The UNLV men’s basketball team defeated Wyoming 73-70 in the first round of the Credit Union 1 Mountain West Championships on March 11 at the Thomas & Mack Center.
The game was closely contested, featuring eight lead changes and seven ties. Kimani Hamilton led all scorers with 23 points for the No. 8 seed Runnin’ Rebels, including a crucial three-point play with under 20 seconds left that gave UNLV a one-point lead. Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn contributed 15 points, all in the first half, while Walter Brown added nine points and a season-high ten rebounds. Tyrin Jones had seven points, tied his career high with six blocks, and grabbed five rebounds.
Wyoming, seeded ninth, was led by Gavin Gores with 15 points. Nasir Meyer scored 14 points and Damarion Dennis recorded a double-double with 13 points and eleven rebounds. The Cowboys mounted a comeback in the second half after trailing by as many as sixteen points late in the first half but ultimately fell short.
UNLV improved its record to 6-1 all-time in the first round of the Mountain West Tournament and is now 5-1 against Wyoming in tournament games. The Runnin’ Rebels shot nearly 58% from the field in the first half but struggled early after halftime as Wyoming cut into their lead. Despite being out-rebounded and committing more turnovers than Wyoming, UNLV blocked a season-high twelve shots—second-most ever in tournament history—and maintained its streak of winning when leading by ten or more at halftime.
Hamilton finished shooting six of fifteen from the field and nine of twelve from the free-throw line while also recording four assists. Gibbs-Lawhorn’s three-pointers this season are now the most by a UNLV player since Anderson Hunt’s total during the 1990-91 season.
Looking ahead, UNLV will face top-seeded Utah State in the quarterfinals on March 12 at noon at Thomas & Mack Center.
