UNLV Runnin' Rebels Earn 1-Point Victory Over Stanford Cardinal

The UNLV Runnin' Rebels men's basketball team played their best game of the season on Sunday and came away with a one-point road win over the Stanford Cardinal. They won the game by a score of 75 - 74. With this big win over an ACC foe, the Rebels bring their record up to 4 - 5, while Stanford drops to 7 - 2. This is easily the biggest and most impressive win of the season for UNLV head coach Josh Pastner and the Rebels. Following the huge win, Pastner spoke to the media about the game.

"It was a complete fight, just a heck of a game," Pastner said. Stanford is tough, physical, and very well-coached. They don't beat themselves. We knew that for us to win, we were going to have to win in the combat zone (the paint). We did a nice job in the paint, outscoring them 48-28. They got us on the offensive glass and in second-chance points. But in the end, we found a way to win through our defense. Our guys made big plays late, but we won by getting stops. This isn't easy. We've been on a little bit of a losing streak, and we've been injured, so we've had to fight, scrap, kick, claw, just to figure it out with the lineups and everything else, and we found a way tonight against a really good, well-coached Stanford team."

UNLV played outstanding defense in the second half, holding Stanford to 35.5% shooting from the field on 11 - 31 shooting and 26.7% from beyond the three-point arc on 4 - 15 from three. The Cardinal only shot 38.1% from the field in the game on 24 - 63 shooting. The Rebels shot 48% from the field, making 28 of their 58 shots. This was the biggest key to the Rebels' victory.

Sophomore center Emmanuel Stephen had the best game of his career and led the team with 18 points on 8 - 13 shooting. He also led the team with 10 rebounds. However, it was Kimani Hamilton who hit the game-winning free throw to put the Rebels up 75 - 74 and win the game. Hamilton also led the team with three assists and four steals, while scoring 15 points and grabbing four rebounds.

Next of for UNLV are the Tennessee State Tigers, next Saturday night. They are currently sitting at 5 - 4 and will be the Rebels' final game before they kick off Mountain West Conference play against the Fresno State Bulldogs on December 20.

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