Eli Brooks scored a game-high 22 points late Friday night as No. 4 Michigan moved into the finals of the Roman Main Event in Las Vegas, dumping scrappy UNLV 74-61.
Hunter Dickinson added 13 points, seven rebounds and three assists, while Moussa Diabate kicked in 14 points for the Wolverines (3-1). They will play Arizona on Sunday night in the championship game after the Wildcats held off Wichita State 82-78 in overtime in Friday night’s first game.
Bryce Hamilton paced the Rebels (3-1) with 21 points but needed 23 shots to get there, making just nine. Michael Nuga and Donovan Williams each scored 12, but it wasn’t enough for UNLV to pull off the upset.
The Rebels hung around just about all night in a game that didn’t start until 10:01 Pacific time because the Memphis-Houston college football game ran long, but their lack of bench production killed them. Michigan enjoyed an 18-4 scoring advantage from its reserves, thanks mainly to Diabate.
UNLV was tied early in the second half and trailed by just 65-59 with 3:08 left after Nuga drove for a layup. However, the Wolverines went inside to Dickinson for a jump hook on the next trip, starting a game-ending 9-2 burst.
UNLV played Michigan toe-to-toe in an entertaining first half, coming up with a 3-pointer or a hustle play when it needed to in order to stay within striking distance.
Williams converted a transition layup just over 8 1/2 minutes into the game to pull the Rebels into a 15-15 tie, but the Wolverines came up with their best run of the half. They outscored UNLV 13-5 over the next five minutes, opening up an eight-point lead on Diabate’s layup.
But just when it appeared Michigan might pull away, the Rebels responded. Trailing 35-23 after two Caleb Houstan free throws with 2:57 left, UNLV rattled off the last nine points of the half. Hamilton drained a 3-pointer with three seconds left to pull it within 35-32 at intermission.
–Field Level Media
