LAS VEGAS – Despite three players tallying double-digit points, it wouldn't be enough for the Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team to overcome NCAA Division I University of Nevada at Las Vegas Rebels as they fell 73-97 in an exhibition contest at the Tarkanian Court on Friday night.

"Tonight was a pretty cool experience for us," head coach Mick Durham said on Friday. "UNLV is a really athletic and long team. We kind of ran out of gas in the last 15 minutes and we couldn't make it to the free throw line. This was a good learning experience for us and it's a good baseline to kick-off the season, we're excited to see where we can go from here."

Junior transfer Amenofis Mitchell made quite the statement in his unofficial Alaska Nanooks debut, as his three-point shot at the 15:56 mark of the first half gave the Nanooks their first lead of the game 10-9. Mitchell led all Alaska players with 13 points on the night, shooting 6-for-11 from the field with one assist and one steal.

Following Mitchell's lead, sophomore transfer Jalon McCullough tallied 11 points, showing 4-for-6 from the field, including going 3-for-5 from behind the arc. The Fairbanks native also tallied three assists and one rebound in 23 minutes on the court.

Sophomore forward Michael Kluting was the only other Alaska player to tally double-digit points on Friday night, as the Palmer, Alaska native shot 4-for-12 from the floor to register 10 points.

The Nanooks played with a lead from Mitchell's good three-point shot until the Rebels were able to tie the game at 16-16 at the 12:56 mark. The Nooks tallied back-to-back three-pointers to take a 22-20 lead at the 11:53 mark before going on a five-point run and continuing their lead until UNLV tied the game back at 32-32 at 5:07. The home team carried their momentum into intermission, leading the Nanooks 37-42 after 20 minutes.

The first half saw six lead changes and four tie scores with the Nanooks registering 10 points in the paint, six points off of second chances, two points off of fast breaks and two points off of turnovers. UNLV dominated the key with 22 points in the paint and outdoing the Nanooks in fast-break points with nine.

The Nooks came out hot in the second half, as junior transfer Davis Kimble registered a three-pointer within the first 20 seconds to pull it to 40-42 and continued onward with a six-point run to tie the game once more at 46-46 at 16:14. Momentum shifted quickly in favor of the home team, as UNLV went on a 15-point run within three minutes to take a 62-46 lead. Despite their best efforts, Alaska wasn't able to come back as the Rebels sealed their victory at 73-97.

The Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team officially opens the 2017-18 season on Friday, Nov. 10 as they take on Chaminade University at the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC)/PacWest Crossover Tournament, hosted by Alaska Anchorage. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30pm AKT.

For more information on the Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team, follow @NanooksMBB on Twitter or like the Alaska Nanooks page on Facebook.