Photo by Nicolas Peña
ALBUQUERQUE, NM–The Nevada Wolf Pack making the annual trip to play their away game inside the Pit. There’s not too many better shows in town. Another chance for fans to pack the Pit, but an always fun homecoming for one of the Lobo program’s most decorated coaches in 7th year Wolf Pack Head Coach Steve Alford.
The story writes itself every year, as both programs have found themselves consistently fighting for top-half finishes in one of the best mid-major conferences in the nation.
With both squads tied in conference play at 6-2, this is a must win for both if title contention is still on their minds.
First Half
Tomislav Buljan won the tip for the home crowd, but New Mexico failed to capitalize fresh out of the gate. Some missed field goals & turnovers early kept the crowd on their feet & awaiting some points.
Wolf Pack big man Elijah Price opened the scoring account for Nevada, with a three pointer at the top of the key. Corey Camper Jr. extended the early Wolf Pack lead with a two point jumper of his own.
It was D-II transfer sensation, Luke Haupt who has really stepped into his starting role quite well, who allowed fans to sit with a corner three pointer. Haupt was influential on both sides of the ball, helping cause a Camper Jr. turnover on the other end.
Out of the break, a missed Lobo field goal was scooped up & laid in by 7-1 big man JT Rock. Tying things up at five a piece as the game approached the fifteen minute mark.
Tyler Rolison knocked down a mid-range jumper on the other end to give the visiting squad back the lead. The momentum was short lived as Price turned the ball over with an apparent pass to the referee while bringing the ball upcourt.
The Lobos took advantage with a Jake Hall three pointer to ignite the crowd & a block by Rock (nice) on the other end, giving them the 8-7 lead.
After some misques on both sides, a fast break dunk by Nevada freshman Peyton White gave the visitors back the lead at 9-8 at the 13:45 mark. Elijah Price kept his squad in the hunt, with a near wide open three pointer after just draining one no less than five minutes prior to extend the lead to 12-8.
JT Rock headed to the free throw line out of the media time out & went 1-2. On the following possession Price turned the ball over with an offensive foul while diving the lane.
Tajavis Miller got his first points of the game with a drive to the basket to get New Mexico within one.
Miller also picked off a bad pass on the baseline like a Lobo DB, sparking a fastbreak that ended with Antonio Chol’s first three pointer, giving the home squad back the lead.
Price continued to attack the basket with his triple threat offense at the top of the key. This time drawing the foul & heading to the line for two made free throws, tying things back up at fourteen a piece.
Freshman Uriah Tenette followed suit with a pair of made free throws himself on the other end. Continuing a one for one scoring bout we’d see all night.
Tayshawn Comer made the most of his slight mismatch on the 5’11 Tenette with a mid-range jumper with the freshman’s hand right in his face.
Deyton Albury continued to do what he does best, attacking the rim. This time finding his first points at the free throw line to give his team back the narrow lead.
Camper went to work on the other end, with a tough drive through contact for the old school triple. Nevada took back the one point lead with a little over eight minutes left in the half.
Nevada’s defense was proving difficult for the Lobos to crack, with seven fouls called with about as much time left on the clock.
Buljan knocked down both of his free throws after the timeout, something keeping the Lobos alive against a Nevada squad knocking down contested jumpers left & right.
After a defensive stop on the other end, some great ball movement on the perimeter led to another Chol three pointer to extend the lead to 23-19. Tayshawn Comer returned to the free throw line for two more after another penetrating drive.
The Lobos stayed scrappy, with some offensive boards & a kickout to a wide open Tenette in the top corner for a three to get the Pit crowd back in the game.
Comer answered with a three of his own on the other end, bringing Nevada to within two at 26-24. Tenette was feeling it beyond the arc, locked & loaded for his second triple of the game. Camper Jr. answered with a layup on the other end to keep the Wolf Pack to within three.
The next Lobo play was low & slow, taking things down to the closing seconds when Haupt took the ball in for a turn around hook shot that nearly became a three point opportunity at the free throw line.
Vaughn Weems checked back into the game & found his first points of the night with a two point layup to shrink the Lobo lead to just 31-28.
Camper Jr. stayed consistent with his defensive mismatches with a rise & fire one handed shot in the paint to bring Nevada to within striking distance at 31-30.
Peyton White made that happen on the next possession with a mid-range jumper at the top of the key to give the visitors back the lead at 32-31. The Lobos called a much needed timeout to stop the bleeding.
