The Nevada men’s basketball team held off the Liberty Flames 73-63 at home on Saturday, March 21, behind a 15-2 scoring run in the game’s final five minutes.
Nevada won the opening tip but struggled to find the net early, going 0-3 in the paint as Liberty turned defensive rebounds into a quick 6-0 lead. Eventually, forward Elijah Price opened the scoring for Nevada with a layup, putting the Pack on the board after a slow start.
Missed shots and turnovers left Nevada trailing 8-2 at the first media timeout, however, the Pack responded with a 9-3 run coming out of the break. A layup from guard Corey Camper Jr., followed by a layup and a 3-pointer from guard Tayshawn Comer capped by a Price dunk, tied the game at 11-11.
Shortly after, a steal from Liberty guard JJ Harper briefly slowed Nevada’s momentum, but a missed 3-pointer from Harper led to seven straight points from the Pack.
Harper then ended the run with a layup, followed by points from Liberty forward Zach Cleveland. In response, Nevada forward Kaleb Lowery answered with a dunk, sparking a back-and-forth stretch between the teams. Heading into the break, Nevada regained control, taking a 35-31 lead into halftime with 12 defensive rebounds and 57.7% shooting in the paint.
Out of the locker room, the Pack carried their momentum into the second half. A Camper Jr. layup and a Lowery 3-pointer were followed by back-to-back dunks from Price as Nevada quickly pushed the pace.
However, that rhythm stalled as missed shots and fouls allowed Liberty to respond. Harper, guard Kaden Metheny and guard Colin Porter each found the net from outside the paint, fueling an 11-0 run that gave Liberty a 51-50 lead — their first of the half.
In response, a jumper from Nevada guard Vaughn Weems snapped the run, and the pace slowed as both teams hit scoring droughts, particularly from beyond the arc. Nevada went 4-17 from 3-point range, while Liberty shot a season low of 5-22.
Meanwhile, foul trouble became another setback for Liberty as forward Josh Smith fouled out. At the line, Price went 2-2 to give Nevada a 62-61 lead.
From there, the Pack closed the game on a 15-2 run to secure a 73-63 win in a hard-fought home victory.
Camper Jr. finished the game with his first career triple-double: 10 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists. Price led the Pack with a team-high 15 points alongside 10 rebounds.
The win marked the Pack’s 10th straight home win and 17th overall.
“I thought our last eight minutes [of the game] were what we’ve done in this building all year,” Nevada men’s basketball head coach Steve Alford said. “We’ve won 17-2 in this building and we won the last eight minutes.”
The Pack will face Auburn on the road for their quarterfinals game of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) on Wednesday, March 25 at 6 p.m.
