Three Major Takeaways from UNLV 80-69 Win Over Omaha

The Runnin’ Rebels are now 2-1 after defeating the Omaha (Neb.) Mavericks 80-69 on Thursday night at the Thomas and Mack Center.

96% Free-Throw Conversion and Making Open Floor shots

A key to their 11-point win was sinking 96% of the shots from the free-throw line. They were 24 of 25. In this game, Jeremiah Cherry converted 7 of his 8 shot attempts from the floor, giving him 91.3% shot attempts so far this season.

Double Figures for Four Players

Jalen Hill led four players in last night’s win scoring 17 points, eight rebounds, and five assists, which is a career-high for Hill. That performance was followed by Jeremiah “Bear” Cherry also with 17 points and four rebounds. Dedan Thomas, Jr. scored 15, while Jaden Henley add 10 to the group.

Capitalizing Off of the Momentum

Halfway through the second half, the runnin’ rebels were up by 13. Omaha made a comeback to tie it at 63-63 with less than five minutes to go. The Runnin’ Rebels then went on an 11-1 run, with a six-point tear by Jalen Hill and a big 3-pointer made my Julian Rishwain. They used the next 3:30 to close out the game.

The Runnin’ Rebels did an excellent job of forcing Omaha into 19 turnovers and converting 30 points off of said turnovers. They also minimized their turnovers in this game by only having 11.

After the game, Coach Kevin Kruger complemented the team by saying that he was, “Extremely happy with the result. Every game that we play during the non-conference has a purpose or a reason, whether it is coaches we know or styles they play. Omaha brought another unique challenge for us tonight and we’re getting better. We just have to be more consistent, but it’s not from a lack of effort or lack of time and investment that the guys are putting in.”

This was the third meeting all-time between the two teams. The Runnin’ Rebels are 3-0 against Omaha.

To continue their five-game homestand, the Runnin’ Rebels face Pepperdine at the Thomas Mack Center on Wednesday, November 20^th for a 7p.m. tip-off.