The scrappy play continued with some missed field goals by both sides leading to an Albury drive to the hoop & two ensuing made free throws to give the Lobos back the lead.
Camper Jr. stayed locked in, going back to the same offense that made him the only double-digit scorer of the game to that point, drive & elevate. The three point play gave Nevada the 35-33 lead as the game approached the 1:32 mark.
Albury noticed & did much of the same with a beautiful drive & strong armed rise for two points, tying things up at 35 a piece.
Tenette maintained a nose for the ball as his offensive board sparked a fast break before he was fouled & sent to the line for two free ones, shooting 1-2.
A Jake Hall three pointer with time expiring rang out, sending both canine related teams to the locker rooms with the Lobos up 36-35.
The game was just about how you’d expect with two top-3 teams duking it out for their possession in the standings. There was plenty of tough defense, plenty of fouls called & plenty of tough shots made on both sides.
Neither team shot the ball particularly well from deep, though the Lobos enjoyed a bit more success shooting 35.3% (6-17). New Mexico also took advantage of a foul prone Wolf Pack squad, who logged ten fouls in the first half. Leading to ten points for their hosts.
Nevada enjoyed great success shooting inside the arc, shooting 58.8% on 10-17 shooting. The Wolf Pack lead may have been larger if they hadn’t fell victim to nine turnovers in the first half.
Either way, things were close throughout in the first twenty minutes. Whoever finds their second-half shooting form first out of the gate may win this one.
Second Half
New Mexico opened things up with a turnover, while Nevada found their first points off of contested lay in by Elijah Price. That old school three point play gave the Wolf Pack their first lead of the half at 38-36.
As the scrappy defense continued on both ends, the Lobos sent Comer to the line for a pair of free ones to extend the visitors lead to four (40-36). Nevada was in the drivers seat with a slow paced halfcourt offense & another made layup by Elijah Price.
Out of the timeout it stayed Nevada’s game, with a Vaughn Weems steal & layup on the other end to push the lead to eight.
After a rare Jake Hall airball, Tenette managed to salvage another possession with a steal on the other end.
Hall put that airball (nice) in the past fairly quickly with a corner three on the next possession & a Buljan defensive board to get the crowd back into the game.
The Wolf Pack lead began to shrink with another Hall triple to bring the Lobos to within two (44-42).
After a solid defensive stop out of the timeout, Albury turned the ball over. Nevada capitalized with a near uncontested drive by Weems for an above the rim layup & a foul that sent him to the line for a missed free throw.
A missed three pointer by Camper was grabbed & laid up with the reverse by a very active Weems underneath the basket to extend the Nevada lead to 48-42 with about fourteen minutes left in this one.
A smart play by Luke Haupt on the other end, noticing his mismatch allowed him to back the ball into the paint for another three opportunity, the free throw was missed. But the creativity was on display.
JT Rock entered the game & drained a three pointer at the top of the key to bring New Mexico to within one. Jake Hall followed suit with his own triple, with a near sold out Pit crowd on their feet. The Lobos regained the lead at 50-48, before Coach Alford called the timeout.
Coach Alford drew up a nice one out of the break, with a Camper three pointer that quieted down a ruckess Pit.
JT Rock continued to make the most of his minutes with a contested layup & made free throw. Hall continued to add to his account, this time with a two point jumper to give the Lobos the 55-51 lead.
Kaleb Lowrey recovered a swatted layup by Chol for a quick two point put back as we approached the ten minute mark. After a few missed opportunities, it was Weems of Nevada with a contested two point drive & the made free throw to go with it. Securing the Wolf Pack the lead once again at 56-55.
Out of an inbound play, Price went back to the charity stripe for a pair of free ones to grow the Wolf Pack lead to 57-55 with 8:41 left in the game.
New Mexico continued to move their offense through their guards, & after some ball reversals, Tenette put the Lobos back on the board with a floater in the lane.
After securing a pair of offensive boards, Buljan went to work in the paint & knocked down the contested shot with a chance for one more at the line.
Weems continued to show great flashes all night, this time with a poster all Wolf Pack fans back in Reno would put on their wall to bring Nevada to within one with about seven minutes left in the game.
The next possession, a play that would drive fast break fans nuts eventually resulted in an open Buljan two handed slam. But that home crowd energy was nearly sucked out of the room again with another impressive Wolf Pack flush, this time by Tayshawn Comer.
