After back-to-back dominant wins for Nevada men’s basketball (2-1), at home against Robert Morris University and at Tahoe Blue Event Center against Saint Mary’s College (SMC), the Pack suffered an embarrassing road loss against the UC Santa Barbara (UCSB) Gaunchos (3-0), 76-63.
Nevada’s offense looked out of sorts throughout the first half as they shot 8 for 28 (28.57%) from the field and a disheartening 1 for 9 (11.11%) from outside the paint.
The Gaunchos outshot the Pack going 13 for 27 (48.15%) overall and 6 for 16 in 3-pointers (37.50%) to give them a 40-24 lead at the end of the first half.
The Pack seemed to find their groove in the second half making15 of their 30 shots (50%). While Nevada’s work in the paint improved, their 3-point shooting mirrored that of their first half performance with an identical 1/9 (11.11%).
UCSB did seem to slow down offensively making only 9 of their 24 (37.50%) attempts as net in the field, however the Gaunchos had pulled ahead far enough and would defeat the Pack 76-63.
By far the biggest shocker in the Pack’s performance was the 3-point game. Shooting for only 2/18 (11.11%) on the night compared to the previous 5/11 (45.5%) we saw against SMC.
Senior guard Vaughn Weems disappointed after outstanding back to back outings. Weems hit a career-high of 33 points in the SMC game and made four of eight 8 3-point attempts (50%). However in this UCSB matchup, Weems was 0/4 on his shots outside of the paint and scored a total of 10 points.
Junior guard Styles Phipps carried the Pack in scoring with 20 total points — only five points less than his career high of 25 against SMC — and was a perfect 8/8 shot at the free throw line.
While UCSB is a strong, well-rounded team, the Pack was expected to at least be able to compete based off of their previous stellar performances.
It was disappointing to see the team who performed so well offensively in their first two matchups struggle to find the net in a winnable game.
Nevada’s next opportunity to redeem themselves in their next matchup against Utah Valley University at Lawlor Event Center on Saturday, Nov. 14 at 7 p.m.
