UNLV sophomore forward Tyrin Jones made his first appearance since last year's NIT and scored a team-high 21 points to lead the Runnin' Rebels past Missouri 90-81 in their final exhibition game at the Thomas & Mack Center. Jones, who played all of last season with an injured shoulder and sat out the previous exhibitions against Utah and BYU, added eight rebounds, two blocks and four steals in 23 minutes.
The Rebels trailed 48-43 at halftime in a physical first half that featured 24 fouls and both teams reaching the double bonus. UNLV used a 10-0 run early in the second half to take its first lead since the opening period and eventually built a 15-point advantage. Missouri cut the deficit to five before Jones followed his fourth steal with a dunk while being fouled; he made the free throw for an eight-point lead with 1:19 remaining.
Jones finished 5 of 6 from the free-throw line after shooting 49 percent last season. The Rebels played without senior transfer guard AJ Storr, who remains NCAA ineligible and was not granted an injunction to play as of late Thursday. Coach Josh Pastner said the three exhibitions against Power 4 opponents helped the team learn how to win and identify areas for improvement.
"What I loved about today is we learned how to win," Pastner said. "I thought that was a real positive for us. Our guys are going to play hard. That's the standard. That's a non-negotiable." Pastner also appealed for fan support ahead of the regular-season opener Tuesday against Northern Arizona, calling the fan base the program's owners and stakeholders.
UNLV opens the regular season Tuesday night at the Thomas & Mack Center against Northern Arizona, aiming to reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013.
Sources: Las Vegas Review-Journal
Original reporting: Las Vegas Review-Journal →
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