There’s only one thing UNLV forward Jalen Hill didn’t believe his teammate Dedan Thomas Jr. could accomplish on the basketball floor, and it’s going to cost him a steak dinner.

Thomas found himself ahead of the pack late in the first half and flashed a big smile as he started to measure his dribbles and steps toward the rim.

“I got the ball and thought I saw someone chasing me to block it, so I was like, ‘Yeah, I have to go dunk this,’” Thomas said.

The first slam of his collegiate career highlighted the Rebels’ 72-65 win over New Mexico State on Saturday at the Thomas & Mack Center.

A preseason discussion between Hill and Thomas resulted in the promise of the meal should Thomas throw one down in a game this season. Hill may not be the only one on the hook.

“He never shows that he can dunk at practice,” Hill laughed. “It’s exciting, because for a guy that doesn’t really dunk to get his first one, a lot of people owe him stuff.”

While the above-the-rim moment was a departure from the norm, it was business as usual otherwise for the sophomore point guard, who was once again the catalyst for much of what UNLV (4-1) was able to accomplish in a game in which it struggled from the field for long stretches.

He finished with 22 points, five rebounds and four assists as the Rebels held off the Aggies (3-2) in a physical affair that featured 50 fouls and a combined 33.3 percent shooting effort from the field.

Thomas got to the free-throw line 19 times and made 13 of the attempts.

“We knew they were a physical team, so I tried to use that aggression against them,” he said. “Just drawing fouls and trying to get to the line as much as possible.”

UNLV led by as many as nine points midway through the second half only to allow the Aggies to hang around. Julian Rishwain hit a pair of 3-pointers to help keep them at bay for a while, but they eventually grabbed a brief lead that proved to be short-lived.

New Mexico State used a late 6-0 run to take a 63-62 lead with 4:08 remaining, but UNLV got the ball inside to Jeremiah “Bear” Cherry for a dunk to recapture the lead for good.

Thomas got to the rim and was fouled in a one-point game with 2:22 remaining and made both free throws. The Aggies wouldn’t score again, as UNLV tightened up defensively down the stretch, forcing New Mexico State to miss its final six shots and eight of their last nine.

UNLV led 37-34 at halftime despite a miserable shooting performance from the field.

After a three-point play by Thomas in the opening minute, the Rebels missed their next eight shots and 13 of their next 15 as they went more than seven minutes without a basket from the floor.

They were able to stay in the game largely because of their defense and ability to get to the free-throw line. UNLV held the Aggies to 31.3 percent shooting in the first half and got into the bonus with more than 14 minutes remaining, going 20-for-23 from the line before the break.

“It just shows we’re really gutsy,” Hill said. “We didn’t shoot well, but we got to the free-throw line and got rebounds when we needed them.”

Eight New Mexico State players had two fouls in the first 20 minutes.

The Rebels did get hot toward the end of a first half that saw Thomas record 15 points and three assists while UNLV shot just 29.2 percent from the field.

None were more memorable than the ones scored by Thomas on the breakaway with 3:06 remaining in the first half.

Coach Kevin Kruger had more faith than Hill.

“I didn’t know if he was going to dunk or not, but I do know he can,” Kruger laughed. “I have seen it before.”

After the Thomas dunk brought the entire bench to its feet in celebration, he threw a lob to Cherry on a break that he finished with a highlight-reel jam and a foul. The three-point play completed a 7-0 run that put the Rebels up 37-30.

“A dunk isn’t always worth only two points,” Kruger said. “Sometimes it gets your team going, and I thought it did for us.”

Cherry finished with 10 points and eight rebounds, and Hill had 16 points and nine boards.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.