The Nevada men’s basketball team (11-8, 3-5) was overpowered on both ends of the court in a 90-69 road loss to the Utah State Aggies (17-2, 7-1) on Wednesday, Jan. 22, as the Aggies completed a season sweep.
The Pack started strong, taking an 11-5 lead through the first 4:30 the first half after a three-pointer from guard Kobe Sanders. However, the Aggies responded by trading baskets before capitalizing on five Wolf Pack turnovers to seize a 20-18 lead midway through the half.
Nevada’s struggles continued as Utah State forced six more turnovers, including four by forward Nick Davidson. The Aggies’ relentless defensive pressure disrupted Nevada’s offense, allowing Utah State to extend its advantage to 47-38 by halftime.
Sanders led the Pack with 11 points at the break, but Nevada’s 12 first-half turnovers proved costly. Utah State capitalized with 17 points off those turnovers, taking all the momentum to start the second half.
Nothing went the Pack’s way from the start, as Ian Martinez, Utah State guard, knocked down four three-pointers to extend the Aggies’ lead to 19, making it 66-47 with 14:53 remaining.
Facing a large deficit, the Pack struggled to mount a meaningful comeback to make it competitive. Each time Nevada made a short run, Utah State quickly responded with one of its own. The Wolf Pack managed to cut the lead to 13 points, but the Aggies pulled away down the stretch to seal a 90-69 blowout loss for Nevada.
Through eight conference games, the Wolf Pack endured their worst start in Mountain West play since the 2021-22 season, which also began 3-5. Nevada has yet to defeat a conference opponent ranked above them in the standings, with their three wins coming against teams with a combined conference record of 3-20.
The Pack, already tied with as many losses as last season, have 12 conference games remaining to turn their season around, with their next three opponents all sitting with five wins or more in conference play.
The loss marked a season-high 18 turnovers by the Pack, compared to their season average of 11. The Pack shot 53 percent (26-49) from the field, but turnovers allowed the Aggies to get an additional seven shots off while shooting 59 percent (33-56) from the field and converting 16 three-pointers to the Pack’s nine.
Nevada men’s basketball head coach Steve Alford cited the team’s inability to protect the ball as the primary factor disrupting their offensive rhythm.
“We just lost the ball,” Alford said. “ They were aggressive, we made bad passes, we had ball-handling mistakes, and when you do that the pressure speeds you up and you get out of character.”
The Pack’s next challenge will come at home as they take on the San Diego State Aztecs (12-5, 5-3) on Sat. Jan. 25 at 7 p.m.
