RENO, Nev. – Jarod Lucas and Will Baker scored 16 points apiece; Kenan Blackshear poured in 15 of his own; and, freshmen Nick Davidson and Darrion Williams chipped in 12 and 10 points, respectively, as the University of Nevada Men’s Basketball took down Colorado State 80-69, securing their fifth consecutive victory.
With the win, Nevada moved to 13-3 overall on the season, including perfect marks of 8-0 at home and 3-0 in Mountain West play.
As a team, Nevada had their most efficient offensive outing of the season, finishing the game with outstanding clips of 57.8 percent shooting from the field, 35.0 percent shooting from three, and 91.3 percent at the free throw line. The 57.8 percent shooting from the field marked the Pack’s best field goal percentage in a game this season.
Baker had another incredibly impactful outing on the offensive end of the court, scoring 16 points on a perfect 5-5 shooting from the field, 2-2 from behind the arc, and 4-4 at the free throw line. Baker also pulled down six rebounds in the contest.
Over Nevada’s past four games, Baker is now averaging 17.0 points per game on an astonishing 73.5 percent shooting from the field, 60 percent from behind the arc, and 94 percent from the free throw line, in addition to grabbing 6.0 boards per game. The 68 total points scored by Baker over the Pack’s past four games mark the most points scored over a four-game stretch throughout his career.
Lucas had another sensational performance on offense for the Pack, scoring 16 points on 5-11 shooting from the field, 2-7 from behind the arc, and 4-5 at the free throw line, while also matching a career-high by dishing out four assists. Lucas has now scored in double figures in 15 of Nevada’s 16 games, including 14 straight contests. Lucas has also managed to knock down multiple 3-pointers in 14 of the Pack’s 16 games this year.
Blackshear put up 15 points on 6-10 shooting from the field, 1-3 from three, and 2-2 at the free throw line, in addition to dishing out three assists and recording two steals. Blackshear has now scored in double figures in eight consecutive contests, and the senior guard has dished out at least three assists in 15 games this season.
Davidson had an exceptional first half, scoring 10 points on 3-4 shooting from the field. Davidson finished the contest with 12 points and three rebounds, while also achieving a plus/minus of +9 in 17 minutes of action.
Williams once again led the Pack in rebounding, pulling down a game-high seven boards in the contest to go along with 10 points, two assists, and two steals.
Junior forward Tre Coleman also had a solid all-around performance, finishing the game with a sensational plus/minus of +18 in 35 minutes of gametime.
First Half
The Pack opened up the contest on an 8-0 run over the first 2:13 of play, as Coleman and Blackshear each made layups in the paint, followed by two made free throws from Baker and another bucket in the lane from Blackshear.
Colorado State used a quick 9-4 run over the next two minutes to trim the Pack’s lead to three, as Nevada held a 12-9 advantage with 15:26 left in the first half.
The Rams outscored Nevada 14-11 over the next six minutes of gametime, evening the contest for the first time since the 19:47 mark, as the two squads were deadlocked at 25 apiece just over halfway through the first period.
The Pack regained the lead after a ferocious dunk from Coleman, giving Nevada a 27-25 lead.
Colorado State took their first lead of the game after a made 3-pointer with 5:16 left in the first half. 30 seconds later, they extended their lead to 30-27; but, the Pack countered their attack by ripping off a 13-1 run over the final 4:43 of the half.
The run began with four consecutive made free throws by Davidson, followed by a Lucas 3-pointer from the half court logo. After Colorado State made a lone free throw, Lucas knocked down a tough mid-range jumper, and Coleman followed by knocking down two free throws. Davidson closed out the half by throwing down a two-handed dunk, as the Pack took a 40-31 advantage into halftime.
Second Half
Colorado State came out strong to begin the second half, trimming the Pack’s lead to two points with just under 16 minutes to go.
Nevada responded with a quick 7-0 run, as Davidson knocked down two free throws and Lucas hit a contested 3-pointer to push the lead back to seven, before Baker knocked down two free throws to give the Pack a 52-43 lead.
The Rams refused to let Nevada create separation for long, as they managed to hit back-to-back 3-pointers, cutting the lead to three with 11:22 remaining in the game.
Colorado State then proceeded to go on a 13-5 run, taking a five-point lead, their largest of the contest, with just 6:50 to go.
Trailing late in the game, the Pack, just as they have done a multitude of times this season, showed exceptional poise and resilience down the stretch.
Williams drilled a mid-range pullup jumper in the paint to cut the deficit to three, marking the beginning of an incredible run by Nevada to close out the game.
After the Pack earned a stop on the other end of the court, sophomore guard Tyler Powell drained a clutch 3-pointer, tying the game at 64 apiece with 5:47 to go.
Nevada forced the Rams into a turnover on their next possession, and Blackshear proceeded to stare down his defender and drill a contested 3-pointer over him, as Nevada retook the lead.
After their third consecutive stop on defense, Williams blew by his defender and converted a tough and-one layup at the rim, marking a 10-0 run for Nevada over a two and a half minutes period.
Colorado State cut the lead to three; but, that was as close as they would get, as Will Baker then hit back-to-back 3-pointers, extending Nevada’s lead to nine with 1:23 to play.
The Pack went on to earn the 80-69 victory after closing out the game on a 21-5 run over the final 6:40.
Notable Stats:
- Nevada knocked down 21-23 shots at the free throw line throughout the game.
- The Pack had five different players reach double figures in scoring in the contest.
- Nevada outrebounded Colorado State, 29-21.
- Nevada maintained the lead for 31 minutes and 20 seconds throughout the game.
- The Pack shot an outstanding 60.9 percent from the field in the first half, marking the best shooting percentage by Nevada in a half this season.
- Kenan Blackshear has scored at least 12 points in each of Nevada’s past seven games.
- Nevada is 3-0 in Mountain West play for the first time since the 2019-20 season.
- After scoring 16 points tonight, Jarod Lucas has now scored 277 points this season, the most in the Mountain West this year.
Up Next
The Pack will hit the road for their next two contests, beginning with a game against San Jose State this Saturday at 1pm.
