The Nevada Sagebrush

Nevada guard Brandon Fields was one of four Wolf Pack players who scored in double figures in the team's 89-67 win over Fresno Pacific on Tuesday at Lawlor Events Center. Photo by Casey Durkin

After scoring a season-low 58 points in a loss to Pacific on Saturday, the Nevada men’s basketball team bounced back with one of its best offensive performances of the year.

The Wolf Pack (3-4) scored 56 points in the first half in which it shot 67.7 percent from the field (season high for any half) and cruised to an 89-67 win over Fresno Pacific on Tuesday night.

The win snapped a three-game losing streak for Nevada and gave it a 3-0 mark at Lawlor Events Center this season.

“It’s huge,” Wolf Pack head coach David Carter said of the win. “I think it builds momentum. We didn’t play a perfect game, but the good thing is you got a win on your side and hopefully it’s a start of something special.”

The scoring came from plenty of places for the Wolf Pack who had four players in double figures and 10 players who scored in the game. Nevada also received good production from its bench who chipped in a season-high 26 points.

“It’s a lot more enjoyable just to see everybody get out there and show what they can do,” Nevada starting point guard Armon Johnson said. “We know we have a pretty deep team so we’re trying to get everybody some work.”

The Wolf Pack jumped on top of the Sunbirds, from the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics), early on in the game, taking a 16-6 lead after 4:48 had passed in the game.

Nevada forward Joey Shaw led the initial onslaught, starting the game three-for-three from three-point range. Johnson took over after that, pouring in 13 points after the 10:30 mark in the first half. Johnson was on his way to a triple-double after the first half after posting 17 points, six assists and five rebounds. He finished with 19 points, seven assists and five rebounds after playing just six minutes in the second half.

Carter said he was glad his team came out with fire in the first half against the Sunbirds, whose talent was inferior to that of the Wolf Pack.

“That’s probably one of the hardest things in competition,” Carter said. “You know you’re better than the team, probably at all five positions on the floor… Just to keep them motivated, it can be difficult. You build a lead up to 18, 20 points and you get complacent and we try to overcome that and not get complacent.”

Another welcome sight for the Wolf Pack in the first half was the play of forward Dario Hunt. The sophomore played more like a roadblock on Tuesday, blocking three shots and constantly altering shots from Fresno.

Nevada forward Luke Babbitt was his usual self, notching his sixth straight double-double (16 points and 10 rebounds).

The Wolf Pack will attempt to defend Lawlor again on Saturday against South Dakota State at 7:05 p.m.

Juan López can be reached at jlopez@nevadasagebrush.com.

QUICKIE STATS:

Nevada:

PG Armon Johnson: 19 points, seven assists, five rebounds

F Luke Babbitt: 16 points, 10 rebounds

F Joey Shaw and G Brandon Fields: 10 points each

G Ray Kraemer: Nine points, 3-for-5 three-point FG

Fresno Pacific:

G James Lewis: 18 points, 7-for-12 FG

F Todd Brown: 12 points, five rebounds

F Jordan Wild: Nine points, 4-for-5 FG

KEYS TO THE GAME:

–Nevada won the rebounding battle 42-23

–The Wolf Pack shot 21-of-31 in the first half

–Nevada got to the free-throw line 24 times to just 13 for Fresno Pacific

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• Past success raises anticipation for Nevada
• Pack sends seniors out with win, clinches 2 seed for tourney
• Men’s basketball: Pack beats Portland, wins sixth out of seven
• Men’s basketball: Weekend marked by shoddy second half play