The Runnin’ Rebels look to bounce back against Pacific

The UNLV Runnin’ Rebels (4-4) look to defeat the Pacific Tigers (5-6) on Saturday night in the Jack Jones Classic, which will be held at the Lee Family Forum in Henderson, Nevada.

The classic will also include Bradley Braves vs. Santa Clara Broncos and VCU Rams vs. Colorado State Rams.

The Runnin’ Rebels will play their second game in the last two weeks.

After three consecutive defeats against No. 25 Mississippi State, Northwestern and Creighton look to get the Rebels back on their feet against Pacific.

The Runnin’ Rebels will continue to rely on the team’s leading scorer, Dedan Thomas, Jr., who averages 16.8 points per game. Thomas and Jeremiah Cherry, who averages nearly 12 points per game, will have to do their best to beat the Tigers.

The key for the Runnin’ Rebels is to get off to a good start and maintain momentum throughout the game, something they have failed to do at times.

As for the Pacific Tigers, they also come into this matchup on a losing streak, losing to Colorado (75-66) and Illinois State (72-61). The Tigers are led by Elias Ralph averaging 17.3 points per game and Elijah Fisher averaging 16.8 points per game. Ralph also leads the team in rebounds, averaging 8.0 points per game.

In their loss to Illinois State, the Tigers got off to a fast start but couldn’t keep up with the Redbirds. The Tigers immediately ran into foul trouble in the first half.

In the last meeting between the two teams, Pacific won 74:66 on December 18, 2019. UNLV leads the series 1-2.

The meeting time is Saturday evening, December 13th at 7:30pm PST.