Tré Coleman scored a game-high 20 points and added four steals, while Jarod Lucas had 19 and surpassed 2,000 career points as Nevada dispatched the visiting Wyoming Cowboys 76-58 Tuesday evening at Lawlor Events Center.
Wyoming had become a nemesis to the Wolf Pack in the Steve Alford era, having won seven straight contests. Nevada (21-6, 8-5 MW), though, took the floor with revenge on their mind after the Cowboys dropped a season-high 98 points on them in a road loss at Laramie.
Buoyed by a remarkable 69-66 comeback win over intrastate rival UNLV in their last outing, and in sixth place in the MW, the Pack needed to keep their foot on the gas against the 11th-ranked team in the MW in points allowed per game.
The Pack avoided a slow start, jumping out to a 10-6 lead five minutes into the game on the strength of a pair of Coleman three-pointers. Coleman’s 20 points would match his career-high, all three of which have come against the Cowboys.
The under-11 media timeout saw Nevada begin to stretch the lead to 20-10. Only a short time after that, Wyoming would start to unravel.
After Cowboys’ head coach Jeff Linder continually barked about foul calls to the officials, they’d had enough and hung a technical foul on him during a timeout with 7:36 remaining in the half. Linder may have decided to try to get his money’s worth by turning to berate a different official, but that resulted in a second tech and Linder being ejected.
Jarod Lucas made three of the four free throws awarded for the technical, and Nevada led 27-14.
The Pack would push the lead further, going on a 10-2 run over the next five minutes. At the last media timeout of the half, Nevada had forged ahead by a 37-16 count with 3:29 left.
Lucas hit two of his next three shots from long distance, and the Wolf Pack went to the locker room with a commanding 44-21 advantage.
Wyoming had deposited 13-of-23 three-point shots in their January win over the Pack. But Nevada has since committed to defending out to and beyond the arc against proficient shooting teams from deep, and it’s paid off. The Cowboys were not only limited to 26% shooting from the field in the first half, but they made just two of 12 attempts from three-point land.
The Pack kept the pressure on to open the second half by holding Wyoming without a basket for the first 2:30 while Nick Davidson and Lucas each converted three-pointers to give Nevada a 50-21 lead. The Wolf Pack then seemed to forget about the gas pedal for a bit, being a touch slower to their spots and committing fouls.
Wyoming was able to get back within 16 points on the strength of a 15-2 run over the next 6:58. Nevada would regroup at the under-11 media timeout with the score 52-36 and push the lead back to 20 coming out of the timeout, but the Cowboys continued to hang around, trimming the margin to 15 points.
A Kenan Blackshear fadeaway would extend the lead back to 17 points at 62-45 with 7:24 left to play, and the Cowboys would trim the lead no further.
Next up: Nevada travels to road contests at San Jose State on Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. and Colorado State on Feb. 27 at 7:30 p.m.
Notes
- Wyoming shot 56% in the second half and 43% from long range in their bid to return.
- Nevada had 19 assists on 26 made baskets.
- The Wolf Pack forced 15 Wyoming turnovers while only committing seven.
- Nevada was outrebounded 36-25 by an 8-3 margin on the offensive glass.
- After scoring 98 points in their home win over Nevada, Wyoming was held to 40 fewer points. Their 58 points were the second-lowest they have scored this season.
- K.J. Hymes had a season-high three blocks.
