The Nevada Men’s Basketball team’s four-game winning streak came to an end on Saturday after a difficult road defeat at Utah State; However, the Pack will try to make a big comeback at home on Tuesday when they play San Jose State at the Lawlor Events Center at 7 p.m.
The Pack is coming off a tough road loss to Utah State, where they lost 66-75 to the Aggies after their offense let them down in the final 20 minutes and gave up a 15-point halftime lead.
When Nevada takes on San José State on Tuesday night, the Pack will be looking to get back in the win column and keep their perfect home record, which stands at 13-0 this season at the Lawlor Events Center.
Nevada defeated the Spartans by a decisive score of 67-40 in the first meeting between the two teams earlier this season.
In the first game, Nevada was outstanding on defense, holding SJSU to just 40 points on an embarrassing 33.3 percent field goal percentage and 25% from behind the arc.
The Pack had allowed the fewest points in a game since 2008, when they gave up 40 against Nevada.
Nevada also went on their biggest run of the season in the game, going on an incredible 25-0 run in the last 9:41 of the first half, which helped the Pack defeat the Spartans in a close game.
In the first game against San José State, Nevada had eight players score at least three points, led by redshirt freshman Nick Davidson, who had one of his best performances ever. Davidson pulled down a career-high nine rebounds in addition to scoring a game-high 15 points on 6-12 shooting from the field and 2-5 from behind the arc. In a career-high 27 minutes of action, he posted a plus/minus of +36, a game-high.
In the first game against the Spartans, Jarod Lucas and Kenan Blackshear also scored in the double digits, scoring 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Nevada outrebounded San José State 42-31 on the glass, forcing the Spartans into 20 turnovers, and Nevada also dominated the glass. Nevada put on an outstanding performance overall, outscoring San José State 36-16 in the paint.
Last Time Out The Pack will enter the second game against the Spartans having lost to Utah State by nine points.
Will Baker scored 25 points for the Pack against the Aggies on 7-13 shooting, 6-8 from behind the arc, and 5-6 from the free throw line. Baker set a new career high by making six 3-pointers. The redshirt junior scored 22 points in a row over the first 4:53 of the game, going 7-7 from the field and 6-6 from behind the arc. He had an incredible start to the game.
Baker now ranks third in the Mountain West in field goal percentage (56.4%), fourth in free throw percentage (83.9%), and 12th in points per game (14.0 PPG) following his outstanding offensive performance.
This season, Baker has played flawlessly at home, scoring 17.7 points per game on 68.1 percent shooting from the field and 40 percent shooting from behind the arc in 12 home games for the Pack. He also averages 5.6 boards per game.
In the game against Utah State, Kenan Blackshear also scored in double figures with 14 points and a team-high six assists. Blackshear has now scored in the double digits in 18 consecutive games and has tossed at least three assists in seven consecutive games and in 25 of the 27 games this season.
In a wide range of distinct statistical categories, Blackshear maintains its position among the top 15 schools in the Mountain West. He currently ranks second in the conference for assists per game (4.8 APG), sixth for steals per game (1.6 SPG), eighth for points per game (14.8 PPG), eighth for field goal percentage (45.6%), and 10th for free throw percentage (78.5%).
At Utah State, Jarod Lucas’ streak of 25 games in which he reached double figures came to an end. He still leads the conference in a number of offensive statistical categories this season, though.
Lucas is second in the league for made 3-pointers (71), free throw percentage (85.9%), points per game (17.3 PPG), 3-point field goal percentage (39.7%), and field goal percentage (41.1%).
Darrion Williams, a freshman, put on another impressive all-around performance against Utah State. He scored nine points on 4-7 shooting from the field and 1-3 from behind the arc. He also grabbed 11 rebounds, which was a game-high, and added two blocks. Williams has now overshadowed twofold figures in bouncing back in nine games for the Pack this season, and he has driven Nevada in bouncing back in 14 challenges this year.
Williams is currently fifth in the league in rebounds per game, averaging 7.3 per game, and he continues to rank near the top of the conference in rebounding this season. Williams also has the ninth-highest average of 1.4 steals per game in the league.
Nevada held Utah State, one of the nation’s best 3-point shooting teams, to just 25% from behind the arc throughout the game, despite losing to the Aggies. Nevada also put together a strong defensive effort.
This season, the Pack’s defense is still among the top five in many categories in the Mountain West. Nevada is second in the conference when it comes to opponent field goal percentage (42.0 percent), fourth when it comes to opponent points per game (66.8 PPG), fourth when it comes to forced turnovers (345), fourth when it comes to defensive rebounding (26.2 per game), fifth when it comes to opponent 3-point field goal percentage (32.9 percent), and fifth when it comes to steals per game (6.0 SPG).
Nevada will attempt to achieve a perfect record at home for the entire season for just the third time in the program’s history on Tuesday night, defeating a talented and deep San Jose State team to move to 14-0 at Lawlor Events Center and earn their 21st victory of the season.
Scouting San José State: San José State has a record of 16-11 overall and 7-7 in Mountain West play heading into Tuesday’s matchup.
The Spartans have been faultless on the glass this season, as they lead the gathering in consolidated group bounce back (37.7 RPG) and hostile bouncing back, pulling down 11.9 hostile sheets per game.
This season, San José State has performed admirably on the defensive side of the court. They are sixth in the Mountain West in terms of opponent points per game (67.3 PPG), fourth in terms of opponent 3-point field goal percentage (34.9%), and sixth overall.
Omari Moore, one of the best players in the Mountain West, is in charge of San José State on an individual level. In terms of assists per game, Moore is first in the conference with 4.9 APG and fourth in the league with 17.0 PPG. This season, he has made 43.5 percent of his attempts at field goals and 34.3 percent of his attempts at 3-pointers. Moore has scored more than 20 points in ten games this year and led SJSU in scoring in 16 games.
The Spartans have had contributions from a wide range of players this season, with seven different players averaging at least 5.6 points per game. This is in addition to Moore.
If Nevada wants to get back into the win column and keep their perfect record at the Lawlor Events Center this season, they will need to keep the Spartans off the offensive glass and put on another outstanding defensive performance against San José State, which is athletic and powerful.
History of the Series: Nevada and San José State have played each other 65 times, with Nevada winning the series 50-15.
