Bryce Dejean-Jones injury: UNLV guard leaves game with hamstring issue

Dejean-Jones limped off the court in the first half holding his right hamstring, and Rebels coach Dave Rice said Dejean-Jones “felt or heard a pop” and walked off the court in the middle of a play. He had played nine minutes in the game, scoring 10 points and grabbing three assists.

The 6’5 junior is considered one of the Rebels’ top 3-point shooters. He shot 34.7 percent from behind the arc last season and averaged 10.3 points per game, making him the leading returning scorer from last year’s 25-win team. The Rebels struggled without him Friday; they held a 13-point lead when he exited, and Rice said his team’s perimeter defense crumpled without Dejean-Jones. Dixie State was 8-of-19 from 3-point range.

Take away Dejean-Jones’ 2-of-3 from behind the 3-point line, and UNLV shot 6-of-22 from deep. Sophomore Daquan Cook played the most minutes in Dejean-Jones’ absence, and Cook finished with eight points, two rebounds and two steals in 29 minutes. His last-second three-point attempt to win the game was blocked.

UNLV was already young and not very deep before Dejean-Jones’ injury Friday. Cook was the only player off the bench to play more than 15 minutes.

Dejean-Jones broke his left hand during the preseason last year in October and was out for about four weeks, but he did not miss any games. He has no history of hamstring injuries.

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