Runnin' Rebels Back At Home Saturday Night - University of Nevada Las Vegas Athletics (2024)

After winning SoCal Challenge title, UNLV will host Life Pacific at Thomas & Mack Center at 7:30 p.m.

LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com)-After starting the season 6-0 for the first time in five years, which has included a win over then-No. 21 Dayton and capturing the SoCal Challenge title, the UNLV men's basketball team will return home to the Thomas & Mack Center to host Life Pacific on Saturday, Nov. 26 at 7:30 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT: UNLV led by as many as 22 points against Minnesota on Wednesday night in the championship game of the SoCal Challenge in San Juan Capistrano, Calif. Four Runnin' Rebels scored in double figures: Keshon Gilbert scored a game-high-tying 17 points with four assists and three steals, while EJ Harkless scored 16 points, Luis Rodriguez added a career-high-tying 15 points with nine rebounds and Jackie Johnson III contributed 13 points on 4 of 7 3-point shooting. Victor Iwuakor also had nine rebounds. UNLV used a 19-4 run over the final 7:47 of the first half to take a commanding 38-24 lead at the break. It marked the first MTE (multi-team event) title for the Runnin' Rebels since capturing the MGM Resorts Main Event tournament in 2017 at T-Mobile Arena.

ABOUT THE ROSTER:This season's UNLV squad features six returners, nine newcomers, including six transfers from the Division I level, and a total of 10 upperclassmen. The lone returning starter is 6-foot guard Jordan McCabe, who was a senior last season and returns for his fifth year for 2022-23. Other returners include 6-3 senior guard Justin Webster, 6-10 senior center David Muoka, 6-4 sophom*ore guard Keshon Gilbert, 6-7 senior forward Victor Iwuakor and 6-3 senior guard Cameron Burist.

The newcomers include 6-10 redshirt sophom*ore forward Isaiah Cottrell, who is originally from Las Vegas and transferred to UNLV from West Virginia, 6-7 freshman guard Keyshawn Hall from Cleveland, Ohio, 6-3 fifth-year guard EJ Harkless, who transferred from Oklahoma, 5-11 sophom*ore guard Jackie Johnson III, who transferred from Duquesne, 6-10 junior forward Karl Jones, who transferred from LA Southwest College, 6-6 sophom*ore guard Shane Nowell, who transferred from Arizona, 6-4 fifth-year guard Elijah Parquet, who transferred from Colorado, 6-6 senior guard Luis Rodriguez, who transferred from Ole Miss and 6-1 junior guard Nick Walters, who transferred from the College of Southern Nevada.

After six contests, Gilbert leads the team in scoring with 16.3 ppg, while shooting 53.6% from the field and 63.2% on 3-pointers, in addition to averaging 3.2 assists and 2.0 steals per game. Harkless is scoring 15.0 ppg with 4.2 rebounds per game and 3.0 apg and 1.5 spg. Rodriguez is the team's leader in rebounds (6.8 rpg) and steals at 2.7 per game (23rd in the nation).

ABOUT THE OPPONENT:Life Pacific is a NAIA school that competes in the Golden State Athletic Conference. The Warriors are coming off a 116-54 loss at UC Irvine on Monday, which was an exhibition contest for LPU. The Warriors have four players averaging in double figures, led by Kyler Villareal at 22.3 ppg. Austin Cook is the team's rebounding leader at 8.1 rpg and assists at 6.4 apg. LPU went 10-17 overall last season witha conference mark of 6-12. The Warriors' roster includes nine upperclassmen. Life Pacific is coached by Tim Cook, who is in his fifth year at the school.

TICKETS:UNLV men's basketball season ticket pricing has been adjusted for the 2022-23 season, with affordability and family-friendly value at the forefront of the changes. Tickets may be purchased online at

, on the phone by calling 702-739-FANS (3267) or in person at the Thomas & Mack Center Box Office.

PROMOTIONS:UNLV Athletics is offering the Turkey Ticket Trio - Fans can get tickets to three games on Saturday for a big-time savings and one low price. Each Turkey Ticket Trio includes a ticket to the UNLV women's basketball's Thanksgiving Tournament (9 a.m. or 11:15 a.m.), UNLV football vs. UNR (3 p.m.) and Runnin' Rebel Basketball vs. Life Pacific (7:30 p.m.). In addition to the tickets, each Turkey Ticket Trio comes with a chicken finger basket to be enjoyed at the Thomas & Mack Center on Saturday. The package has a value of over $110, but is available for just $42. Deadline to purchase is Friday, Nov. 25 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

BROADCAST INFO:Saturday's game will be broadcast on the Mountain West Network with Tony Cordasco and former Runnin' Rebel Mark Dickel calling the action. Jon Sandler and former Runnin' Rebel Curtis Terry will handle the UNLV radio call, which may be heard live on ESPN Radio 1100 in Las Vegas. All streaming links and live stats are available at

and through the UNLV Rebels App.

LAST SEASON:The Runnin' Rebels turned in a successful season in 2021-22, their first under head coach Kevin Kruger, winning 18 games, which marked the most for UNLV in four years. The team went 10-8 in Mountain West play, exceeding preseason expectations with a fifth-place finish in the league standings. With a revamped roster that included nine transfers, the team continually improved as the season progressed, advancing 43 spots in the KenPom ratings along the way. Under Kruger's leadership, three UNLV individuals earned All-Mountain West accolades last season: Bryce Hamilton (First Team), Donovan Williams (Sixth Man of the Year) and Royce Hamm Jr. (Honorable Mention).