Nevada gets 98-54 win over William Jessup behind Blackshear’s triple-double, Davidson’s bench production

RENO, Nev. (Nevada Athletics) - Kenan Blackshear scored 12 points, pulled down 10 rebounds, and dished out 10 assists to secure the first triple-double by a Nevada men’s basketball player in 43 years, and the University of Nevada Men’s Basketball team drubbed William Jessup 98-54 on Tuesday evening.

The victory was a complete team performance, as five Wolf Pack players reached double digits in scoring, and nine different players recorded an assist.

The Pack maintained their exceptional start to the season on the defensive end of the court, holding William Jessup to just 33.3 percent shooting from the field and a paltry 25.8 percent from behind the arc.

Junior forward Tré Coleman was sensational on defense, limiting the Warriors’ leading scorer Cash Williams to 0 points on the night. Williams was averaging 22.8 points entering Tuesday night’s game.

Jarod Lucas and Nick Davidson led the Pack in scoring, as Lucas poured in a game-high 19 points on 6-12 shooting, including 5-10 from 3-point range, while Davidson scored a career-high 18 points, nearly going perfect from the field as he made eight of his nine shot attempts.

Nevada fell behind 2-0 to begin the game; but, that was the only time they would trail in the contest, as senior forward K.J. Hymes drilled a 3-pointer to give the Pack a lead that they would never relinquish.

The Wolf Pack took a 6-2 advantage just over three minutes in, and the Warriors were able to knock down a 3-point shot to trim the lead to one; however, Nevada went on a 15-3 run over the next six minutes of game time to take full control of the contest.

Nevada continued to expand their lead throughout the remainder of the first half, taking a 42-18 advantage into the break.

The Pack shot a stellar 53.8 percent from three in the first half, knocking down seven of their 13 attempts from deep, while holding William Jessup to 22.6 percent from the field and just 4-19 from behind the arc.

Jarod Lucas got things started for Nevada in the second half, knocking down his fourth 3-pointer of the contest on the Pack’s first possession of the period.

The Wolf Pack maintained at least a 23-point advantage over the first seven minutes of action in the half, before going on a 28-9 run to build a 44-point advantage with just over six minutes remaining in the game.

With just under four minutes to play and Blackshear sitting just one assist shy of becoming the first Wolf Pack player to achieve a triple-double since 1979, he drove to the middle of the lane and found Nick Davidson under the hoop. Davidson finished a tough layup while drawing a foul, as Blackshear accomplished the incredible feat.

Nevada went on to earn the 98-54 victory, winning their third consecutive game to start the season for just the fourth time in the past 15 years.

Notable Stats:

• Nevada outscored William Jessup by 42 points while Kenan Blackshear was on the court.
  
• The Pack were +5 in the turnover margin in the game.
  
• Nevada outrebounded William Jessup, 45-32.
  
• The Wolf Pack recorded an incredible 23 assists on 31 made field goals.
  
• Eight different Pack players scored at least six points.
  
• Nevada’s bench outscored William Jessup’s bench, 39-20.
  
• Tré Coleman had a career-high four blocks in the game, in addition to surpassing 100 made field goals for his career.
  
• Nevada forwards K.J. Hymes and Nick Davidson each finished the game 2-2 from behind the arc.
  
• The Pack led for over 38 minutes of the contest.
  

Up Next

Nevada will return to the court this Friday as they travel to Arlington, Texas to face UT-Arlington in their first road game of the season. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. (PT) at the College Park Center.

Single-Game Tickets on Sale Now

Single-game tickets for Nevada men’s basketball home contests are available at www.mynevadatickets.com. Fans may also purchase single-game tickets for the season by phone at 775-348-PACK (7225). Those who have questions or need assistance may also contact the ticket office by phone or by emailing wolfpackticketinfo@unr.edu.

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Follow Nevada Men’s Basketball on social media at @NevadaHoops (Twitter), @nevadahoops (Instagram), and on Facebook at @NevadaMBB

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