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A huge debut coupled with a win to start the season has the UNLV men’s basketball program faithful believing that the sky could be the limit.
The Runnin’ Rebels dumped the Alabama State Hornets, 93-79, Monday, Nov. 4 from the Thomas & Mack Center in their season opener. The UNLV program is fresh off an NIT bid last season with two postseason wins to show for it.
“Every non-conference game for us has a little bit different of a challenge to prepare us for conference,” head coach Kevin Kruger said. “Alabama State bringing back five starters, a team that’s going to be pretty comfortable and used to each other and then understand each other pretty well presented a unique situation for us.”
Since then, Kruger has re-tooled the program with 10 newcomers including five upperclassmen. All of which will join the Mountain West Freshman of the Year in Dedan Thomas Jr.
The new group and Kruger are off to a 1-0 start in the new campaign. Next up is a home date with the Memphis Tigers which is set for Saturday, Nov. 9 with tip slated for 3 p.m.
“I feel like we did a lot of good things,” Thomas Jr. said. “We still have a lot to improve on, especially on the defensive end.”
It was a fast start by both teams to start the new season. Both combined to shoot 30-for-56 from the field in the first half. From there, it appeared the first team to lock in on defense would begin to pull away.
“I think that was the big thing for us,” junior forward Bear Cherry said. “I think offense is a huge part of our game. Like DJ said, we have a lot of pieces and parts to help us score that many points and I think that’s what got us the win tonight.
”We do have a lot of things we have to work on on defense.”
UNLV did just that early in the second half. It held Alabama State scoreless for nearly three and a half minutes. Even when the Hornets did find success in the second half, it was far-and-few. At one point, they were held to just two makes on 13 field goal tries during a stretch in the second half.
During that span, the Rebels would run their lead to 11. The largest lead of the game was 14.
“They were hanging around the entire game,” Thomas said. “They kept making runs, we kept making runs. So I’m just proud of how this team stayed together and I think it’s a testament to how we are off-the-court, how close we are off the court.”
Cherry shined in his UNLV debut with a 24-point, 11-rebound double-double. He scored 12 of his 24 points in the first half including four of the team’s first six points.
Cherry didn’t experience his first miss of the game until early in the second half.
“It was great,” he said. “You can ask DJ, we’ve been talking about this for months. I’ve been so excited. I’ve been doubted my whole life so it felt great to get out and let people know who I am.”
Fellow newcomer Julian Rishwain showed his shooting prowess in his first game as a Runnin’ Rebel. He scored a quick 10 points with two made threes in the early part of the first half on the way to 13 for the game.
At the conclusion of the first half, the tandem of Cherry and Rishwain combined for 22 points on 9-of-9 shooting from the field.
Rishwain drilled a three in the second half and followed it up with a steal on the defensive end. Cherry would finish the ensuing drive with a two-hand dunk off two misses.
“It was a bucket every time he got it,” Thomas said. “I just think that was a heck of a debut for Bear. More to come.”
Thomas added 17 points with a game-high seven assists. He completed an alley-oop pass to Cherry in the second half and coupled that with a no-look pass for two on the next possession. He’d ice the game with a logo three with under a minute left in regulation.
Sophomore Brooklyn Hicks contributed 11 points on 5-of-7 from the floor and would be the team’s final double-figure scorer.
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