What a win: UNLV basketball beats No. 8 Creighton

Wade Vandervort

UNLV Rebels forward Karl Jones (22) reacts after his team scores against the Creighton Bluejays during the second half of a college basketball game at The Dollar Loan Center in Henderson Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023.

By Ray Brewer (contact)

Published Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023 | 7:48 p.m.

Updated 0 milliseconds ago

UNLV’s Kalib Boone dribbled his way toward the basket late in the second half tonight against Creighton, muscling through contact from the defender for a shot attempt.

As the ball was rattling around the rim, Boone started looking away and flexing. He knew the shot was good, and made the ensuing free throw for the 3-point play.

It was that kind of night for the Rebels, who took down the nation’s eighth-ranked team with a convincing 79-64 victory for arguably a season-saving win.

The Rebels, who have been plagued by poor defense through the initial seven games of the season, answered the bell against one of the nation’s best scoring teams in limiting Creighton to 40% shooting and just 8 of 28 on 3-pointers.

“By far our best defensive performance of the year,” said coach Kevin Kruger, whose team had a 15-point loss to Southern on its resume and gave up 78 four days ago in falling to Loyola Marymount.

But tonight was different, especially with the Boone brothers — yes brothers — leading the way. Kalib’s twin, Keylan, was cleared by the NCAA for his initial UNLV action hours before tipoff and responded with 10 points and six rebounds.

“I was living in the moment,” Keylan Boone said. “I wanted to help the guys I have been practicing with every day. They are hard workers.”

Kalib Boone was surely inspired by his brother’s return, rising to the occasion of competing against Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner — a likely NBA pick — with 25 points and seven rebounds.

The sequence that led to Kalib Boone’s 3-point play started on the defensive end when he dove for a loose ball against Creighton’s Baylor Scheierman and passed it up court. But before racing to the other end, Kalib Boone stopped and helped Scheierman off the floor.

As the game got deeper and an upset seemed near, the UNLV faithful at the Dollar Loan Center in Henderson got louder. The players fed off the energy in realizing the role they were playing in helping the university community heal after an active shooter last week on campus killed three professors and injured another.

“Proud and happy (for the players),” Kruger said. “The things they have dealt with — injuries and availability — from them to come out and get this type of win against a top-10 team, they deserve it.”

UNLV improves to 4-4 on the season and appears to have momentum on its side heading into another notable game 4 p.m. Saturday in Phoenix against St. Mary’s. 

The roster overhaul in the offseason that yielded a lineup many projected to be strong enough to reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time in a decade certainly played like a team worthy of making a March run.

That includes freshman point guard DJ Thomas. 

Thomas, a prized recruit who graduated early to join the program, had 16 points and nine assists. It was the perfect balance of facilitating the offense and being a little selfish in looking to score.

Thomas buried a pair of 3-pointers midway through the first half to help UNLV build an eight-point halftime lead. Thomas said his confidence was boosted by Keylan Boone.

After Thomas missed a potential game-winning shot Saturday against Loyola Marymount, he said it was Keylan Boone who kept his spirits up on the bus. The Boones are playing in their fifth collegiate seasons; Thomas just logged his eighth collge game when he could easily still be dominating for local power Liberty High.

“He kept my head up. Keylan is always positive,” Thomas said.

The win could be considered the most notable in Kruger’s three-year coaching tenure considering Creighton’s ranking. It’s also one of the most meaningful considering the rocky start, where Keylan Boone wasn’t initially cleared and Oklahoma-transfer Jalen Hill suffered a wrist injury requiring surgery.

Tonight might wind up being a preview to things to come for the program. And if you ask Creighton coach Greg McDermott, the Rebels certainly played better than a team fighting to reach a .500 record.

“UNLV played great,” McDermott said. “They controlled the tempo better than any team we played.”