UNLV Runnin' Rebels Head Coach Josh Pastner: "We Just Have To Be Tougher"

The UNLV Runnin' Rebels men's basketball team suffered a tough loss to the Montana Grizzlies on their home court on Tuesday night. Despite scoring 93 points, they still lost the game 102 - 93. It was a disappointing loss to say the least. Following the game, head coach Josh Pastner was not able to hide his frustration with his team's defense. He is committed to getting better, and star guard Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn took accountability on behalf of the players for their poor execution. Both Pastner and Gibbs-Lawhorn spoke to the media after the game.

UNLV Runnin' Rebels Head Coach Josh Pastner On The Lack Of Shot Blocking

“The lack of shot blocking for us was obviously evident in the game today,” Pastner said. “Whether it’s man or zone, if you don’t have that shot blocker behind, it makes it more difficult. A couple times guys were driving in there and not having that presence gives you some holes defensively.”

Pastner On The Rebels Not Being Tough Enough

“We just have to be tougher. We’ve got to be tougher. You score 93 points, you have to win the game. But we haven’t been tough enough defensively in (the two losses). You can’t lose a game with 93 points. You just can’t. Credit Montana for the win.

We just weren’t the toughest team tonight. That’s the disappointing part.”

Pastner On The Team Needing To Get Better

"When you score 93 points you've got to win the game," Pastner said. "I was really disappointed with what we did defensively. We were trying different things. We'll get better. That's our only option. It's a long season and we have a lot of games left. We have to get better all the way throughout November. Obviously, there were some things today we didn't get better at from Saturday, so we have to course-correct that. But we will continue to improve so that when we get to Mountain West play in mid-December, we are playing our best basketball at that point in the season."

Pastner Reinforcing The Need To Get Better

“We have to get better. We have to improve. That’s the only thing I’m thinking about right now.”

Rebels Guard Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn On The Team Failing To Execute On Defense

“I’d say we probably didn’t execute our defensive game plan. We knew Money Williams was a good player and we didn’t shut him down like we wanted to.

We’re all really confident in our squad. We know the type of team we have. We have a lot of new guys and it’s just about putting the pieces together.”

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