Brooklyn Hicks.

Nowell scored five points in 17 minutes, his first points of the season after missing the first eight games with an ankle injury. Kruger said there’s a lot of value to getting his role players minutes, and forward Kalib Boone agreed.

“Conference play is a long, difficult, draining part of the season, and it’s not always going to be the same five guys finishing a game or having the most minutes,” Boone said. “We need Rob (Whaley) and Shane (Nowell) and all those guys to have that confidence.”

Kruger said he thinks the Rebels have improved in establishing their defensive identity and being more consistent on defense.

“We’ve been understanding that a lot of good things happen, not just only on the defensive end but on the offensive end when we do a good job on defense,” Kruger said.

Bethesda (0-15) has been outscored by an average of 50.4 points in its seven games against NCAA Division I opponents while allowing 100 points or more six times.

Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.