Buljan was fouled on the other end, knocking down both free throws to keep the Lobo lead to just a triple.
On the other end, Price went to the line for 1-2 available points. Jake Hall would continue to add to his new freshman record. Extending the lead 67-62 with just five minutes left to play in this one.
Coach Alford decided it was time to pound the paint & sent Price back to the line after a stuff didn’t deter the big man from going up once again, he went 1-2. Some tough Nevada defense forced a Lobo turnover out of bounds & was soon challenged by Eric Olen.
An immediate foul of the break sent Comer to the line for two more free ones, Alford’s strategy appeared to be working as the former Evansville guard made both.
The Lobos needed a score & they got that with a beautiful dish by Haupt to draw the defenders & create the two handed Rock flush to extend the lead to just four points (69-65).
Nevada continued to draw fouls in the double bonus off of a screen by Tenette. Camper Jr. knocked down both of them to keep Nevada within two. While the Lobos continued to attack the paint, this time with a dish from Albury to Buljan for a layup in the paint.
Albury found his rhythm at the right time with a rare but welcomed deep three pointer to extend the home squad’s lead to 74-67 with 2:23 left in the game. Both coaches were working their magic late in the game, but New Mexico looked hot.
The Lobos needed a stop & they got one. On the next play Hall went to work, backing down his 6-8 opponent in the paint & drawing the foul. He knocked down both & kept New Mexico in the hunt for the W.
On the other end so did Weems with a triple that brought the Wolf Pack to within two possessions at 76-70 with a minute left in this one.
Buljan drew a hefty charge from an antsy Price that sent the ball the other way & kept Lobo fans on their feet with victory in reach. Nevada sent Haupt to the foul line with .28 seconds left in the game, he went 2-2 to extend the lead 79-70.
Camper Jr. wasn’t done yet with his second triple of the game to keep the visitors within striking distance for possible overtime in Albuquerque. Out of the inbound Nevada covered the Lobos well, forcing a timeout call by Haupt. To the discontent of both former Lobo coaches.
The Lobos had more success on the next play, getting Tenette to the line & sending Comer to the bench with his fifth. Taking away a Wolf Pack scoring threat in the process. Both failed to fall but the freshman helped squeeze Camper Jr. at the top of the key & steal the ball for another chance at two free throws.
This time he didn’t flinch. And neither did the Lobos, staying composed in the final minutes for the 80-73 win at home. Sending Alford packing until next year’s visit in his old home.
Players of the Match:
Nevada-Vaughn Weems, Junior Guard-16 points, 8 rebounds & 2 steals on 77% shooting from the floor (7-9), 33.3% from deep (1-3) & 50% from the free throw line (1-2) in 31 minutes
Weems seemed to making impacts on the game every time he touched the ball. Aside from a very retweet able second half poster, he consistently scored points off of cuts to the basket.
Making all six of his two-point field goals & missing a few threes, Weems was dangerous every time he touched the ball. With the only impact full +/- score at 8 for Nevada.
New Mexico-Jake Hall, Fresh. Guard-19 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists & 2 steals on 40% (6-15) shooting from the field, 55.5% from deep (5-9) & 66% (2-3) from the free throw line in 36 minutes
For a stretch of time there wasn’t a ton of scoring going on in this one. And for most of the game, no one Lobo was standing out on the box score. In steps Jake Hall, breaking a New Mexico freshman record for three pointers with five more made tonight.
He also added to the offensive creation with four assists & no turnovers. It represents the growth the freshman sensation continues to exhibit. When the shots aren’t falling & your teammates aren’t finding you for open looks, create your own production.
Next Up:
The Lobos head back on the road to face a scrappy UNLV Runnin’ Rebels Squad Tuesday night in the Thomas & Mack Center. That matchup can be seen on CBS Sports Network but will require a power nap for some Lobo fans with a 9:00 PM MST start time.
While the Wolf Pack welcome one of the hottest teams in the Mountain West on Tuesday, first year heavy hitter Grand Canyon.
The Lopes have made plenty of noise in their new home, fighting for a top-five finish every week & with a roster capable of doing it. That game will tip off at 7:30 PM PT & can be watched on FS1.
Larry Muniz is a Mountain West Basketball beat writer for Couch Potato Sports along with West Coast mid-major coverage at Mid-Major Madness.
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