LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — It's a Happy New Year to the Runnin' Rebels after successfully fend off Carroll College in the holiday game.
The team now ends 2023 with an 87-51 win at home against Carroll College.
All this week they've been talking about establishing an identity of being a tough defensive team, and they showed that on NYE.
The Runnin' Rebels held Carroll to just 29% shooting in the first half would later go on a 15-0 run and they never looked back.
Five players scored in double digits today with Justin Webster leading the team with 16 points.
The Runnin Rebels improve to 6-5 on the season.
After the game head coach Kevin Kruger says they feel like they are finding their game at the right time.
"We talked of that Identity of being....you know what are people saying about us," Kruger said. "I thought for the first three or four weeks of the season, we just didn't really have one. If anything, our Identity was being Inconsistent. I thought In the last handful of weeks, we've done a good job of really just putting an emphasis on sitting down defensively, guarding the ball and understanding that a lot of good things happen not only on the defensive end, but on the offensive end too when you do a good job of that and make that your focus."
The Runnin' Rebels will have one more non-conference game before they start taking on their Mountain West rivals.
They will be back at home to take on Bethesda University Tuesday at 1p.m.
