UNLV dominates in win over Air Force

After an emotional week that saw UNLV part ways with head coach Dave Rice and dominate New Mexico there was concern if the Runnin Rebels would have a let down game against an Air Force squad that typically gives them fits.

The Rebels eased those concerns by racing to a 25 to 5 lead to start the game and finished by hitting the century mark for the first time under interim head coach Todd Simon.

Derrick Jones had his most productive game since November as he scored a game high 22 points on nine of fifteen shooting and pulled down 10 rebounds.  Freshman Stephen Zimmerman also logged a double double with 14 points and 12 rebounds.

Air Force was led by Junior Hayden Graham who had a team high 18 points.

As was the case on Tuesday, the Rebels came out with an energy level that was the complete opposite of what we had seen over the first three league games.  They continued to play a harassing pressure defense and consistently played inside out by feeding Zimmerman, Ben Carter and Dwayne Morgan on the block, which led to open 3-point attempts.

The Falcons simply had no answer for UNLVs superior size and talent, which allowed UNLV to dictate the game play from start to finish.

For the game, UNLV shot 50% from the field, 13-25 on 3-pointers, while Air Force finished shooting 42% and hit 3 out of their 10 3-point attempts.

Up Next:

UNLV travels to Logan, Utah on Tuesday the 19^th, to play an 11 and 6 Utah State team that is coming off a big win at Colorado State.  This will be a tough test for the Rebels who have struggled on the road this season.  They will be playing against a talented Utah State team in a hostile environment and at altitude.  Their last two road games at altitude, at Wyoming and at Colorado State, ended in defeat with the Rebels fading down the stretch.

Air Force has a week off before playing Colorado State, at home on Saturday the 20^th.