After coming off of two losses to Wyoming a couple weeks ago, Nevada basketball came out ready for redemption at home against rival UNLV. Game one was dominated by the Wolf Pack on both offense and defense and while game two was a little bit too close for comfort, Nevada ultimately took the lead in the final minutes of the game. There were some good things Nevada did in both games but as always, there is sill quite a bit to work on in terms of transition defense and shot selection.
Nevada had quite a successful performance in Sunday’s game, digging in on defense and having great vision for shots and passes. Grant Sherfield was a major contributor to Nevada’s score not only because of his own shots but also because he had a respectable 11 assists. The Wolf Pack also did a good job of switching things up on offense, utilizing both the inside and outside. Defensively, Nevada hoops ended up forcing nine turnovers for UNLV, recovering 37 totals rebounds and five blocks. On the other hand for UNLV, shot selection and unforced errors are what put them so far behind.
Nevada’s best performances of game one include Sherfield (15 PTS, 11 AS), junior guard Desmond Cambridge (17 PTS, 4 TO) and sophomore forward K.J. Hymes (16 PTS, 5 RB). Notables from UNLV are sophomore forward Moses Wood (13 PTS, 5 RB) and junior guard David Jenkins Jr. (13 PTS, 3 AS).
Game two was largely back and forth between the two rivals with UNLV holding a small lead for the majority of the game. Nevada had a couple more unforced errors than in game one and UNLV was moving better overall on both sides of the court and was quite the nail-biter up until the last few minutes where Nevada had seven straight shots, three of which were 3-pointers from sophomore forward Zane Meeks. This morale boost was sorely needed for Nevada hoops and gave them just enough momentum to finish with a win. While Nevada still has quite a bit to work on where their shot-selection and transition defense is concerned, it is apparent after this series that there has been significant improvement.
Key players for the Wolf Pack in game two were Meeks (19 PTS, 8 RB), Sherfield (18 PTS, 4 AS), and sophomore forward Warren Washington (15 PTS, 6 RB). And on the other side for UNLV, players that made a big difference include Wood (16 PTS, 7 RB), sophomore guard Caleb Grill (14 PTS, 3 AS) and freshman guard Nick Blake (11 PTS, 5 TO).
After an exciting sweep at home, Nevada basketball will stay in Reno to take on No. 1 Mountain West ranked Boise State Broncos at Lawlor Event Center. You can catch game one on Friday, Feb. 5 at 9 p.m. ET on FS1 and ESPN Radio 94.5 FM and game two on FS1 and ESPN Radio 94.5 FM at 4 p.m. ET on Sunday, Feb. 7.
Photo courtesy of GoLobos.com
