Nevada (9-19, 5-13) defeated San Jose State (4-25, 2-16) 49-41 in a low-scoring affair.
“I thought it was an ugly game,” Nevada Head Coach Amanda Levens said. “In terms of being able to score for both teams. I thought our defense kept us in it.”
San Jose State won the tipoff and subsequently threw the ball away, giving Nevada their first possession of the evening. The possession came up short, however, as forward Imbie Jones missed a jumpshot.
Scoring started just a moment later when a turnover from the Spartans gave Jones an easy layup. Nevada scored twice more before a hard foul from guard Skylar Durley left a player injured and temporarily paused the game.
The pace slowed following the break, as the Pack missed their next 12 shots. During this time, San Jose State was able to regain the lead, making the score 7-6.
Nevada quickly regained the lead, though, as guard Britain Backus knocked down two free throws.
From there, the Wolf Pack defense took over, with Backus forcing two straight turnovers en-route to a 6-0 run. Nevada maintained their small lead as the first quarter drew to a close, going up 14-10 into the break.
“Without [Backus] we don’t win tonight,” Levens said. “I thought she came in, it started with her defense being aggressive, and it just translated to her offense… She was just huge for us tonight.”
As the second period began, the Nevada defensive effort picked up right where it left off, only surrendering two points over the next six minutes. While the defense was firing on all cylinders for the Pack, the offense was abysmal, going on a three minute scoring drought of their own.
In the half’s final seconds, the Spartans scored their second basket of the quarter, bringing the tally to 18-14 at the half.
San Jose State began the second half in a much better fashion than the first, going on a 8-0 run to start and regaining the lead. Their lead did not last long, though, as a reinvigorated Wolf Pack made three straight baskets to move the score up 24-22.
Each team continued the aggressive play from there as a plethora of fouls were called. Nevada maintained their lead before a three from Backus beat the buzzer to end the third quarter.
The fourth and final quarter began with a dog-pile on the floor in a battle for the ball; San Jose State came out with possession. They were to convert on the opportunity, as guard Allie Cummins made a layup. The Pack quickly answered with Backus knocking down her second triple of the contest.
The Spartan offense continued to struggle as they had all game, missing their first five shots to start the quarter.
Nevada also continued to struggle on offense as they endured a scoreless streak that lasted over five minutes. Then, a jumper from Jones ended the streak and extended the Pack’s lead to 45-37. Another layup from Jones was all it took for Nevada to put the game away.
Nevada’s next game will come at home against New Mexico (20-9, 12-6) on Saturday, Feb. 28.
