Las Vegas, NV – Freshman Anthony Bennett put forth another solid performance, finishing with 16 points, eight rebounds and three blocks to help 24th-ranked UNLV to a 77-63 decision over Hawaii to close out a six- game homestand.
Savon Goodman followed with 13 points and seven rebounds off the bench, while Katin Reinhardt and Mike Moser contributed with 10 points apiece in the Runnin' Rebels (5-1) third straight victory.
"We did a terrific job building a lead," said UNLV coach Dave Rice. "We shared the ball and defensively we were good the entire game."
Christian Standhardinger scored 16 of his 27 points during a strong second half for Hawaii (4-2), but they were unable to come all the way back in its first road contest of the season.
Vander Joaquim tallied 12 points and nine rebounds in the defeat.
Quintrell Thomas, who scored nine for the game, contributed five points to a 13-0 UNLV flurry early in the first half, putting them on top 23-8.
The Rainbow Warriors couldn't get out of their own way, turning the ball over 12 times in the first half. An 11-2 spurt from the Rebels put them ahead 42-17 with 5:02 to play before they took a 49-27 advantage into the intermission.
However, Hawaii made a push in second half, using an 8-0 run to cut the Rebels' lead to 53-42. A pair of free throws by Joaquim made it an eight-point ball game with 6:03 to go, but three's from Reinhardt and Justin Hawkins gave UNLV a 67-54 edge less than a minute later.
Joaquim knocked down a three and then made two free throws to bring Hawaii to within eight again, but the Rainbow Warriors missed their final seven shots. Reinhardt then sank four free throws down the stretch to put the game out of reach.
Game Notes
Hawaii turned the ball over 17 times for the game ... UNLV leads the all-time series 23-9 and has won each of the last five meetings ... Hawaii hasn't defeated UNLV since 2005.
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