The Nevada men’s basketball team was looking for a bit of a gut check after a lackluster effort in the second half of their win against Montana just three days ago.
Saturday night at Lawlor Events Center, against an opponent that had given head coach Steve Alford’s squads trouble in the past, the Pack showed what kind of team they can be with a 40-minute effort, smothering the Lions 73-59 in a game that was nowhere near that close.
The Lions entered Lawlor with an interesting footnote: their trip to Northern Nevada was their only road game of their non-conference schedule, having played the rest at home or on neutral courts.
Also returning to the Lawlor Events Center court was 6-6, 240lb forward Keli Leaupepe. The 5th year graduate student from Australia had given the Wolf Pack problems on every visit, including a career-high five made three-pointers in 2021. The Lions brought in an experienced starting five, including three graduate students and two seniors.
From the opening tip, the Pack displayed a notable uptick in intensity on both ends of the floor, particularly on defense. Aggressively defending the three-point line and executing their switches on LMU’s rotations, they held the Lions to just 2-of-12 (16 percent) from beyond the arc and 34 percent from the field.
“I loved our energy, our attention to detail defensively,” said Alford. “We’ve worked the last 48 hours on ball pressure because we didn’t like what it was at Montana, and I thought tonight we took a huge step in the right direction.”
With Kenan Blackshear struggling to a 1-for-7 half, Jarod Lucas led the Wolf Pack with 14 first-half points, going 4-for-5 from the field and 4-of-5 from the free throw line. Tre’ Coleman continued his offensive surge with a 5-for-6 performance and added four rebounds with his 10 points.
Aggression on the offensive end, which Nevada has focused on all season, was fully evident, goaded the Lions into 16 first-half fouls, with the Pack converting on 13-of-17 free throw attempts.
The effort was in stark contrast to the last 20 minutes they played vs Montana, building a 38-26 halftime advantage with a complete effort on both ends of the court.
The question was, of course, would they maintain the intensity and improve in the second 20 minutes?
The answer was a resounding yes.
If anything, the defense ratcheted up, holding Loyola Marymount to just eight points through the first 10 minutes of the second half while pouring in 21 points, led by Nick Davidson’s eight for the Silver and Blue.
“We were able to go inside a lot, and I think getting them in foul trouble was a huge piece of the game. It’s another game where we make 21 free throws and opponents shoot 14, and that’s been a common theme through six games,” said Alford. “That usually is an indicator that the offense has been physical and attacking the paint.”
The 59-34 lead with just over nine minutes left put the game in the hands of the defense the rest of the way.
Oh, and that man Leaupepe, who had been a thorn in the Wolf Pack’s side for four years running? Davidson, Coleman, and K.J. Hymes shut him down in the second half, allowing him zero points. His night finished with 7:48 remaining, committing an offensive foul with a frustrating kick and finding himself on the bench the rest of the way.
Next up: Nevada hosts UC Davis on Wednesday, December 6 at 6 pm.
Notes
- Jarod Lucas finished with 20 points, reaching double figures in all six games this season.
- Nevada recorded seven blocked shots and six steals and forced 12 LMU turnovers, while Nevada turned it over just five times.
- The Wolf Pack recorded 17 assists on 25 made field goals.
- The pack only attempted eight three-pointers against LMU’s 30.
- Nevada held a massive advantage at the free-throw line, out-chancing LMU 27-14.
- Nevada won points in the paint 36-16, including a 20-4 advantage in the second half.
- Kenan Blackshear offensively had a rough night, going 2-9 from the field and 1-3 from the line, but dished out five assists, with two steals, only turning it over once in under 30 minutes.
- Nevada forced the Lions into 27 personal fouls while committing just 15.
