First season of Josh Pastner era at UNLV ends in NIT loss to Tulsa
Derek Hegna
Host · Writer
With that, Josh Pastner’s first season at the helm of the UNLV men’s basketball team has come to a close.
On Sunday, the unseeded Rebels bowed out of the National Invitation Tournament with a 77-66 loss to top-seeded Tulsa Golden Hurricane at Reynolds Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Junior and first-team Mountain West point guard and Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn paced the Rebels on offense once again with 29 points. Freshmen Tyrin Jones and Isaac Williamson also contributed with 18 and 10 points, respectively.
However, the shorthanded Rebels could not compete Tulsa physically, being doubled up in rebounds 54-25, including 23-8 on offensive boards. UNLV also was not as efficient as offense as they would have liked, marked by a 23 percent success rate on three-point shots.
The Rebels did hold their own in some areas, however, primarily on defense. UNLV forced Tulsa to turn the ball over 14 times, including nine steals and four blocks; senior forward Kimani Hamilton lead the way with four steals.
The Rebels officially close the book on the 2025-26 campaign with a 18-17 record, which showed some promise later on in the year despite injuries and inconsistency.
UNLV now waits for the tipoff of next season, with Mountain West realignment and the transfer portal creating the potential for a wide-open conference for Pastner to try and take control of in year two.
