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UNLV vs. Air Force Final Score: Rebels Avenge Loss Against Falcons, 77-72
Rebels get revenge over Falcons.
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UNLV takes care of Air Force
UNLV (13-11, 7-5MW) was able to come up with a win against Air Force (10-15, 5-7MW). The Falcons have not won at the Thomas & Mack since 2014. so they will have to wait until next year to break that streak.
Let’s get into a breakdown of the action.
Just like in the previous matchup these two teams played it was an and down fast-paced game. There was little defense played again in this one. UNLV switched from man to zone defense to throw different looks at Air Force’s Princeton-style offense.
UNLV has been known for its slow starts to games but came out and was competitive in the first half. The Falcons finished the first half 40-36, led by Lavalle Scottie (12 points) and Ryan Swan (10 points). Air Force was able to get easy looks finishing the first half with 22 points in the paint.
This was a back and forth game that had 17 lead changes. UNLV was able to put together a few runs in the second half and by the 11-minute mark, UNLV was up 56-54. The turning point for the Rebels came when Noah Robotham made two free throws to give the Rebels a 73-72 lead. Those free throws were the start to a 6-0 run for UNLV to finish out the game.
Amari Hardy needs to have Air Force on his wish list. Hardy topped his previous career high (23 points) which he scored in the last outing against Air Force.
With (24 points) this time around Hardy led the Rebels in scoring and was able to make timely buckets for the Rebels the entire game. Mbacke Diong presence on the defensive end was vital for the Rebels. Diong did not play in the first game against Air Force and having the big man back made a difference.
UNLV travels to San Jose State on Saturday and Air Force will host the second best team in the conference Utah State on Saturday.
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