The UNLV Runnin’ Rebels will host the Air Force Falcons for the second time in three days when these Mountain West foes collide in Las Vegas on Monday. On Saturday, UNLV defeated Air Force 68-58, but the Falcons did cover the 14 point spread. Air Force did most of its damage from three-point range in the loss, while UNLV powered its way to victory with a 36 point advantage from inside the paint. The win for UNLV snapped a three-game losing streak for them while extending Air Force’s currently losing streak to six games.
UNLV’s leading scorer returned from an ankle injury, and his 22 points, 13 rebounds and five assists sparked the Rebels to a 68-58 win over Air Force on Saturday at the Thomas & Mack Center.
The win ends a three-game losing streak for the Rebels (7-9, 4-5 Mountain West) and moves them to 4-1 at home in conference play. The Rebels and Falcons will meet again at 6 p.m. Monday.
“It feels good to be back. It’s been a long journey,” Hamilton said. “It’s been tough for me to be out for those two games, especially against our rivals. But it’s good to be back and fighting with my teammates and get this win.”
Hamilton missed the Rebels’ two losses at UNR last week and three of their past five games.
Falcons fall shot despite 15 made threes
The Air Force Falcons are 4-13 overall on the season and 2-11 in conference play, which puts them 10th amongst 11 teams in the MWC. According to KenPom, the Falcons are rated 325th in the nation amongst 357 teams. Air Force is 295th in adjusted offensive efficiency and averaging 59.1 ppg this season year. Defensively Air Force is giving up 72.9 ppg and 322nd in adjusted defensive efficiency.
In Saturday’s loss to UNLV, the Falcons lit it up from three-point range, drilling 15 of 32 attempts (46.9%). Unfortunately, the Falcons did not have the same success on two-point field goals, only making 5 of 14 (35.7%) for the entire game. Air Force also only attempted seven free-throws and made three (42.9%).
A.J Walker played all 40 minutes for Air Force and finished with a team-high 18 points on six made threes, and Chris Joyce added 14 points and made four three-pointers. Walker and Joyce are also the team’s leading scorers overall this season. Walker leads the team with 14.4 points, 2.5 assists, and 1.6 steals per game, and Joyce adds 11.8 ppg.
UNLV snaps three game losing streak
The UNLV Runnin’ Rebels are 7-9 overall and 4-5 in the Mountain West, which is sixth in the conference. According to KenPom, UNLV is the 140th best team overall, 112th in adjusted offensive efficiency, and 197th in adjusted defensive efficiency. The Rebels are averaging 71.4 ppg and allowing 67.8 ppg. Bryce Hamilton leads the team with 18.5 ppg on the season, followed by David Jenkins Jr. with 14.3 ppg.
After losing three straight games, which included a loss to Utah State and two losses to Nevada, UNLV got back on track with the 10 point win over Air Force on Saturday. The Runnin’ Rebels struggled from three-point range, only making 2 of 14 attempts (14.3%), but they were extremely efficient on two-point attempts making 25 of 35 attempts (71.4%).
UNLV also benefited tremendously from shooting 80% (12 of 15) from the free-throw line and outrebounding Air Force 33 to 20. Hamilton led the Rebels with 22 points and 13 rebounds in the victory, and Cheikh Mbacke Diong added 16 points on 8 of 10 shooting. Diong is a 6’11 senior who averages 9.2 points and 8.3 rebounds per game on the season while shooting 62.7% from the floor.
