Late in the first half of UNLV’s 72-65 win over New Mexico State, sophomore point guard D.J. Thomas went airborne. After picking up a steal in the backcourt, Thomas raced ahead of the pack and rose up for a dunk — the first dunk of his collegiate career.

Jai’Den Thomas ran for 135 yards and the go-ahead touchdown late in the third quarter to help No. 23 UNLV keep its conference title hopes alive with a 27-16 victory over San Jose State.

Hill is now averaging 3.5 steals per game on the young season, good for third in the nation. New Mexico State plays a slow, deliberate offensive style, ranking near the bottom of the country in tempo. Look for UNLV to try to speed up the Aggies, with Hill playing a key role in that effort.

Coach Barry Odom's UNLV squad keeps checking off firsts in a breakthrough season for the Rebels. UNLV got into the AP poll for the first time ever in September, made the College Football Playoff rankings for the first time this week and heads into the stretch run with a chance of winning the first Mountain West title in school history.

The UNLV football team will play under the Friday night lights this week, needing a road victory at San Jose State in order to keep pace in the race for the Mountain West championship (7 p.m., FS1)

For the second consecutive week, San Jose State lost to a ranked opponent as the Spartans fell to No. 23 UNLV 27-16 on a rainy Friday night at CEFCU Stadium. UNLV scored 17 consecutive points to erase a 16-10 halftime deficit,