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UNLV found itself just one made shot away from ending one of the Division I’s longest active home win streak.
After holding several leads late, the Rebels lost, 66-65, to the No. 22 Dayton Flyers Tuesday, Dec. 17 from the UD Arena. It was the second meeting against a ranked team in the early part of the season for this year’s group led by head coach Kevin Kruger.
It was just the second meeting all-time between the two programs with UNLV claiming the lone meeting two years ago. Last season’s contest was canceled after the shooting on the campus of UNLV on Dec. 6.
The loss means four total losses for the program in the last five outings as the team fell to 5-5 on the year.
Kruger’s Rebels will look to get back to their winning ways Saturday, Dec. 21 from the Thomas & Mack Center against the UC Riverside Highlanders. Tip-off is slated for 12 p.m.
In the closing minutes of regulation, UNLV held three different leads on Dayton. The team found itself up three points with 2:11 left, up four points with just under a minute and a half left and up two points with 23.4 seconds left before ultimately falling short.
Coming off a season-high outing, transfer senior Julian Rishwain was held scoreless in the first half but would come alive late in the second half. He was a big part of a 15-5 run in the second half that saw UNLV take that three-point lead with just over two minutes left.
Rishwain drilled a three-pointer to cut the once eight-point lead in half which forced a Dayton timeout. After the timeout, he knocked down another one to trim it to a point. In another ATO play drawn up by Kruger, he’d connect on the third of his eventual four threes. That three gave his Rebels their first lead since leading, 28-27, at halftime.
The final three from Rishwain gave UNLV its two-point lead with just over 23 ticks left in the game. It would also serve as the team’s last made field goal on the night.
With the team up by a point, a rejuvenated Jaden Henley converted on an and-one plus the free throw to swing momentum late in regulation. He made his first start since returning from a foot injury that kept him out of action for a year.
Henley would finish the game with 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting in just his second game back from injury.
Following Henley’s and-one, the Flyers would race out to a 5-0 lead in just 38 seconds. Soon after, the home team would convert on an and-one of its own with just eight seconds left in regulation.
The free throw gave Dayton the one-point lead and eventual win.
Sophomore guard Dedan Thomas Jr. missed a midrange buzzer-beater that would’ve given his UNLV team the win. He led the team in scoring with 16 points and six assists that shared for the game-high.
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