The UNLV Runnin' Rebels proved to be too much for the Wyoming Cowboys, as they pulled away in the second half for an 62-50 victory at the Thomas and Mack Center Thursday night in Las Vegas. UNLV shot 48.8 percent from the field and had a key scoring run in the second half that allowed them to take control of the game.

After a Derrious Gilmore jumper trimmed the UNLV lead to 35-31, a quick 12-2 spurt over a 3-minute stretch by the Rebels saw them extend to a 47-33 lead with 12:13 left. Wyoming cut the deficit to 9 points at 51-42, but that's as close as the Pokes got.

UNLV (16-4, 3-2) was led by Anthony Bennett with 17 points. Quintrell Thomas came off the bench and provided a lift with 13 points, while Anthony Marshall scored 12 and dished out 9 assists. The Rebels were 21-43 from the field, which included 7-15 (46.7%) from 3-point range. They also went 13-15 (86.7%) from the foul line and out-rebounded the Cowboys 34-20.

Wyoming (15-3, 2-3) got 16 points and a career-high 5 steals from Larry Nance, Jr. Leonard Washington finished with 13 points and 7 rebounds. UW shot 41.7 percent (20-48), but went just 3-16 (18.8%) from deep.

The Cowboys got off to the type of start needed in a hostile environment like the Thomas and Mack Center. UW held an early 10-5 lead 5 minutes into the game, thanks to 8 points from Nance. Then, the Rebels answered with a pair of 3's from Marshall and one from Mike Moser for an 18-15 advantage and never trailed after that.

UNLV extended to a 8-point lead, but Wyoming hung tough behind 14 points from Nance and trailed 29-25 at halftime. Six Rebel turnovers also allowed the Pokes to stay close.

This was the 11th consecutive home win for UNLV over the Cowboys.

Wyoming returns to action Saturday when they host Air Force at the Arena-Auditorium. Game time is set for 8 p.m. You can listen to Cowboy basketball on Y95 Country, as the coverage will begin at 7:30 p.m. Cowboy Talk, with host David Settle, will follow the conclusion of the broadcast.

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