AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (Interstat) — UNLV dominated Air Force 91-66 in a Mountain West men’s basketball game Saturday at Clune Arena. The Runnin’ Rebels used a 57-point second half to pull away after leading 34-31 at halftime. UNLV shot 60% from the floor and forced 15 Falcons turnovers while committing only four. Howie Fleming recorded a triple-double for UNLV with 10 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Kimani Hamilton scored a game-high 27 points and Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn added 21. Kam Sanders led Air Force with 18 points. The Falcons fell to 3-24 overall. UNLV improved to 14-13.

AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (Interstat) — Howie Fleming recorded a triple-double and Kimani Hamilton scored a game-high 27 points as UNLV pulled away in the second half for a 91-66 victory over Air Force in Mountain West Conference men’s basketball on Saturday. The Runnin’ Rebels, who led by just three points at halftime, outscored the Falcons 57-35 after the break to turn a close game into a lopsided affair before an announced crowd of 1,519 at Clune Arena. Fleming, a guard from Louisville, Kentucky, finished with 10 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in 31 minutes, adding two blocks. His all-around performance anchored a dominant second-half surge that saw UNLV shoot a blistering 60% from the field after halftime. The triple-double was the first of his season and highlighted a bounce-back effort after scoring just nine points in a loss to Colorado State earlier in the week. Hamilton, a forward from Jackson, Mississippi, was the primary beneficiary of Fleming’s playmaking and the focal point of the UNLV offense. He was efficient from the floor, making 12 of his 19 shot attempts, and consistently punished the Falcons in the paint and in transition. Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn added 21 points for UNLV, which improved to 14-13 overall and moved above .500 for the first time since late January. The Runnin’ Rebels have now won three of their last four games. Air Force, which fell to 3-24, was led by guard Kam Sanders of Albany, Georgia, who had 18 points, eight rebounds and nine assists. Forward Lucas Hobin of Katy, Texas, added 19 points. The Falcons struggled mightily with ball security, committing 15 turnovers that led to 11 UNLV steals. They managed only two assists as a team against those 15 giveaways. The game’s decisive stretch came early in the second half. Leading 34-31 at intermission, UNLV opened the final period with a 19-7 run over the first six minutes. The surge was fueled by stifling defense and quick offense, with Hamilton scoring eight points during the burst, including a dunk off a Fleming assist that pushed the lead to 53-38 and forced an Air Force timeout. The Falcons never recovered. UNLV’s defensive pressure, which generated a season-high 11 steals, consistently disrupted Air Force’s offensive sets. The Falcons shot just 39.7% for the game and a paltry 36.4% from three-point range. Meanwhile, UNLV operated with precision, committing only four turnovers while assisting on 11 of its 36 made field goals. Their offensive rating of 133.5 on 68 possessions underscored a highly efficient performance. Beyond the starring roles of Fleming and Hamilton, UNLV received significant contributions from its bench. Forward Tyrin Jones of Las Vegas provided a first-half spark with 12 points and six rebounds in just 13 minutes, helping the Rebels maintain a narrow lead when the starters encountered foul trouble. Forward Jacob Bannarbie of Anchorage, Alaska, chipped in nine points. For Air Force, the loss extended a trying season. The Falcons have now lost 10 consecutive games and 21 of their last 22. Center Wesley Celichowski of Georgetown, Indiana, scored eight points. The victory completed a season sweep for UNLV, which defeated Air Force 67-39 in Las Vegas on Jan. 3. The Runnin’ Rebels will look to continue their improved form when they visit Grand Canyon on Wednesday. Air Force will try to halt its skid when it hosts San Jose State on Tuesday. UNLV entered the game as a heavy favorite, with national statistical models giving them a 93.5% probability to win. The Rebels covered the pregame spread of 15.5 points, and the total score of 157 landed over the over/under line of 152.5.

AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (Interstat) — A surging scorer meets a struggling squad when UNLV visits Air Force in a Mountain West Conference men’s basketball game Saturday at Clune Arena. The UNLV Runnin’ Rebels (13-13, 7-6 MW) enter at .500, seeking consistency as the regular season winds down. They are coming off a 91-86 home loss to Colorado State on Wednesday despite 31 points from guard Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn. Their recent results have been a mix of tight wins and narrow defeats, including an overtime victory at Boise State on Feb. 13. Gibbs-Lawhorn is the conference’s hottest player, averaging 28.6 points over his last seven games. He scored a career-high 36 in the win at Boise State and has topped 24 points in six of those contests. His backcourt production will be the focal point for a UNLV offense averaging 79.2 points per game. Conversely, the Air Force Falcons (3-23, 0-13) are mired in a 15-game losing streak and are still searching for their first conference win. They are allowing a league-worst 83.2 points per game and are coming off a 98-61 defeat at New Mexico on Tuesday. Their last win came on Dec. 21. Falcons guard Kam Sanders has been a bright spot, averaging 11.4 points and 4.6 assists per game. He recorded a double-double with 10 points and 11 assists at Fresno State on Feb. 14. The Rebels dominated the first meeting this season, routing Air Force 67-39 in Las Vegas on Jan. 3. UNLV has won 12 of the last 13 matchups. For UNLV, a win is crucial to maintain positioning in the upper half of the Mountain West standings. For Air Force, the game represents another opportunity to break a months-long skid in front of their home crowd. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. EST.