Three Takeaways from UNLV’s loss to Northwestern

The UNLV Runnin’ Rebels (4-3) were looking to leave the Arizona Tip-Off Tournament in Tempe, Arizona with a third-place finish but came up short against the Northwestern Wildcats (6-2) 66-61.

Tight Game

The Runnin’ Rebels kept the game tight. They did not let the Wildcats stray too far. At the half, Northwestern only led 26-25 over the Runnin’ Rebels. Guard Julian Rishwain helped keep the game close with his back-to-back three-pointers to cut the Wildcats lead down to only two. With 2 minutes left in the game, guard Jailen Bedford connected for another three-pointer to cut the lead back down to 4.  Bedford came off the bench, leading the Runnin’ Rebels in scoring, along with guard Dedan Thomas, Jr. with 17 and 15 points respectively. Forward Jeremiah Cherry came back from his back injury to assist in rebounding, managing to grab a game-high 10 rebounds.

Too Much Barnhizer, Too Much Offense

Northwestern’s guard Brooks Barnhizer led the Wildcats in scoring with 23 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists. Barnhizer connected with a game-high of four three-pointers to keep the Wildcats afloat. Guard Jalen Leach pitched in with 15 points and forward Nick Martinelli added 12 points.

Lacking Intensity

To the Runnin’ Rebels credit, they did a great job in the first half smothering the Wildcats on defense with holding them to 29.2% from the field but lacked the intensity to continue the defensive strategy. In the second half, the Wildcats turned up the heat and shot 52.0% from the field. The Runnin’ Rebels shot 42.1% from the field. The Runnin’ Rebels also committed 14 turnovers to the Wildcats 12.

Up Next for the Runnin’ Rebels:

Coach Kevin Kruger expressed in a post-game press conference that the Runnin’ Rebels needed to “…tighten up on some things, but the guys are working at it.” He went on later to add, “But again, we can take that next step here of getting not just an okay shot every time, but a really good or a great shot and that’s what we’ll keep working.”

The Runnin’ Rebels get a bit of a rest after tournament play. They meet No. 19 Creighton on Saturday, December 7^th at 1 p.m. PST in Omaha, Nebraska.