Nevada Men’s Basketball (3-0, 0-0) claimed a hard-fought 86-81 victory against the Southern Illinois Salukis (2-1, 0-0) on Wednesday, Nov. 12.
Nevada turned the opening tip into an early score as guard Tayshawn Comer knocked down a jumper.
The Salukis were able to net a three of their own from guard Isaiah Stafford, though the Pack quickly struck back as guard Corey Camper Jr. made his own mid-range shot to take the lead 4-3.
Nevada’s first three of the contest came on a catch-and-shoot opportunity from forward Elijah Price. After giving up two straight baskets to Southern Illinois, Nevada evened the score when Camper Jr. made a short hook shot. Camper Jr. scored 20 points, the third most of his Division I career.
From there, the Wolf Pack offense went cold, not scoring another basket until guard Chuck Bailey III netted a three over two Saluki defenders almost three minutes later.
The back-and-forth continued in the first half as each team traded buckets and fouls. Both teams entered the bonus before the three-minute mark.
Southern Illinois continued its efficient start to the season, converting nearly half its attempts to points as it entered halftime up 34-32 over the Pack.
The second half began as Price laced a sky-scraping three to retake the lead for Nevada. Price finished the match with a career high of 19 rebounds.
“He had a good motor tonight,” Nevada Head Coach Steve Alford said. “When his motor is like that, he’s really, really talented. I think he had his career high in rebounds and tied his career high in points.”
The game continued at the same scorching pace that characterized the first period, with each team scoring repeatedly.
Comer continued his hot start to the season, nailing a jumper after coming off a screen to bring his scoring total to 12. Nevada couldn’t slow down the Saluki offense, though, giving up a 9–0 run that prompted a timeout from Alford.
The break appeared successful as Nevada scored a quick four points, highlighted by a dunk from Price to bring his team within one point of the Salukis.
From there, defense took the spotlight as neither team scored a bucket for over three minutes until Southern Illinois guard Quel’Ron House made a floater in the paint to put the score at 56-58.
The Wolf Pack knotted the score at 60 when a steal from Comer led to a fast-break layup from Camper Jr. Nevada then took the lead as Center Joel Armotrading made good on an and-one opportunity.
The Pack then extended their lead to three points as Comer made both free throw attempts after being fouled.
Just as quickly as Nevada had gained the upper hand though, they lost it as the Salukis scored on consecutive possessions, putting them up 67-68 before taking a timeout.
Coming out of the stoppage, Comer shook his defender for an open look at the elbow, which he knocked down to take the lead.
The game clock dipped under a minute as Lawlor Events Center’s atmosphere intensified while each team vied for the game-winning basket.
Southern Illinois extended its narrow lead when House made both of his free throw attempts to give his team a three-point advantage.
Then, with 13 seconds left, guard Tyler Rolison broke the Saluki zone with a pass to Camper Jr. in the corner, where he shot and made a three to tie the game at 72.
“It was a great feeling,” Camper Jr. commented. “We practice late-game situations. So I think it was more like we do this every day.”
Then, with a chance to win the game, House missed a jumpshot just outside the paint, sending the game to overtime.
Overtime began as Nevada won the tip and Comer missed a layup attempt. On the other end of the court, a long Southern Illinois possession led to Saluki forward Prince Aligbe drawing a foul to get to the charity stripe, making one of his two shots.
Following a Comer three that put the Pack ahead by one, Aligbe found his way to the line again, this time missing both free-throw attempts.
While the Nevada offense continued to struggle, the defense caught another break as House also missed both of his free throws. This marked the fifth straight free throw miss from Southern Illinois.
As the crowd rose to its feet, the Wolf Pack began to pull away, with Armotrading burying two free throws and putting Nevada up 80-77. Then, a stalled Southern Illinois possession forced Southern Illinois Head Coach Scott Nagy to have his team immediately foul to conserve time.
Nevada’s foul shots from Comer and Camper Jr. nullified the Saluki three that followed, while Rolison sealed the victory with a free throw of his own.
Nevada hits the Bay Area on Saturday, Nov. 15, for their first road game of the season against the Santa Clara Broncos (3-0, 0-0).
