UNLV basketball game canceled after on-campus shooting

Wednesday’s scheduled basketball game between UNLV and Dayton was canceled in the wake of a shooting on the former’s Nevada campus earlier in the day. 

The game was supposed to tip off at 9 p.m. at University of Dayton Arena in Ohio, but shortly before 4:30 p.m., the school announced that the contest had been called off after at least three people were injured in the shooting.

“Due to the tragic events unfolding on UNLV’s campus, tonight’s men’s basketball contest between UNLV and the University of Dayton will not be played,” Dayton announced in a post on X. “Further information will be released when available.  We ask that our fans keep the UNLV community in their thoughts and prayers.” 

In a similar message of solidarity with the UNLV community, University of Dayton President Dr. Eric Spina issued a statement offering his sympathies over the on-campus shooting. 

“Our hearts go out to the entire UNLV community as they deal with this tragedy,” Dr. Spina wrote on X. “We pray for healing and strength for UNLV students, faculty, and staff, along with the first responders and their entire community. UD stands ready to support UNLV personnel who’ve traveled to Dayton.”

The game would have been UNLV’s seventh game of the 2023-24 season. 

Per the Dayton Daily News, Dayton athletic director Neil Sullivan got a call from UNLV head coach Kevin Kruger before speaking with athletic director Erick Harper.

“It was a brief conversation, and he said they were unable to play for all the reasons you could imagine,” Sullivan said, per the outlet. “I said, ‘I understand, and we would connect at the appropriate time on what it means moving forward,’ I just offered our support to them.”

UNLV campus police responded to reports of shots fired just before noon local time in Beam Hall, which is near the Lee Business School. 

The university alerted students and faculty of the situation in a post on X. 

“This is not a test,” the university wrote. “RUN-HIDE-FIGHT.”

Las Vegas police confirmed one suspect is dead.