The Nevada men’s basketball team (16-6, 8-3) rocked its in-state rival UNLV (10-11, 5-5) with an 89-76 win Friday, Jan. 30.
Nevada opened the scoring with a midrange jumper from guard Corey Camper Jr. Guard Vaughn Weems followed with a spinning layup. Camper added another midrange jumper as the Wolf Pack defense stifled the Rebels early. A feed from forward Elijah Price found Camper on the perimeter, burying a clean 3-pointer to get the crowd on its feet.
UNLV finally got on the board with a 3 from guard Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn, but the momentum was short-lived. Guard Tayshawn Comer answered with a midrange jumper to push Nevada’s lead to 11-3 less than five minutes into the game.
Camper stayed hot, knocking down another jumper off a dish from Weems to cap a perfect start. The guard scored nine points on 4-for-4 shooting from the floor. Forward Payton White then drilled a 3, and Camper jumped a passing lane, stripping the ball from Rebels guard Al Green and converting the steal into a layup making the score 21-8 midway through the first half.
Rebels forward Kimani Hamilton connected on a 3, but Nevada forward Kaleb Lowery answered on the other end with a corner 3 to keep the Pack comfortably ahead. Camper continued his efficient night, attacking the rim for another bucket. Weems added a layup, and Camper knocked down a free throw to extend Nevada’s lead to 31-18 with 3:20 remaining in the half.
UNLV closed the half on a 10-2 run, taking advantage of fouls in the paint as the Rebels went 5-for-5 from the free-throw line down the stretch. Despite the late run, Nevada took a 33-28 lead into the break, led by Camper’s 14 points.
The Wolf Pack came out of halftime with renewed energy. Price opened the second half with a layup through contact, and Camper followed with a dunk to push the lead back into double figures. Camper stayed locked in, later knocking down a deep 3.
Guard Tyler Rolison added a 3 of his own as Nevada continued to pour it on early in the second half. Rolison then found a wide-open Lowery, who drained his second 3 of the night to give Nevada a 50-31 advantage with 14:23 remaining in the second half.
After a brief 6-1 UNLV run, Rolison went to work on the next possession, weaving past defenders and finishing at the rim to steady the Pack. Camper answered again, draining his third 3-pointer of the game.
Both teams traded baskets before Wolf Pack forward Jeriah Coleman brought the sold-out crowd back into the game with a dunk and followed it with a block on the other end. Lowery added a layup to keep Nevada’s lead at 19.
Nevada led by as many as 20 and controlled the rest of the game on its way to the 89-76 victory. Camper finished with a game-high 32 points, while Price added 22 points and 11 rebounds.
The win marked Nevada’s largest victory over UNLV since Jan. 31, 2021, when the Wolf Pack defeated the Rebels 89-60.
Head coach Steve Alford said the home crowd helped lift the team during key stretches in the second half.
“We had great energy in times where we were flat, the crowd got us going,” Alford said. “But students are having fun, because I think the last two games have been as [much] fun as our student body has had since we’ve been here.”
Camper said the team’s response reflected its trust in one another after a tough outing in its previous game.
“I think it’s great just having that trust to make shots,” Camper Jr. said. “We didn’t play great in our last game so we wanted to bounce back today.”
The Wolf Pack’s next challenge will come on the road as they travel to Boise, Idaho, to take on the Boise State Broncos (13-9, 5-6) on Tuesday, Feb. 3, at 6 p.m.
