No. 12/11 NEVADA WOLF PACK (21-2, 9-1 WAC) at FRESNO STATE BULLDOGS (16-7, 5-5 WAC)
GAME NO. 24
Thurs., Feb. 8, 2007 - 7:05 p.m. PT - Save Mart Center (15,596) - Fresno, Calif.
TELEVISION: KAME-TV 21 & ESPN Full Court (Rich Cellini & Dave Bollwinkel)
RADIO: Wolf Pack Sports Network (ESPN Radio 630 AM, Reno)
Sirius Satellite Radio Channel 130
Dan Gustin (play-by-play) & Don Marchand (color)
Pregame, 6:20 p.m. PT
SERIES HISTORY: Nevada leads the all-times series 39-34.
LAST MEETING: Nevada has won the last two meetings between the two teams, including an 85-75 victory over Fresno State on Jan. 18 in Reno.
Coming off a 69-68 victory over Hawai’i on Saturday in Reno, the No. 12/11 Nevada Wolf Pack (21-2, 9-1 WAC) will play at Fresno State (16-7, 5-5 WAC) at 7:05 p.m. PT on Thursday in its lone game of the week. Thursday night’s game at Fresno State’s Save Mart Center will be televised locally by KAME-TV 21 and will be part of the ESPN Full Court pay-per-view package. Ranked 12th in this week’s Associated Press poll and 11th in the latest ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ poll, the highest rankings in school history, Nevada became the fastest team in school history to reach 20 wins last week and has turned in the program’s ninth 20-win season and its fourth consecutive. Alone atop the WAC standings with a 9-1 league mark, Nevada has won its last four games and 14 of its last 15 contests. The Wolf Pack has also won 13 of its last 14 regular-season road games, including a 7-1 road record this season. Following Thursday night’s game, Nevada will return to Lawlor Events Center for a Wednesday, Feb. 14 WAC game against San Jose State and the O’Reilly ESPNU BracketBusters matchup with Northern Iowa on Saturday, Feb. 17. ESPN2 will televise the Northern Iowa game with tip-off scheduled for 3 p.m. PT.
The Wolf Pack returned four starters from last year’s 27-6 team, including preseason All-American senior forward Nick Fazekas, senior guard Kyle Shiloh and junior guards Ramon Sessions and Marcelus Kemp. Under the direction of third-year head coach Mark Fox, the team also features four other returning letterwinners and six new faces (one redshirt freshman and five true freshmen). Nevada won its third straight WAC regular-season title last season and earned the team’s third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, garnering the league’s automatic NCAA bid after winning the 2006 WAC Tournament.
NEVADA IN WAC PLAY
With its Jan. 18 win over Fresno State, Nevada won its first five WAC games for the first time since joining the league in 2000-01. The Wolf Pack now holds a 9-1 mark in WAC play, which is good for a one-game lead over New Mexico State (8-2) for first in the league standings. Nevada has also won nine of its first 10 WAC games for the first time in its seven years as a member of the league.
After opening league play with a 3-3 mark last year, the Wolf Pack won its final 10 WAC games to finish with a 13-3 conference mark and its third consecutive WAC regular-season championship. In 2004-05, Nevada opened WAC play with four straight victories and won seven of its first eight league games en route to a WAC-record 16-2 overall mark and sole possession of the WAC championship. The team also won a share of the league title in 2003-04, tying for first with UTEP with a 13-5 mark.
ABOUT THE FRESNO STATE BULLDOGS
Fresno State brings a 16-7 overall record into Thursday’s game with Nevada and is tied for fourth in the WAC with a 5-5 league mark. The Bulldogs split a pair of games last week, falling to Hawai’i 54-42 on Feb. 1 in Fresno and edging Idaho 72-70 in overtime on Feb. 3 in Moscow, Idaho. Under the direction of second-year head coach Steve Cleveland (31-20 record at FSU), the Bulldogs returned three starters and eight letterwinners from last year’s 15-13 team. Fresno State finished in sixth in the WAC last year with an 8-8 league record.
