Wolf Pack’s turnovers, fouls doom team in 68-62 loss to UNLV in Vegas

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (Wolf Pack Athletics) — The University of Nevada Men’s Basketball team dropped their sixth contest of the season Saturday evening, falling to UNLV by a final score of 68-62

After the loss, Nevada now holds an overall record of 16-6 this season, including a mark of 6-3 in Mountain West play.

Senior guard Jarod Lucas led the Pack in scoring, dropping 15 points on 4-10 shooting from the field, 2-3 from behind the arc, and 5-5 at the free throw line. Lucas also recorded two steals throughout the contest.

Kenan Blackshear scored 14 points on the night, in addition to recording six assists, pulling down five rebounds, and tallying two steals. Blackshear surpassed the 100-assist mark for the season in the contest, as the senior has now recorded 102 assists across 22 games this year.

Freshman forward Darrion Williams had another impressive performance for Nevada, scoring 13 points on 4-7 shooting from the field and 3-7 from behind the arc. Williams also pulled down four rebounds and the freshman finished the contest with a plus/minus of +2 in 27 minutes of action.

Will Baker had a solid outing on the glass for the Pack, reaching double figures in rebounding in a game for the first time this season, as the redshirt junior pulled down a game-high 10 boards in the contest.

First Half

After falling behind 2-0 a minute and a half into the game, Nevada responded with a quick 6-0 run to build a four-point advantage for the Pack with 16:25 left in the first half.

The run began with a Williams corner 3-pointer, followed by a tough bucket in the lane from Blackshear and then a made free throw by Lucas.

The Rebels managed to trim Nevada’s lead to one just 24 seconds later, however, Baker made a phenomenal no-look pass to find an open Tre Coleman in the paint who proceeded to finish a difficult layup while being fouled, going on to convert the and-one opportunity.

UNLV hit two free throws on their next possession; but, Blackshear scored another bucket in the paint, as Nevada held an 11-7 advantage with 13:37 to go in the first period.

UNLV then reeled off a 22-8 run over the next six-and-a-half minutes to create a 25-15 lead for the Rebels.

The two squads each scored five points apiece over the next two minutes, as Nevada continued to trail by 10 with 5:14 left in the half before beginning to heat up on offense.

Darrion Williams drained his second 3-pointer of the half to cut the deficit to seven before Tyler Powell hit a second consecutive triple for Nevada, trimming the UNLV lead to just four.

The Rebels scored on the other end; but, Lucas drilled the third straight shot from behind the arc for the Pack, as they trailed by just three points with 2:31 go before the break.

Nevada outscored UNLV 4-3 over the remainder of the first period, entering halftime facing a 33-35 deficit.

Second Half

Baker finished a layup at the rim on Nevada’s first possession of the second half, as the Pack tied the game at 35 apiece.

Darrion Williams then drained his third 3-pointer of the contest on Nevada’s next possession, giving the Pack a three-point advantage, which marked their first lead since there was 13:12 left in the first half.

After the Rebels made a lone free throw, Williams knocked down two shots at the line, increasing Nevada’s lead to four.

UNLV made a 3-pointer on the other end, however, Nevada freshman Nick Davidson made two free throws, as the Pack held a three-point advantage.

Another Rebel 3-pointer tied the contest at 42 points apiece, however, two more made free throws by

Davidson regained the lead for Nevada, as the Pack owned a 44-42 lead with 14:47 remaining in the game.

UNLV then ripped off a 14-5 run in just over five minutes of game time to turn a two-point deficit into a seven-point advantage over Nevada with 9:26 to go.

The Pack battled back, putting together an 8-0 run to retake the lead, as they held a 57-56 advantage over UNLV with just 6:19 left.

Blackshear sparked the run for the Pack, finishing a layup through significant contact before Lucas hit two free throws followed by a mid-range jumper. Williams then made a brilliant spin move to get by his defender on Nevada’s next possession, proceeding to finish at the rim while drawing a foul to give Nevada the lead.

UNLV took the lead 37 seconds later on a layup and they would not relinquish it for the remainder of the contest, as Nevada was held scoreless over the final four minutes of play, going on to fall to the Rebels, 68-62.

Notable Stats:

• Nevada shot 55.5 percent from behind the arc in the first half, and 41.2 percent from distance for the game.
• The Pack knocked down 15-17 shots at the free throw line.
• Nevada outrebounded UNLV, 37-35.
• Tre Coleman finished the game with a team-high plus/minus of +5 for the Pack
• Afer dishing out six assists in the game, Kenan Blackshear has now recorded 102 assists this season.

Up Next

Nevada will return home to face San Diego State at Lawlor Events Center this Tuesday night at 8pm.

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