UNLV Runnin' Rebels Snap Losing Streak With Upset Of Grand Canyon Lopes

The UNLV Runnin' Rebels men's basketball team pulled off a major upset this weekend when they knocked off the Grand Canyon Lopes at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. This continues to be one of the most baffling teams in all of college basketball. UNLV held off the Lopes to win the game by a score of 80 - 78.

With this win, it boosts the Rebels back up to 6 - 6 in the Mountain West Conference and 11 - 12 overall. It was a crucial loss for Grand Canyon, dropping them to fifth place in the Mountain West at 8 - 4 and 2.5 games out of first place.

Following one of their most important wins of the season, Rebels head coach Josh Pastner spoke about his team's big victory.

"Bryce Drew is a great basketball coach, and Grand Canyon is a great team that came in today playing as well as anyone in the country," Pastner said. "They are really good defensively. To be able to score 80 against them was a real positive for our offense. It was a great win for the Runnin' Rebels, and I am so happy to be able to win at home for our fanbase. And I'm really happy for our young men. They really earned that win. We have a quick turnaround now for our next game on Tuesday night."

This was an impressive game from the Rebels, and they did a lot of the little things well. They shot an impressive 43% from the field, 33% from beyond the three-point line, and went 18 - 19 from the free-throw line at 95%. UNLV also played well in the paint, out-rebounding them 41 - 36 and blocking six shots compared to three. That's an area that issues with earlier in the season.

Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn had another huge game. For the third consecutive game, the junior guard topped 20 points with a team-high 29 points in this one. He also chipped in with two rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block.

For the Lopes, Nana Owusu-Anane was the star of the game. The senior forward scored a team-best 19 points. He also pulled down thirteen rebounds, three assists, and four steals. Owusu-Anane was efficient, making 6 - 9 from the field, 3 - 4 from three, and 4 - 5 from the stripe.

Next up for the Rebels are the San Jose State Spartans on Tuesday night at home in Las Vegas. UNLV will look to keep rolling against a Spartans team that is currently sitting at just 1 - 11 in conference play and 6 - 17 overall this season. Last time these teams played, the Rebels beat them in San Jose by a score of 76 - 62.

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