We’re only three games into the season, and Nevada has given this beat writer more high blood pressure than I’d like. The same can be said for head coach Steve Alford, who, after the win over Pacific, said he needed Tylenol for how stressful it was, and tonight was no different.
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“I’ll probably hit the same Tylenol bottle tonight.”
It was an extremely bizarre game against Southern Illinois en route to an 86-81 OT thrilling victory. Plenty of fouls, poor shooting, and of course, free basketball at the end.
But when there’s a will, there’s a way. Nevada found that way and battled through plenty of adversity to its now 3-0 start to the season.
Scoring Summary
1st Half:
Southern Illinois 34 – Nevada 32
2nd Half:
Southern Illinois 38 – Nevada 40
Overtime:
Southern Illinois 9 – Nevada 14
Final: Southern Illinois 81, Nevada 86
Offense
Nevada quickly jumped out first with a midrange jumper by Tayshawn Comer. Guard Corey Camper Jr. made a quick shot as well before forward Elijah Price made the first three-point shot for Nevada.
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The three-point attack was heavy to start for the Pack, but making them was a different story. After Price’s three, Nevada started 1-6 en route to a scoring drought lasting over three minutes. Chuck Bailey, who wasn’t part of Nevada’s starting five, got some momentum back with a contested three of his own to cut it to a two-point deficit.
Nevada crawled back, took the lead a few times, but ultimately, the Pack couldn’t escape the first half with the lead. Comer led that first half with nine points on 3-7 shooting. The Wolf Pack ended with no points in the final three minutes of the first half as well.
The three’s were flying on both sides to start the second half. Price opened it up with a deep shot, and Nevada quickly started 3-4 from beyond the arc.
That 3-4 quickly became 3-9, and Nevada finished shooting an abysmal 24 percent (8-33) from beyond the arc. Nevada didn’t shoot well from the field either, shooting 35 percent from that department.
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“We didn’t shoot the ball well, and we haven’t shot the ball well,” Alford said after the game. “But we made big shots, and we made big free throws.”
With a back-and-forth contest, the Pack saw themselves having to foul in the final seconds, giving SIU two free throws and making it 72-69. With 19 seconds left, Tyler Rolison passed out to Camper Jr. in the corner, hitting the wide-open three and tying the game at 72. SIU couldn’t score, and free basketball was held at Lawlor Events Center for the first overtime game for Nevada this season.
“We practice these late-game situations in practice, so it just felt like something we’re used to every day,” Camper Jr. said about his clutch three to send it to OT.
OT was powered by free throws for Nevada, shooting 9-12 and scoring 14 points for the win. Overall, Nevada shot 73 percent from the free-throw line.
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Although the shooting numbers weren’t great, the individual scoring was excellent. Comer led Nevada with 23 points and seven assists on 6-18 shooting. Camper Jr. had 20 with seven rebounds, Price had 17 with a team-leading 19 boards, and Joel Armotrading had 11 points before fouling out.
Defense
Southern Illinois held the lead for most of the first half, shooting 13-27 from the floor and 2-8 from three. Guard Quel’Ron House, who’s averaged 18 PPG before this one, led the first half with 10 points and ended the night with 22.
The largest lead Southern Illinois had was five, and it entered halftime leading 34-32. The Salukis closely outrebounded Nevada in the first half, 23-21, but ended the night 49-52.
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The game was tied at 48 early on, but a 9-0 run by Southern Illinois quickly gave the Salukis a six-point lead. Nevada created a run of its own, leaving it tied at 54 around the nine-minute mark. Southern Illinois made two free throws for a two-point lead before both offenses stalled and didn’t make a shot from the field for over seven minutes.
Fouling was a big issue on both sides, totaling 48 (26 by SIU, 22 by Nevada).
The game was about as back-and-forth as you can get. The lead changed 24 times and was tied 15 times. Southern Illinois also shot poorly from three at 4-17, but 44 percent shooting from the field kept the Salukis in it. They also possessed the lead longer in this one at 25:18 compared to Nevada’s 13:22.
SIU had two chances to take the lead in overtime with free throws. All four shot attempts missed, and kept the slim lead for Nevada at the two-minute mark. SIU only went 2-8 from the free-throw line in overtime, including two missed by its lead scorer in House.
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“We were better at being who we are defensively in overtime than we were in either half, so we just got to learn those lessons,” Alford said. “Let’s not just put five minutes in there, let’s put 45, so we can continue to watch film, continue to learn, but we were pretty solid defensively in overtime, so that was good to see.”
What’s Next
After three home games to start the season, Nevada will hit the road for the first time to play a tough opponent in Santa Clara. The Broncos are also 3-0 and are coming off an impressive 87-68 win over Xavier on the road.
Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. PST on Saturday, Nov 15.
You can also watch the post game pressers from Alford, Comer, Price and Camper Jr. above and below this post.
