UNLV spent the first 12 minutes Friday night looking like a team that walked into ExtraMile Arena late, but somehow the tide shifted, and the Rebels dominated thanks to a takeover performance from guard Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn to climb back for an 86-83 overtime victory.
Boise State built a 32-9 lead thanks to a barrage of threes, fast-break finishes, and second-chance possessions. UNLV’s offense had no traction and turned the ball over plenty of times. This led to the gaping 23-point deficit the Rebels had to overcome.
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The good thing about Rebels is that they fight through storms. Gibbs-Lawhorn put everything on the line and were lights out. He finished with 36 points and went 6-of-12 from deep. He was great at attacking space in transition, and he refused to let the margin define the rest of the game.
The best stretch for the Rebels before halftime came from defense turning into offense. Tyrin Jones finished a dunk off of a turnover, and then Gibbs-Lawhorn drained a three off another Bronco turnover. Walter Brown capped the run with a three-pointer to make it a 40-29 game at halftime.
After halftime, that groove kept going for the Rebels, and the Broncos started to stop rumbling.
Kimani Hamilton was a steady second option for the Rebels throughout the night, scoring 13 points. He hit threes when they mattered most for the Rebels. He hit a three with six minutes left in the second half to cut Boise State’s lead to 64-62.
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Boise State consistently found answers, though. Drew Fielder was a problem for the Rebels. He scored 27 points on 9-of-14 shooting and 5-of-6 from deep. Parson Carmichael added 16 points for the Broncos, and Dylan Andrews chipped in 12 points with five assists.
Boise State had a big edge at the charity stripe. With 51 seconds left, Fielder hit two free throws to grow the Broncos’ lead to three at 77-74.
Gibbs-Lawhorn wasn’t phased.
With 38 seconds left, he buried a three-pointer to tie the game for his sixth three-pointer of the night. UNLV had a chance to win when Gibbs-Lawhorn threw up another one on a controversial no-call, but that forced overtime.
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In overtime, Boise State struck first with Fielder scoring in the paint. The Broncos were up at 81-78 and looked in control for the moment, until Isaac Williamson, who struggled for most of the night shooting 2-of-7, hit a massive three to tie the game at 81-81.
Gibbs-Lawhorn followed with a go-ahead bucket to give UNLV the lead.
The defining play came when UNLV extended its possession, Jones rising for a tip-in dunk to make it 85-81 to finish his 12-point night.
Andrews hit two free throws for Boise State to make it a two-point game, but he couldn’t make a layup after Williamson missed a free throw. That put the game in the hands of Brown, who went 1-for-2 from the stripe and secured the victory for the Rebels.
In a game that started like a runaway, UNLV walked out with an 86-83 overtime win.
