UNLV Runnin' Rebels Have Winning Streak Snapped Against Colorado State Rams

The UNLV Runnin' Rebels men's basketball team had their three-game winning streak snapped on their homecourt on Wednesday night at the hands of the Colorado State Rams. Colorado State won the game by a score of 91 - 86.

With this loss, the Rebels drop to 8 - 7 in Mountain West Conference play and 13 - 13 overall. This was the fourth consecutive win for the Rams, who are now 7 - 8 in Mountain West play and 16 - 10 overall. Following the game, UNLV head coach Josh Pastner spoke about the loss.

"Credit to Colorado State," Pastner said. "They were really good and are playing really well. They made some big shots in the second half when we were putting some pressure on them. Credit to them for their offensive performance tonight. We scored 86; you have to win the game. Unfortunately, we have not been a good defensive team this year. I'm beyond disappointed in that because in all the teams I have been the head coach of, we have been really good defensively. It has been a staple of ours. I haven't done a good enough job as the head coach in that area (defensively) with our group. We are just not getting enough stops."

Pastner is correct about the poor defense. UNLV allowed the Rams to shoot 59% from the field (32 - 54), and they made 20 - 27 free throws. Colorado State also moved the ball better, dishing out 22 assists, while the Rebels totaled just 12 assists.

Still, Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn had another offensive explosion. The junior guard scored a game-high 31 points, shooting 11 - 21 from the field, 6 - 12 from beyond the three-point arc, and 3 - 3 from the free-throw line. He also chipped in with one rebound, one assist, and one steal.

Tyrin Jones looked a lot more like himself, scoring 20 points on 7 - 9 shooting with four rebounds, two steals, and two blocks. It was great to see him playing at a high level, although he is still coming off the bench.

Jevin Muniz was the star of the game for the Rams. He scored a team-high 20 points on 8 - 11 shooting, 3 - 4 from three, and 1 - 2 from the stripe. He also chipped in with four rebounds, three assists, and two steals.

Next up for the Rebels is a road game against the Air Force Falcons. Air Force is 0 - 15 in Mountain West play, so that will be a must-win game for UNLV.

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