LAS VEGAS—Tre’Von Willis had 13 points to lead UNLV over Air Force 49-42 on Tuesday night in the lowest-scoring game of the season for both teams.
Willis went 9 of 10 from the free-throw line. He also had four rebounds and four assists.
The Rebels (19-7, 7-5 Mountain West) held the Falcons (13-11, 4-7) scoreless for 13:27 in the second half and to 19 points in that session.
Derek Brooks and Michael Lyons each led Air Force with 12 points. Brooks added seven rebounds
Oscar Bellfield added eight points and Carlos Lopez had seven for UNLV.
Both teams struggled from the field with UNLV going 14 of 42 (33 percent) while Air Force was 16 of 44 (36 percent). From 3-point range, the Rebels were 2 of 14, and the Falcons were 6 of 24.
Air Force led 28-24 with 17:30 remaining, but did not score again until Tom Fow hit two free throws with 4:03 left. UNLV only scored 13 points in that span and its biggest lead was 37-28. After Fow’s free throws, Brooks connected on consecutive 3-pointers, cutting it to 37-36 with 2:55 left. The Rebels then ran off the next five points to pull away.
UNLV was 19 of 27 from the free-throw line while Air Force was 4 of 7. UNLV had a 36-27 rebounding edge.
The Rebels’ offense equaled the performance in a 55-49 at No. 6 San Diego State on Jan. 12. Air Force’s previous low was 52 twice, including a 64-52 home loss to UNLV on Jan. 15.
The Falcons jumped to a 9-2 lead, their largest of the game. UNLV came back to gain a 22-18 edge, but Air Force scored the half’s last five points, including Lyons’ 3-pointer from the right corner with 2 seconds left for a 23-22 advantage.
