Cold shooting plagues UNLV against Boise State

The final score in Boise read; Broncos 73, Rebels 66. But it could have been a lot worse.

UNLV’s flaws on offense were on full display Wednesday night. UNLV went 37.7 percent (23 of 61) from the field, they were not much better from three, where they shot 24 percent (6 of 25).

The Rebels started the game well. They lead 10-4 and made five of its first 10 shots. However, the Broncos stepped up defensively and cooled down the Rebels.

UNLV had plenty of good looks, but could not knocked them down, which is crucial on the road, in conference play.

The Broncos managed to take Mbacke Diong out of the game, who only had six points and three rebounds. They were able to stop any penetration by UNLV and did not allow the Rebels into the paint.

Boise State managed to get to the free-throw line. They went 23 of 31 at the line, thanks to 25 UNLV fouls.

The Broncos relied on the veteran leadership of Derrick Alston and Justinian Jessup. Alston, the red-shirt junior, lead the Broncos with 26 points. He hit a three-pointer as time expired before the first half to give Boise State a 36-31 advantage and a lot of momentum heading into the locker room.

Jessup, who had 18 points, had a big three of his own. The Rebels had gone on an 11-4 run to cut the deficit to five with a minute to play. However, Jessup knocked down a three-pointer to kill any chance UNLV had at coming back.

Bryce Hamilton, the reigning conference player of the week, lead UNLV in scoring with 19 points. Marvin Coleman had 12 points, and Amauri Hardy added 10.

UNLV falls to below .500, 8-9, and drops its first conference game of the season. The loss also snaps a four-game winning streak. The road trip for UNLV continues as they head out to Laramie to face the Cowboys Saturday at 4 p.m.