UNLV Runnin’ Rebels Light Up San Jose State with Season-High 11 Threes, Surge Back Above .500 in Mountain West Race

Behind a blistering shooting night and a breakout individual honor, UNLV basketball has surged back into the Mountain West conversation just in time for a crucial road test at No. 23 Utah State. UNLV drilled a season-high 11 three-pointers in a 76-62 win at San José State on Jan. 17, the program’s fifth victory in its last seven games and its ninth triumph in the last 10 trips to the Event Center Arena. Redshirt-senior guard Howie Fleming Jr. paced four Rebels in double figures with 21 points and eight assists, while freshman forward Tyrin Jones provided a spark off the bench with 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting. The Runnin’ Rebels shot 54 percent overall and a sizzling 47.8 percent from deep, committing a season-low seven turnovers in a display of the efficient, up-tempo offense head coach Josh Pastner has preached all season. Two days later, junior guard Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn—whose 33-point eruption keyed an overtime win against Boise State earlier in the week—was named Mountain West Player of the Week, the first Rebel to claim the honor this season. Gibbs-Lawhorn averaged 21.5 points, five assists and 4.5 rebounds across the two victories, shooting 50 percent from the floor and hitting clutch shots in crunch time. The twin boosts have catapulted UNLV (9-8, 4-2 MW) into a tie for third place in the league standings, setting the stage for Tuesday’s primetime clash at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. Utah State (15-3, 6-0) enters riding an eight-game winning streak and sporting the conference’s stingiest defense, but the Aggies will have to contend with a Rebel squad that owns the NCAA’s longest active streak of consecutive games with a made three (1,277) and now sports one of the league’s hottest backcourts. Keys to watch: 1. Three-point shootout: UNLV’s 11-for-23 performance in San José marked its best perimeter outing of the season; maintaining that accuracy will stretch Utah State’s pack-line defense. 2. Tempo tug-of-war: Pastner’s Rebels average 71 possessions per game, while Utah State prefers a half-court grind. Whichever team controls pace could dictate momentum. 3. Gibbs-Lawhorn’s encore: The Illinois transfer logged 4 assists with zero turnovers at SJSU. Another efficient night could swing the upset and further his candidacy for All-MW honors. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. PT on FS1, with national eyes fixed on whether the rejuvenated Runnin’ Rebels can extend their winning streak and vault squarely into the Mountain West title race.