With the seconds winding down on the clock and the student section on the verge of rushing the court for the second straight home game, the University of Nevada, Reno men’s basketball team had the home crowd of 9,357 rumbling at the game against San Diego State University.
The impressive win over No. 23 SDSU on Jan. 31, marks the first time in program history the Nevada men’s basketball team has won consecutive home games versus ranked opponents. The Nevada Wolf Pack now move into sole possession of second place in the Mountain West Conference, trailing only Boise State and San Diego State both tied at 8-2 atop the conference.
The contributions from key players — Tré Coleman, Will Baker, Kenan Blackshear and Jarod Lucas — propelled the Wolf Pack to a nine-point victory over the SDSU Aztecs, 75-66. This core four tallied up 74 of the winning points.
Lucas, senior transfer guard from Oregon State, put up 26 points with help from Baker, scoring 19 points while grabbing eight rebounds. Approaching the game the Wolf Pack having previously lost every game SDSU since 2018.
Although trailing at halftime by 2 points to the Aztecs the Wolf Pack still held onto hope. Grabbing an early lead in the second half the Aztecs looked to secure sole possession of first place in Mountain West, but with 9:27 seconds left in the second half, neither team could secure anything larger than a 3-point lead.
Blackshear secured a layup putting the Pack up 67-62 with 1:57 to play, eventually leading to a much needed conference win.
The Wolf Pack now eye the Mountain West Conference tournament with only eight games left — all being conference foes. Although it won’t be a cakewalk, the Wolf Pack are scheduled to play the University of New Mexico again; a team they just beat and bumped out of the No. 25 spot national ranking. After the Lobos, Nevada look to finish the season out with three home games with senior night set against arch rivals the UNLV Rebels.
The road to the Mountain West Conference Tournament and March Madness is theirs to lose and everything is within reach.
Jalen Robinson can be reached via email at dr******@*nr.edu or via Twitter @NevadaSagebrush.
