The Nevada men’s basketball team improved to 4-0 with a commanding 85-65 victory over the Santa Clara Broncos on Saturday, Nov. 16. The Pack led from start to finish, never trailing, and saw four starters score in double figures.
The victory marked head coach Steve Alford’s 100th win at Nevada, making it the fourth program where he has reached this milestone, following Iowa, New Mexico and UCLA.
Nevada carried its offensive momentum from the Weber State game into this matchup, with the Pack’s starters connecting on their shots early. Forward Tre Coleman made the first splash play, converting on a long three-pointer, with guard Xavier DuSell hitting back-to-back threes. Forward Brandon Love added to the surge, slamming home a dunk off an inside pass from guard Kobe Sanders, giving the team a quick 12-4 lead in the first three minutes.
Sanders rattled in a turnaround jumper, followed by forward Nick Davidson sinking a three-pointer and scoring a layup off a Broncos turnover. Coleman drained a three on a fast-break possession, while Love powered to the rim for a layup and converted the and-one. DuSell capped the run with a step-back jumper over defenders, extending the Pack’s lead to 29-10 with 8:54 remaining in the first half.
The team exchanged free throws before Coleman set up Davidson for a basket at the rim. Love followed with a dunk, and Coleman added a jumper. Love then tipped in a second-chance dunk, and Coleman turned in a jumper. The Pack’s lead increased to 21 points, as they took a strong 47-26 advantage into the break.
Three players reached double figures in scoring: Davidson with 12 points, Love, who contributed 10 points and five rebounds, and Coleman with 10 points. The team recorded 20 rebounds and scored seven points off turnovers while shooting 63% from the field.
Both teams battled at the start of the second half, with Sanders and Coleman combining to score the Pack’s first seven points. Love added a turnaround jumper, and Davidson capitalized on another Broncos turnover with a layup. Coleman then sank his third three-pointer of the game, pushing Nevada’s lead to 66-36 with 12:34 remaining.
Guard Tyler Rolison hit a jumper, followed by Sanders draining a fast-break three. Davidson added another three-pointer, and the teams traded free throws down the stretch as Nevada sealed a dominant 85-59 victory.
The Pack’s starting five delivered impressive performances, led by Tre Coleman with a season-high 21 points. Davidson contributed 18 points and eight rebounds, while Love added 15 points and eight rebounds of his own. DuSell rounded out the scoring with 11 points. Defensively, Nevada excelled for the second consecutive game, holding the Broncos to 40 percent shooting from the field (23-58) and a mere 12 percent from beyond the arc (2-17.)
Alford highlighted the team’s early-season ability to distribute the ball across the entire team.
“We seem to have a little bit more balance,” Alford said. “Last year was obviously a highly successful season, they did a phenomenal job. Jarod and Kenan almost had to be in double figures for a lot of games. But now you’ve got a lot of guys that can score. Our whole starting five can score double figures and then you got guys off the bench who can do the same thing. I think we’re a little bit deeper with the number of guys who can score the basketball.”
The Wolf Pack’s next challenge will come during the MTE tournament, as they travel to Charleston, SC, to take on the Vanderbilt Commodores at 4:30 p.m. on Thurs. Nov. 21.
Watch the full recap of the game below:
James Wolfgang Perez & Maddie Gomes can be reached via email at dominicgutierrez@unr.edu or via X @JamesWPerezUNR & @MaddieGomes06
