Photo Credit - UNLV Athletics
UNLV’s season tipped off with a thud Tuesday night at the Thomas & Mack Center, as the Rebels dropped their opener 86-81 to UT Martin, spoiling a night meant to celebrate the naming of the court after longtime supporter Mrs. Tarkanian.
For head coach Josh Pastner, the debut couldn’t have been more frustrating.
“I feel sick to my stomach for the fan base,” Pastner said postgame. “There were things we did today that I just didn’t recognize. We haven’t practiced like that in five months.”
Sloppy and Stalled
The numbers told the story. UNLV committed 22 turnovers and routinely derailed its own possessions with poor spacing and over-dribbling. The Rebels had 81 points on 77 possessions, a figure Pastner said “should’ve been over 100” had they valued the ball.
Despite shooting a respectable 46% from the field and getting 39 rebounds, UNLV’s offense lacked rhythm. The Rebels often stalled in the halfcourt, relying on isolation drives instead of executing the “go-cut” motion sets emphasized in practice.
“They were switching everything,” Pastner explained. “We worked the last three days on cutting through and opening gaps, and we just didn’t do it. We went off-script and started setting unnecessary ball screens. That’s not who we are.”
Junior guard Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn led the team with 18 points, but also committed four fouls and struggled to find a pace running the offense in the absence of Myles Che, the projected starting point guard, who was ruled out with a foot injury.
Foul Trouble and Frayed Focus
UNLV’s discipline problems extended beyond turnovers. The Rebels fouled jump shooters multiple times, gave up 17 points off turnovers, and sent UT Martin to the line 37 times. Five Rebels finished with at least four fouls.
Pastner was blunt about the breakdowns:
“We don’t teach fouling jump shooters. We don’t teach helping off the ball-side corner. We were doing things we’ve never done in practice,” he said. “We were undisciplined on both sides of the ball.”
Even the zone defense, which momentarily steadied the team in the first half, was undone by poor rebounding and second-chance points. UNLV’s 10 offensive boards couldn’t offset the 14 turnovers before halftime that erased an early 10-point lead (39-29).
Flashes From the Frontcourt
Forward Tyrin Jones (7 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists) and Jacob Bannarbie (9 points, 8 boards) provided physicality inside, combining for 17 rebounds and 6 assists off the bench. Kimani Hamilton chipped in 13 points on 4-of-5 shooting before fouling out in just 14 minutes, while Ladji Dembele added 9 points and 5 rebounds in his first start since returning from injury.
But even solid interior production couldn’t mask UNLV’s lack of cohesion. The team’s final field goal came with 1:48 remaining, a three-pointer from Al Green that cut the margin to four. From there, missed rotations and fouls sealed the defeat.
“We’ve Got to Figure It Out”
Postgame, Pastner’s tone was urgent.
“No one’s going to feel sorry for us,” he said. “We’ve got to figure it out and figure it out in a hurry.”
He noted the team’s lack of a true point guard and acknowledged that rotations remain unsettled while Che and Isaac Williamson recover. Until then, Gibbs-Lawhorn and Green will share ball-handling duties out of necessity.
“We’ve got to flow into our offense faster, play with more pace, and stop over-dribbling,” Pastner said. “We just didn’t look like the team we’ve been for the last few months.”
What’s Next
The Rebels won’t have long to regroup. They return to action Saturday at the Thomas & Mack against Chattanooga. The focus between now and then is simple: sharpen discipline, rediscover pace, and restore the identity Pastner insists this group showed throughout the offseason.
“We’ve got a good group of guys,” he said. “But we’ve got to win games. That’s what matters.”
Final Box Score Highlights:
UNLV (0-1) – Gibbs-Lawhorn 18 pts, Hamilton 13 pts, Jones 7 pts / 9 reb, Bannarbie 9 pts / 8 reb
UT Martin (1-0) – Shot 46%, forced 22 UNLV turnovers, 27-48 FT
Key Stat: 22 turnovers → 25 UT Martin points
Halftime: UNLV led 43–39
Largest Lead: UNLV +10 (4:38, 1st half)
Final: UT Martin 86, UNLV 81
Postgame Media:
