The Nevada Wolf Pack men’s basketball team overcame a slow start against the Big Sky Conference’s Weber State Wildcats, cruising to an 88-58 victory Wednesday night at Lawlor Events Center.
Oklahoma State transfer Justin McBride scored a career-high 16 points while former Fresno State sharpshooter Xavier DuSell led Nevada (3-0, 0-0 MW) with a game-high 17 points, hitting 5 of 7 attempts from beyond the arc.
Nick Davidson added 14 points, including a perfect 3 of 3 from deep, and Kobe Sanders contributed 11 points on 2-of-2 shooting from three-point range.
Nevada head coach Steve Alford leaned on his bench against an undersized Weber State team to give those players valuable minutes. However, the strategy proved problematic early with the Wolf Pack shooting under 40 percent in the first 10 minutes.
As a result, the scrappy Wildcats stayed within reach. Davidson’s three-pointer tied the game at 20-20 just before the under-eight-minute media timeout.
The Wolf Pack, spurred by encouragement from the coaching staff, woke up and closed the half on a 20-8 run. Newcomers DuSell (eight points) and McBride (12 points) led the charge, combining to shoot 6 of 9 from the field and 3 of 5 from long range.
Despite the sluggish start, Nevada entered halftime with a comfortable 40-28 lead thanks to converting 10 of their final 11 shot attempts.
The second half started with a 17-4 Wolf Pack run fueled by three-pointers from DuSell (two) and Davidson, extending the lead to 57-32 within the first five minutes.
With Nevada firmly in control, the remainder of the game became an opportunity for both teams to experiment with lineups and evaluate players.
While the game was no longer in question, officials called a flurry of fouls in the second half, sending Weber State to the free-throw line for 27 attempts.
Weber State’s Blaise Threatt, son of 14-year NBA veteran Sedale Threatt, led the Wildcats with 13 points.
Next up: Nevada hosts Santa Clara on Saturday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. at the Lawlor Events Center.
Notes
- After a slow start Nevada shot 57 percent (29-51) from the field and 57 percent from deep (12-21).
- The Wolf Pack was out-rebounded 37-31.
- Nevada had 24 assists on 29 made baskets while committing just five turnovers.
- The Wolf Pack defense held the Wildcats to just 28 percent from the floor, including 21 percent in the second half.
- The Pack added seven steals and five blocked shots including three by Brandon Love. Weber State was blanked in both categories.
- Walk-on sophomore Jordan Malmlov scored his first career basket on Nevada’s final shot of the game.
- Nevada continues to be uneven from the free throw line with an 18-for-28 effort (64%).
- K.J. Hymes got his first start of the season. Brandon Love started in the center spot in Nevada’s first two games.
