The Wolf Pack came into Saturday’s matchup against the Utah State Aggies on a two-game losing streak, and a bad one at that. With near 20-point losses to San Diego State and San Jose State, giving SJSU its second win in conference play, things were on the decline for Nevada, and coming back home to play against the conference’s best team is not how one would want to draw up a bounce-back game.
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Despite the challenges, Nevada was able to pull out the upset against the Aggies, with four players notching double-digit efforts, a dominant performance on the glass where the Pack won the battle by 10 and a 51 percent shooting percentage (25-49) and 52 percent three-point percentage (10-19) aiding the push. But it was ultimately five free throws and great defense that got the Wolf Pack the win in their final conference matchup against Utah State.
Scoring Summary
First Half
Nevada 38 – Utah State 40
Second Half
Nevada 42 – Utah State 37
Final: Nevada 80 – Utah State 77
First Half
Nevada was the first team to get the scoring going in the first with a forward Joel Armotrading dunk. The Aggies did respond right back with a second chance layup and a three ball from forward Zach Keller, stalling the Pack’s momentum. Nevada forward Elijah Price tried to get things back on track for the home team, but was promptly answered with a three-pointer from guard Kolby King and a tough layup from forward Karson Templin.
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After the four minute scoring drought, Wolf Pack forward Vaughn Weems answered back with a corner three to cut Utah State’s lead in half, but after a series of missed layups and two free throws by Utah State guard Elijah Perryman, Nevada still trailed 7-12.
Looking for an answer to the Utah State push, Nevada found its stride from multiple different sources. The Wolf Pack went on a 15-6 run off the efforts of forward Kaleb Lowery (three points), forward Corey Camper Jr. (nine points) and guards Tyler Rolison and Tayshawn Comer (two points each), regaining the lead. Lowery and Utah State guard Allen Drake traded deep makes, leaving the game at 26-21 Nevada with 7:41 left in the half.
“I thought we got the guard play that we needed,” head coach Steve Alford said after the game. “Vaughn [Weems] came up with big plays, Corey [Camper Jr.] continues to be extremely consistent, Elijah [Price] with a double-double, so just top to bottom, really liked what we got done tonight.”
Despite things looking up for the Pack, Utah State fought back after the media timeout. Aggies MJ Collins made back-to-back three pointers to get the lead back for the visiting team, with Allen tacking on a dunk and forward Mason Falslev sinking a free throw.
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Nevada guard Amire Robinson got a driving layup to counter the dunk, with Price nailing a pair of fast break free throws to tie the game at 30 a piece late in the half.
As the half began to wind down to the final three minutes, the Wolf Pack got caught on the backs of their feet. King was the sole contributor for the Aggies, hitting a three-ball and a pair of free throws for a 5-0 run. Price fought back with a pair of free throws, but King answered right back with yet another three-pointer.
The Wolf Pack was not without hope, however, as within the final two minutes, Camper Jr. and Rolison hit back-to-back deep-balls. Templin did not want to leave the first half without a lead though, as he made a tough dunk with 27 seconds left. Rolison tried to make a last second deep shot, but did not connect, leaving the Pack down 40-38 at half.
The first half of the game was not a defensive showcase by any means, as Nevada (48 percent, 12-25) and Utah State (42 percent, 13-31) both shot the ball well. Both teams also shot the ball well from deep, with Nevada shooting 7-12 (58 percent) and Utah State shooting 9-17 (53 percent). Camper Jr. led the Wolf Pack with 12 points, while King led the Aggies with 11.
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“Lately in games, our defense hasn’t been there,” Camper said. “In practice, we’ve been keying in on trying to get stops and getting back to us on the defensive end.”
This is not to say that things were spotless, however, as both teams combined for 17 turnovers. Utah State had the edge with seven steals to Nevada’s three.
Second Half
It was Utah State who got things rolling in the second half, as Allen and Collins hit threes in consecutive possessions. Nevada did not back down, though, as Armotrading interrupted the Utah State threes with a second-chance layup, Comer with a pair of free throws and Weems with a corner three to cut the lead down to one. Even with the wind supposedly in their sails, Nevada could not contain Allen, as he hit back-to-back threes with ease.
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Price and Comer attempted to trim the lead, with the sophomore making a dunk and a layup while the senior sank a driving layup. Utah State was not phased by the Pack’s advances, however, as King (two points), Falslev (three points) and Templin (two points) kept the visitors in the mix seven minutes into the half.
Neither side really could pull away for the next four minutes, as both programs went cold compared to their previous efforts. Every time Nevada made a field goal, Utah State got the points right back with one of their own, keeping the game in a 4-6 point limbo. Armotrading and Comer both missed one free throw each on trips to the line, while Utah State kept up their advances, leaving Nevada trailing 66-60 with 7:55 left in the game.
After a brief scoring hiatus, Templin pushed the lead to eight with a pair of free throws. Armotrading and Comer, making up for their missed free throws a few minutes earlier, hit a dunk and three-pointer respectively. King did answer back with a three of his own, but Rolison and Lowery hit back-to-back layups after Falslev missed two free throws and Price blocked a layup from Allen. With the energy on their side, Nevada went into the final three minutes down 69-71.
Lowery got things going for the Pack in the final moments of the game with a layup, which Falslev countered with a lay-in of his own. However, on the next Nevada possession, Rolison found Camper Jr. for a three-pointer, regaining the lead just thirty seconds after the media timeout. Lowery and Templin made and missed one free throw each, leaving Nevada up 75-74 with 1:02 left.
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Camper Jr. led the way for Nevada in the final minute, hitting 3-4 free throws. Weems followed suit with two clutch free throws of his own. Falslev was able to hit a second-chance three-ball in between the two free throw attempts, but the Wolf Pack played tight defense in the final possession of the game, preventing Collins from hitting either deep ball he attempted and sealing the game 80-77.
“We end up shooting 51 percent from the field and 52 percent from three, you might have been able to combine those percentages in two games on the road,” Alford said. “So when you haven’t shot it well and then come home, that’s huge.”
What’s Next
With a plethora of momentum in their sails after upsetting the Aggies, Nevada (18-9, 10-6) will stay at home to take on the third-place New Mexico Lobos (21-6, 12-4). The Lobos are coming off a close 80-78 win against the Fresno State Bulldogs.
Tip off is set for 8 p.m. PST on Tuesday, Feb. 24 on the CBS Sports Network.
