The UNLV Runnin' Rebels Win Their Final Exhibition Game

The UNLV Runnin' Rebels won their final exhibition game of the season.

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach Josh Pastner reacts against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the first half of the second round of the ACC tournament at Greensboro Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-Imagn Images | John David Mercer-Imagn Images

UNLV Runnin' Rebels' new men's head basketball coach, Josh Pastner, won his home debut in an exhibition match at the Thomas & Mack Center against Lincoln University on Tuesday night. They won the game 123 - 59 without five of their scholarship players, who were sidelined with an injury.

The five absent stars were Mason Abittan, Myles Che, Ladji Dembele, Emmanual Stephen, and Issac Williamson. The Rebels played this game with just eight players. While they were always going to win this game by a large margin, it was still good to see. Especially when you consider the circumstances surrounding this team when it comes to injuries.

Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn was the star of the night for the Rebels. He shot 12 of 16 from the field and hit five of eight three-point attempts. By the end of the game, he led the team with 31 points. However, he did more than just score in this game. The team's top player in the game also had seven assists without a single turnover, blocked three shots, and had a steal on defense.

As a team, the Rebels out-rebounded their opponents 72 - 31. They also had assists on 68% of their baskets, and held Lincoln to shooting just 28.4% from the floor. On defense, UNLV blocked nine shots and came away with 13 steals. This was a great warm-up game in their final exhibition before their regular season tips off next week on November 4.

Following the Rebels' victory, Pastner spoke to the media about the game and was very happy with how his team played in this exhibition game. However, he also understands that the team still has a lot of work to do to get to where they need to be this season.

UNLV Runnin' Rebels Head Coach Josh Pastner On The Team's Tuesday Night Exhibition Win Over Lincoln University

"I was proud of our young men," Pastner said. "We should have won the game and by a good margin, which we did. I thought the ball really moved well and we found the open man. Our goal is to get 60% of our field goals assisted and we did a nice job there. We got great paint touches and rebounded well on the offensive glass. Defensively, we need to be better with our transition defense. However, there were a lot of positives tonight and always good to get a win."

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