Throughout the season, UNLV has proven that it can hang with any team in the conference. New Mexico proved on Saturday that anyone can defeat the rebels.
A poor start to the offense put UNLV back early, and New Mexico won 76–67 at The Pit in Albuquerque, New Mexico, despite a comeback led by senior Bryce Hamilton and junior Justin Webster.
The seeding was secured before the start of the game, the Rebels were sluggish and never found their momentum in the first half.
Lobos (13-18, 5-12 Mountain West) and sophomore Jamal Mashburn Jr took the advantage. After a 27-point game against Fresno State, New Mexico's leading scorer was responsible for his team's first 10 points.
However, the UNLV shooting proved to be the biggest problem for the rebels (18-13, 10-8). He shot 23.3 percent from the field in the first half, including a 2-for-17 performance from a 3-point range. New Mexico set the pace even with Mashburn on the bench, and a 20–3 run gave Lobos a 37–19 halftime lead.
Coming out of the break, UNLV tried to attack Basket in the second half. There were only eight points in the paint during the Rebels' first 20 minutes, but Hamilton and fifth-year forward Royce Haim Jr. trimmed during the first 90 seconds of the second half.
New Mexico senior Saquan Singleton and junior Jaylen House provided the offense after Mashburn had cooled off a bit. Lobo's guards attacked the pent, and the UNLV forward did a good job against the post players throughout the season, but he struggled to keep up with the fast guard.
The Rebels found their limits beyond the arc with 11 minutes to play. Hamilton pressed on the rim and fought his way to the free-throw line.
UNLV also got its scoring spark from Webster off the bench. He consistently hit 3-pointers on position and made a free throw as part of a 9-0 run to help the Rebels back into the game. He also began to match Lobos's pace, pushing into the transition to find open form. However, a big 3-pointer by House helped stop the rebels' final push.
UNLV will now prepare for the Mountain West tournament where Rebels will be the No. 5 seed. They will get a first-round bye and take on No. 4 seed Wyoming in the quarterfinals at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday. at the Thomas & Mack Center. The Rebels defeated the Cowboys 64-57 on March 2, the team's only meeting this season.