The UNLV Runnin' Rebels Capture Their First Win Of The Josh Pastner Era

The UNLV Runnin' Rebels men's basketball team got their first win of the Josh Pastner era this weekend when they beat the Chattanooga Mocs by a score of 101 - 69. The Rebels played much better in this game than they did in their opening night loss to the UT-Martin Skyhawks. Head coach Pastner was happy with the improvements his team showed in their first win of the season.

"That's what we've got to do every time we step on the floor, just continue to get better," Pastner said. "Sitting in my chair, for our staff and for the fans and everybody, you want to see your team continue to improve. Obviously, that doesn't guarantee wins, losses, in either direction, but you can see improvement when your team gets better. I thought we had two good days of practice. We cleaned some things up that needed to be cleaned up, and we executed the game plan. We were fortunate to get a great win tonight playing the right way."

One of the biggest turnarounds in this game was the turnovers. UNLV only turned the ball over a total of eight times in this game. They also shot 55.9% from the field and dominated in the paint, outscoring the Mocs 46-28 in the painted area, while pulling down 16 offensive rebounds, which turned into 22 second-chance points, and 42 total rebounds. Chattanooga grabbed just 20 total rebounds, with five of them coming on the offensive boards. They also moved the ball much better, totaling 23 assists on 33 made baskets. It looked like a completely different team from the team that lost to the Skyhawks earlier in the week.

The top scorer for the Rebels was freshman forward Naas Cunningham, who poured in 25 points in 30 minutes, while tacking on four rebounds, two assists, and two steals. He shot 57.1% from the field, making eight of 14 shots and draining three of seven three-point attempts at a 42.9% clip.

Senior guard Howie Fleming Jr led the way with a team-high six assists in this game, to go along with 13 points and six rebounds. Forward Kimani Hamilton was the top rebounder, pulling down nine boards, five of them coming on the offensive end. He also scored 19 points, dished out two assists, and had two steals.

The next time the Rebels take the court will be on Tuesday at the Thomas & Mack Center in their final home game before hitting the road for the first time this season. Tuesday's game will be at 10:00 PM EST against the Montana Grizzlies. The Grizzlies are currently sitting at 2 - 1 on the season. They should be a formidable Big Sky opponent.

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