The Nevada Men’s basketball team suffered a tough loss, 98-83, to the Santa Clara Broncos in their first away test of the year.
The Pack won the tip but started disorganized, turning the ball over twice on their first two possessions.
This led to a lightning-quick start for the Broncos, as Brenton Knapper and Bukky Obeye drained their first two three-point attempts of the game, giving them a 6-0 lead in the first minute.
Nevada guard Corey Camper Jr. answered, scoring four baskets in six minutes — including two threes — shrinking a 9-2 deficit to 15-12.
Broncos guard Thierry Darlan checked into the game and quickly made his presence known, draining a three and soaring high to block a lay-up by Chuck Bailey III on back-to-back possessions.
Coming out of the media timeout, Santa Clara went on an 8-0 run to extend their advantage to 30-17. Bailey III responded quickly with a fadeaway jumper, but a dunk by Bronco redshirt freshman Allen Graves restored their 13-point lead.
Santa Clara guard KJ Cochran made their sixth three-pointer of the first half before fellow Bronco guard Sash Gavalyugov split his free throws, making for a 17-point lead for the hosts.
After a spell of good offensive play, Nevada cut the lead to single digits through a Peyton White jumper.
However, Santa Clara guard Christian Hammond scored seven in a row, giving the Broncos a 14-point lead going into the half, 48-34. Hammond led the game in scoring at halftime, with 20 points.
Both teams traded scores to start the second half, but Thierry Darlan’s three-pointer extended the Broncos lead to 22, which made for the biggest deficit of the game.
The Broncos kept a double digit lead throughout the second half, thanks to their continued elite scoring, shooting a total of 64 percentt throughout the game.
Hammond and Obeye combined for 49 points for the Broncos, while the leading scorer for the Pack was Camper Jr. with 21 points.
The final score was 98-83 in favor of the hosts. The next challenge for the Pack is at home against UC Davis on Tuesday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m.