Senior guard/forward Quinton Hosley (6-6, 210) is leading four Bulldogs in double figures for scoring with 14.2 points per game (eighth in the WAC). Junior guard/forward Dominic McGuire (6-8, 210), a transfer from California, is averaging 13.1 points per game, while junior forward Hector Hernandez (6-9, 225) is adding 11.3 points per contest. McGuire is also pacing the squad and ranked second in the WAC in rebounding at 9.5 boards per game, while Hosley is adding 9.0 rebounds per tilt (fourth in the WAC). Hernandez also is second in the league in three-point shooting, knocking down 44.7 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc (51-114).
IN THE SERIES
Nevada holds a 39-34 advantage in the series with Fresno State, including wins in eight of the last 11 games between the two teams. The Wolf Pack turned in an 85-75 victory over the Bulldogs on Jan. 18 in Reno in this year’s first meeting. Fresno State holds a 19-17 advantage in games played in Fresno. Last season, the two teams split a pair of meetings with each team winning on its own home floor. The Bulldogs turned in an 87-77 victory on Jan. 18, 2006, while the Wolf Pack downed the Bulldogs 74-60 on March 4, 2006 in Reno. Prior to last season, Nevada had won two straight games in Fresno.
LAST TIME VS. FRESNO STATE
Junior Marcelus Kemp scored 15 of his 22 points in the second half and senior Nick Fazekas had 20 points and 10 rebounds to help Nevada to an 85-75 win over Fresno State on Jan. 18 in Reno. That marked Fazekas’ return to the Wolf Pack lineup after he missed the previous two and a half games with a severe left ankle sprain Junior Denis Ikovlev scored a career-high 18 points and junior Ramon Sessions added 14 points and nine rebounds for the Wolf Pack.
Junior Dominic McGuire had 19 points to lead five players in double figures for Fresno State. Junior Hector Hernandez had 13 points, senior Quinton Hosley and senior Ja'Vance Coleman 12 each and junior Eddie Miller 10 for the Bulldogs, who were outshot from the field 38 to 48 percent and outrebounded 45-35.
Kemp made consecutive 3-pointers to put Nevada up 61-55 with 10:54 remaining. Hernandez answered with a 3, but sophomore Lyndale Burleson matched it, Kemp added another and senior Kyle Shiloh did the same to make it 72-61 with 5:54 left. Hosley's 3-point goal pulled the Bulldogs to 74-67 at 4:31. But Kemp drove the lane for a basket, Ikovlev scored inside off a pass from Fazekas and Fazekas tipped in a lob from Sessions to make it 80-68 at 2:04. McGuire scored six points in the final 54 seconds, but Sessions made 4-of-6 free throws down the stretch and Shiloh added one to seal it.
Fazekas had his first two shots blocked but made his next five in a row, including back-to-back 3-pointers and a hook in the lane to give Nevada its first lead, 21-19 in the first half.
Nevada opened a 52-46 lead early in the second half when Fazekas made a pair of free throws after the Bulldogs were called for a technical foul for sending six men on the court. Hernandez made a 3-pointer, McGuire drove the baseline for a slam dunk and Hernandez stole the ball and fed Coleman for a dunk to tie it for the last time, 55-55 at 12:33.
Ikovlev, who surpassed his career high with 10 points in the first half, made 6-of-11 from the field, including 3-of-8 on 3-pointers. Kemp made 4-of-6 from behind the arc for the Wolf Pack, who made 11-of-25 from long range for 44 percent on the game.
NEVADA TO PLAY NORTHERN IOWA IN THE O’REILLY ESPNU BRACKETBUSTERS
Nevada will play host to Northern Iowa in the O’Reilly ESPNU BracketBusters on Saturday, Feb. 17 at Lawlor Events Center. The game will tip off at 3 p.m. Pacific Time and will be televised by ESPN2.
