UNLV rallies in second half to beat Air Force
UNLV was in a dire situation when leading scorer Bryce Hamilton went to the bench with his fourth foul and trailing by two with 13:25 to play Monday night.
David Jenkins made sure Hamilton’s absence wasn’t a problem.
Jenkins scored 20 of his game-high 26 points in the second half, and UNLV overcame a six-point halftime deficit to beat Air Force 69-64 and sweep the two-game Mountain West series at the Thomas & Mack Center.
“My coaches and teammates have the ultimate confidence in me, so I knew if (Hamilton) was going out, I’d probably have to pick up the offense for him,” Jenkins said. “Credit to my teammates for really looking for me and telling me to be aggressive.”
UNLV is 5-1 in conference home games and 0-4 on the road. The Rebels will visit third-place Boise State on Thursday and Saturday. Both games tip at 7 p.m.
Jenkins was 9-for-14 from the floor and 6-for-8 from 3-point range. He made two of his 3s during an 8-0 run soon after Hamilton went to the bench. UNLV shot 55.6 percent from the floor, including 60.9 percent in the second half. The Rebels were 9-for-16 from 3-point range.
Hamilton had 14 points and four assists, and the Rebels also received solid performances from Mbacke Diong with eight points and nine rebounds and Devin Tillis with six points, six rebounds and three assists.
A.J. Walker had 20 points to lead Air Force (4-14, 2-12), which lost its seventh straight game despite shooting 50 percent from the floor. Nikc Jackson had 18 points for the Falcons.
1. Jenkins takes over
Jenkins, a junior, was demoted from the starting lineup after coach T.J. Otzelberger wasn’t pleased with his defensive effort in the Rebels’ losses at UNR last Sunday and Tuesday.
Jenkins appears to have received the message.
“I wasn’t holding myself accountable as being the leader of the team,” Jenkins said. “I’m one of the oldest guys on the team. We’re a really young team. At (South Dakota State), I had guys being a leader for me, and I want to be that for our young guys.
”T.J. is holding me accountable, and I accept that. I just want to be a part of winning, and we won tonight.”
2. Even in the paint
UNLV dominated the boards for the second straight game, 30-20. But Air Force was much more aggressive Monday taking the ball to the paint.
The teams tied 30-30 in points in the paint after UNLV routed the Falcons 46-10 there Saturday. Overall, UNLV made one more 2-point field goal and three more free throws than Air Force, which proved to be the difference in the game.
3. Tillis makes an impression
The numbers for Tillis, a freshman forward, didn’t jump off the page, but he played a steady game that was rewarded with Otzelberger keeping him in the game down the stretch.
“Devin is a very high IQ basketball player. He knows how the game is supposed to go,” Otzelberger said. “Devin feels at times like he gives us some maturity. He understands game situations. He’s a good communicator.
“He’ll continue to make tremendous strides offensively because of his smarts, his feel, his ability to score around the rim and make shots.”
Contact Jason Orts at jorts@reviewjournal.com. Follow @SportsWithOrts on Twitter.
