The UNLV Runnin' Rebels Lose Third In A Row To The Rutgers Scarlet Knights

The UNLV Rebels lost their third-straight game at the Players Era Festival against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.

Nov 25, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; UNLV Rebels forward Kimani Hamilton (2) shoots the ball in the second half against Alabama Crimson Tide in a 2025 Players Era Festival group play game at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

The UNLV Runnin' Rebels lost their third consecutive game on Thanksgiving. They lost every game that they played in the Players Era Festival. The most recent loss came to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights by a score of 80 - 65. With this loss, the Rebels are now sitting at 3 - 5 on the season, while the Scarlet Knights climb to 5 - 3 with the win. This was a tough loss for UNLV, who actually led at halftime by a score of 39 - 33. However, Rutgers started off the second half of the game on an 11 - 0 run and never looked back. Following the loss, UNLV head coach Josh Pastner spoke to the media about the game and the Festival.

"Credit to Rutgers. We were up 39-33 at halftime, but they came out with more energy to start the second half," Pastner said. "It was pretty much a tale of two halves. I felt all three games that we played in this tournament, we looked small, which is because of our three five-men were out with injuries. Tough week for sure, but we'll get better. We need to get healthy first and foremost. All of our focus and energy will be towards making sure that we are as ready as we can be when we enter conference play in later December."

---

The biggest difference in this game was Rutgers' ability to get to the free-throw line. UNLV made just 10 - 16 free throws, while the Scarlet Knights made 28 - 36. Rutgers also outrebounded the Rebels 45 - 33. The rest of the game was played pretty evenly throughout the other aspects of the game.

UNLV had three players tied for the team lead in points in this game. Tyrin Jones, Kimani Hamilton, and Al Green all scored 13 points. Jones also led the team with three blocks, while Hamilton led the Rebs with seven rebounds. Green managed to score his 13 points in just 22 minutes.

The star of the game for Rutgers was Emmanuel Ogbole. He led the team with 21 points, shooting 7 - 12 from the floor and making a team-high 7 - 11 free throws. The senior center also led the team with 13 rebounds and two blocks.

Next up for the Rebels are the Stanford Cardinal on December 7. They will look to get back on track with two more games before starting Mountain West Conference play on December 20.

More UNLV Rebels On SI News