SAN JOSE, Calif. — The most important possession of UNLV’s afternoon may have happened hours earlier in a parking lot back in Las Vegas.

After Tuesday night’s overtime win over Boise State, head coach Josh Pastner made a late-night phone call to Howie Fleming Jr. with a simple message: be a warrior. Fleming answered, and on Saturday, UNLV played like a team that took the conversation seriously.

In a 76-62 road win over the San Jose State Spartans at the Provident Credit Union Event Center, the Rebels didn’t just shoot well; they controlled possessions, punished inefficient offense, and refused to let a slow, physical environment turn the game into a late coin flip.

UNLV led for nearly the entire afternoon, stretched the margin early in the second half, and never allowed San José State’s style to dictate decisions.

This was a habits win.

The Rebels set the tone immediately by playing through the paint and letting offense develop rather than forcing early looks. Emmanuel Stephen opened the scoring inside, and after a brief San José State push fueled by second chances, the Rebels responded with efficiency instead of urgency.

Kimani Hamilton knocked down an early three, and when the game hit its first rotation window, Issac Williamson swung it. Williamson buried back-to-back threes, the second coming directly off a turnover to crack the Spartans’ preferred script.

San José State stayed patient, drew fouls, and chipped away, but every time the game threatened to compress, UNLV answered with a stabilizing possession. Fleming hit a three off a turnover. Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn finished in transition after a steal. Jacob Bannarbie finished inside.

Those weren’t runs. They were possession wins.

UNLV closed the half the right way with an emphatic Bannerbie dunk inside, then a forced turnover turned into an Al Green three at the horn, to take a 40-31 lead into the break.

The Rebels wasted no time creating separation after halftime.

Tyrin Jones scored twice in the paint, Gibbs-Lawhorn buried a three, and the margin stretched to 16 in the opening minutes. It wasn’t loud. It was structural with clean paint finishes, spaced shooting, and just enough defensive disruption to keep San José State from building momentum.

The Spartans made their push the only way they could: offensive rebounds, free throws, and short bursts, briefly cutting the margin to three. UNLV never let it turn uncomfortable.

Hamilton answered with a three. Fleming followed with rim pressure and free throws. When San José State tried again to chip away, UNLV kept trading efficient offense for difficult offense, a trade that favors the road team when discipline holds.

The closing stretch told the story. Williamson hit a step-back jumper. Fleming drilled a three. Hamilton buried another from deep to put the game away. UNLV closed the game rather than survive it.

This game was decided by shot quality, not volume.

UNLV finished 54% from the field, 59% on twos, and posted a 65% effective field-goal rate, while going 11-for-12 at the free-throw line. In a pace-compressed game, that level of efficiency makes extra possessions unnecessary.

San José State shot 41% overall and just 37% inside the arc. The Spartans hit six threes and lived at the line, but they couldn’t generate reliable offense on normal half-court possessions.

The one warning sign for UNLV was on the glass. San José State won the rebounding battle and scored nine second-chance points. In many road games, that’s how margins disappear.

UNLV’s shot-making never did.

When San José State cut the margin to three, UNLV didn’t chase the game.

It stayed organized.

With Hamilton–Fleming–Green–Williamson–Stephen on the floor, the Rebels outscored the Spartans 13–7 over a critical six-minute stretch, scoring at a 1.54 points-per-possession rate. That group provided length on defense, enough shooting to punish help defense, and enough ball-handling to keep possessions clean.

That stability mattered. San José State’s counters couldn’t sustain pressure without converting twos.

Fleming led the way with 21 points and eight assists, keeping the offense connected and timely. Hamilton finished with 17 points on near-perfect shooting, providing the kind of clean scoring that prevents games from tilting emotionally.

Gibbs-Lawhorn played the road-game version of point guard: 10 points, four assists, zero turnovers, and his composure during the Spartans’ push mattered as much as any basket.

Afterward, Fleming framed the approach simply: “We talked about grit and toughness and what we needed to do to get a win.”

Pastner echoed it. “Howie was a stat-sheet stuffer,” he said. “He was great.”

The win also fit a familiar pattern in the series. UNLV has now won five straight against San José State and 15 of the last 17 meetings, including nine road wins in the last 10 trips to San Jose.

San José State isn’t a résumé win. But this was a proof-of-habit win. The Rebels didn’t need pace. It didn’t need a perfect game. It needed to value possessions, defend twos, and stay aligned when the environment tried to pull it out of rhythm.

Saturday, the Rebels did. In a league that rarely rewards shortcuts, UNLV showed that its toughness is becoming less of a moment and more of a routine.