McDaniels scores 16 to carry San Diego St. over UNLV 60-59

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Jalen McDaniels had 16 points, Matt Mitchell added 15 and San Diego State narrowly defeated UNLV 60-59 on Saturday night.

Mitchell made three free throws with 1:26 remaining to give the Aztecs a 60-58 lead, and Amauri Hardy split a pair of free throws with 1:02 left to cap the scoring. The Runnin’ Rebels had the final possession, but Nick Blair missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Watson added 13 points for San Diego State (18-9, 10-4 Mountain West Conference), which won its fifth straight game.

Noah Robotham had 18 points for UNLV (15-12, 9-6). Kris Clyburn added 15 points. Hardy had 11 points and nine rebounds. The Runnin’ Rebels’ 23 points in the first half were a season low for the team.

The Aztecs improve to 2-0 against the Runnin’ Rebels for the season. San Diego State defeated UNLV 94-77 on Jan. 26. San Diego State plays Utah State on the road on Tuesday. UNLV takes on Nevada on the road on Wednesday.