A late UNLV rally fell just short as the Rebels saw their three-game winning streak snapped in a 91-86 loss to Colorado State at Thomas & Mack Center on Wednesday night.
Kimani Hamilton stepped out of bounds before a 3-point attempt that could have tied the game with 11 seconds remaining after a UNLV (13-13, 8-7 Mountain West) steal.
Colorado State (16-10, 7-8) closed out the game at the line.
Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn had 31 points to lead UNLV. It was his seventh game in the last eight outings with at least 25 points. He entered the game as the top scorer in the Mountain West, averaging 19.4 points per game
The Rams got 20 points from Jevin Muniz in the win.
The Rebels’ defense clashed with a tight whistle as they committed 22 fouls and saw the Rams connect on 20-of-27 attempts at the free-throw line.
In UNLV’s last game, the team came back from a 23-point deficit to beat Boise State 86-83 in overtime Friday after the Broncos started the game on a 30-9 run.
The Rebels weren’t as slow to wake up against the Rams on Wednesday, but couldn’t create enough momentum for another miraculous finish.
UNLV opened the game on the wrong side of an 11-2 run, then scored nine uninterrupted points punctuated by a 3-pointer from Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn to take a 5-point lead with 11:33 left in the first half.
After trailing by as many as 14 points in the first half, UNLV headed to the locker room with a spark from a buzzer-beating halfcourt shot from Issac Williamson.
The Rebels got within 53-51 early in the second half before Colorado State pulled away again.
Kimani Hamilton and Tyrin Jones powered a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to six points with 2:47 left to play.
Howie Fleming Jr. logged a key steal on one play and a defensive rebound on another to aid Gibbs-Lawhorn’s solo 6-1 run to cut the Rams’ lead to four points with 22 seconds left, setting up the closing sequence that featured Hamilton’s late out of bounds turnover.
Next, UNLV will face Air Force on the road Saturday.
Contact Callie Fin at [email protected]. Follow @Callie__Fin on X.
