The Nevada men’s basketball team narrowly lost 70-69 to Boise State on Saturday, Feb. 22.
The Wolf Pack was swept by their third Mountain West opponent and fell to 0-8 against the top-five teams in the conference.
The Broncos struck first with a layup from forward Tyson Degenhart. Nevada responded as guard Kobe Sanders drove to the rim for a basket, then sank a jumper on the next possession. Forward Nick Davidson followed with a one-handed jumper and a free throw, extending the lead to 7-2 within three minutes.
Nevada guard Xavier DuSell’s pull-up three made it 10-4, and after Boise State answered, Sanders hit a long two. Forward Justin McBride followed with a layup and a three, stretching the lead to 17-9.
Forward Jeriah Coleman’s block led to a DuSell transition layup, and McBride scored again before guard Chuck Bailey’s driving layup. Boise State stayed close with five quick points from forward Andrew Meadow.
Davidson’s deep three stopped a Boise State run, but Broncos guard Alvaro Cardenas hit a step-back triple, sparking a 13-3 surge to tie the game at 26. Forward Javan Buchanan’s basket gave the Broncos their first lead since 2-0. Sanders and Davidson responded, but Meadow’s free throws and Buchanan’s late layup put Boise State up 34-32 at halftime.
Boise State closed the half on a 21-9 run, capitalizing on second chances. Sanders led Nevada with 10 points.
The Broncos extended their lead early in the second half, but Sanders, Davidson and Rolison fueled a Nevada rally to go back in front. The teams traded baskets, with Buchanan and Sanders going shot for shot. Boise surged ahead 55-49 after a Degenhart and-one and a Meadow hook shot, but Sanders and Rolison kept Nevada within striking distance.
A Meadow dunk and a Keene three pushed Boise State’s lead to 62-54, but Nevada fought back. Rolison hit a three to make it 62-60, and Sanders trimmed it to one with a free throw. Meadow responded with a three, but Davidson’s block and deep triple brought Nevada within 65-64.
With under two minutes left, Sanders put Nevada ahead with a step-back jumper, but Cardenas’ putback gave Boise a 68-66 lead.
Down two with 12 seconds left, Sanders lost the ball to Buchanan, leading to a Meadow dunk. Sanders missed a free throw, and despite Rolison’s last-second three, time expired. Nevada fell 70-69.
The Pack squandered a three-possession lead for the second straight game, as they did the same in their 79-71 loss at Colorado State on Tuesday, Feb. 18.
Despite scoring a team-high 30 points on 13-19 shooting (68 percent), Sanders went just 3-7 from the free-throw line and committed a costly turnover late. Nevada endured an 11-minute drought without a field goal from anyone besides Sanders until Davidson hit a jumper with 5:33 remaining. Davidson finished with 18 points and five rebounds, as the duo were the only Pack players to score in double figures.
Nevada men’s basketball head coach Steve Alford was frustrated by the team’s free throw percentage this season.
“We just can’t make foul shots,” Alford said. “We’ve just been a very poor foul-shooting team all year, and that’s hard to understand to me. It’s an easy shot, but you shoot 50 percent from the line and get out-rebounded by 11. You don’t want to make it hard on yourself.”
The Wolf Pack’s next matchup will come at home as they host the Wyoming Cowboys (12-16, 5-12) on Tues. February 25 at 7 pm PST.
James Wolfgang Perez can be reached via email at dominicgutierrez@unr.edu or via X @JamesWPerezUNR
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