The Nevada men’s basketball team (4-2, 0-0) ended its two-game loss streak with a 77-64 win over the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos (4-2, 0-0) on Saturday, Nov. 22, at Lawlor Events Center.
Nevada center Joel Armotrading jumpstarted the Pack by stripping Gauchos forward Hosana Kitenge.
Guard Tayshawn Comer grabbed the loose ball, pushed in transition, and finished at the rim to give the Pack the first points of the night.
Comer immediately stole another possession and drove coast-to-coast for a second layup. Guard Corey Camper Jr. added a block on the other end, and Nevada kept rolling. Comer found forward Elijah Price in the paint for a layup plus a foul shot, giving the Pack a 6-2 lead.
UCSB’s rushed shots fueled Nevada’s early run. Armotrading pulled down a board and hit Camper, leaking out for another layup. Camper added two free throws to stretch the lead to 11-4.
Guard Myles Walker jumped a passing lane for a steal, passing the ball to guard Amire Robinson for a layup.
Armotrading then rose for a clean block on the Gauchos’ leading scorer of the season, Colin Smith, helping force UCSB’s fourth turnover in the first 10 minutes.
The Gauchos steadied themselves at the free-throw line, but Comer buried a three and guard Tyler Rolison knocked down a mid-range jumper to maintain a lead at 20-13.
Nevada went cold for more than three minutes, and UCSB closed the gap after a corner three from guard Miro Little. Nevada forward Peyton White answered with a three from the same spot, but Gauchos guard Marvin McGhee IV hit a triple to pull UCSB within 24-22. Kitenge scored at the rim to tie it.
After a foul on Price, Smith hit a free throw to give UCSB their first lead. Camper immediately erased it with a three, then cut backdoor for a layup off a Comer feed to push Nevada ahead 29-25.
Camper later drilled a pull-up three in the final seconds of the half, sending Nevada into the break up 32-28. He led with 13 points as the Pack shot 43 percent.
Camper kept firing to start the second half, hitting two free throws before Comer knocked down a pull-up jumper. Camper followed with a deep three and a drive to the basket, and Price added another layup to open a 13-point lead.
Camper drilled a corner three and sliced through traffic for another layup. Guard Chuck Bailey III hit a corner three and a mid-range jumper with 5:35 left in the game, extending the Pack’s lead to 65-47.
Another Kitenge turnover turned into a Camper fast-break slam, capping off his dominant night.
UCSB hit a few late threes to trim the margin, but Nevada controlled the final minutes and closed out with a 77-64 win.
The Pack’s next challenge will come on the road as they take on the Washington Huskies (4-1, 0-0) on Thursday, Nov. 27, at 1:30 p.m.
