UNLV Runnin' Rebels Fall To The Maryland Terrapins At The Players Era Festival

The UNLV Runnin' Rebels men's basketball team lost a hard-fought game to the Maryland Terrapins on Monday night in the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas, Nevada, by a score of 74 - 67. This is a game that the Rebels led at halftime 30 - 27, but a 16 - 4 run in the second half of the game ultimately put the Rebels down 61 - 53, which was too much for them to overcome. The loss knocks UNLV back to .500 at 3 - 3, while the Terrapins are now 5 - 1. Unlike their other losses this season, this loss wasn't due to the Rebels shooting themselves in the foot over and over. Following the game, Rebels head coach Josh Pastner spoke to the media.

"Credit to Maryland and (coach) Buzz (Williams)," Pastner said. "We had some opportunities there to pull away when we were up six or seven multiple times, but whether it was missing a fast break or missing some open shots (we didn't increase our advantage). Towards the end (of the game), our numbers (players out with injury) caught up to us, not having the size that we needed inside. We just need to get healthy, and we have another great opportunity tomorrow vs Alabama."

Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn once again led the team in scoring in a tough shooting night for the Rebs, who shot just 37% as a team. The junior guard scored 17 points and chipped in with four rebounds, three assists, and two steals.

Senior guard Howie Fleming Jr led the team with nine rebounds, five steals, and was tied for the team lead in assists with Issac Williamson, who both had five. It was a very strong game for Fleming outside of his 1 - 5 shooting from the floor.

For the Terrapins, they dominated on the boards with 46 rebounds to UNLV's 34. It was ultimately the play in the paint that was the biggest factor in earning this win for Maryland. Their top player in this game was Pharrell Payne. The senior forward scored 20 points, while shooting 7 - 8 from the field, and was tied for the team lead with Andre Mills, with eight rebounds.

Next up for the Runnin' Rebels are the Alabama Crimson Tide on Tuesday night in another game at the Players Era Festival. The Crimson Tide are currently ranked No. 8 in the country.

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