LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The UNLV Runnin' Rebels are moving on in the National Invitation Tournament after a hard-fought back-and-forth game.
UNLV took down the Boston College Eagles 79-70, and the Thomas & Mack Center was rocking all game long.
"An unbelievable crowd, the best crowd of the year by a mile," said Runnin' Rebels head coach Kevin Kruger.
Big defensive stops led the way for UNLV Sunday night. The Runnin' Rebels had seven block and five steals in the game. The Boone brothers, Keylan and Kalib, came up with three blocks apiece in the win.
"We've been a defensive team. We've done a really good job on guarding people and tonight, especially in the second half, to hold a good shooting team to 41 percent and 31 percent from three, knowing that would be the difference," Kruger said.
"Those guys are going to make tough shots. They're shooters; every one is going to hit tough shots, but we were able to limit the easy ones and make them make tough ones all night, and that's what we did," said UNLV guard Justin Webster.
Offensively, the Runnin' Rebels were hitting on all cylinders.
Star freshman Dedan Thomas Junior was commanding the offense, slicing and dicing his way to the cup all night long and knocking down some tough floaters.
He had 17 points and five assists while shooting 63% from the field.
In UNLV's first NIT game against Princeton, Dedan Thomas Junior had five turnovers, but in this Round 2 game against Boston College, the team as a whole had just one turnover and 17 assists.
This led the Runnin' Rebels to the 79-70 victory against the Eagles. This is the longest postseason run the Runnin' Rebels have had since 2007 when UNLV made it to the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Tournament.
The Runnin' Rebels will now head to New Jersey to take on their NIT region's top seed, Seton Hall. The game is scheduled for March 27 at 7 p.m.