This year will mark Nevada’s fourth appearance in the BracketBusters, an event which was created in 2003 in conjunction with the Western Athletic Conference, ESPN and several top college basketball conferences to match potential NCAA tournament hopefuls against each other. Last season, the Wolf Pack turned in an 88-61 victory over Akron on Feb. 17, 2006 in Reno.
As part of the BracketBusters agreement, Nevada will play at Northern Iowa in 2007-08.
Northern Iowa has turned in a 16-8 overall record so far this season and is tied for fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference standings with a 7-6 league mark. The Panthers are led by 6-6, 240-pound junior center Eric Coleman who is turning in 13.4 points and 9.4 rebounds per game this season, while 6-8, 240-pound senior forward Grant Stout is averaging 12.4 points and 8.9 boards per contest.
IN THE RANKINGS
Nevada has been featured in the national top 25 in the majority of the preseason polls again this year and climbed to 12th in the Associated Press poll and 11th in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ rankings released on Monday, Feb. 5. Both rankings mark the highest in school history with the team previously climbing as high as 15th by AP and 13th by the coaches twice this season (Jan. 15 & Jan. 29). Prior to this year, Nevada had climbed as high as 17th in the Dec. 5, 2005 AP poll last season.
The Wolf Pack appeared at 24th in the preseason Associated Press poll, released on Nov. 6, and checked in at 25th in the first ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ poll, released on Oct. 27. That marks the second consecutive season Nevada has been ranked in the preseason by both of the major polls after checking in at 22nd (AP) and 25th (coaches) prior to the 2005-06 season.
The Wolf Pack spent 11 weeks ranked in one of the two major national polls in 2005-06, climbing as high as 17th in the AP poll on Dec. 5 and as high as 21st in the coaches’ rankings four times during the year. The team ended up ranked 20th in the final Associated Press poll of the year.
In addition, Nevada has been picked to win the WAC and featured in the top 25 in the majority of the other preseason publications, including Lindy’s (19th), Street & Smith’s (20th), Sporting News (23rd), Collegehoopsnet.com (23rd) and CBS SportsLine (23rd).
NEVADA NOTCHES ITS FOURTH CONSECUTIVE 20-WIN SEASON
With its 79-71 victory at Louisiana Tech on Jan. 31, Nevada notched its fourth consecutive season with at least 20 wins as well as the ninth 20-victory season in school history and is now 21-2 on the year. The Wolf Pack has won at least 25 wins in each of its three previous seasons (25-9 in 2003-04, 25-7 in 2004-05 and 27-6 this year).
With its victory over the Bulldogs, Nevada also reached 20 wins faster than any team in school history, needing just 22 games to achieve the milestone. Head coach Jake Lawlor’s 1945-46 squad won its 20th contest 24 games into the season en route to its school-record 28 wins (28-5 overall record that year). Last season, the Wolf Pack earned its 20th victory 25 games into the year in its BracketBusters win over Akron on Feb. 17, while the 2004-05 squad also took 25 contests to reach the 20-win milestone. Head coach Mark Fox is the first coach in school history to lead more than one team to at least 20 wins, doing so in each of his first three seasons.
LAST TIME OUT
Marcelus Kemp scored 23 points including the Wolf Pack's first 14 points of the second half, to lead Nevada to a 69-68 victory over Hawai’i on Saturday at Lawlor Events Center. Senior Nick Fazekas added 21 points and 10 rebounds for Nevada.
Hawaii appeared to have gone ahead 70-69 on Ahmet Gueye's desperation basket from 10 feet with 5.8 seconds left and Gueye headed for the free throw line after being fouled by Fazekas. But after conferring, the officials determined Fazekas fouled Gueye before the shot attempt.
On the inbounds play, Matt Gibson's 3-point attempt was partially blocked by senior Denis Ikovlev. Gueye grabbed the ball and missed off the backboard before Hawaii's P.J. Owsley put it back in, but a review of the tape showed it was after the buzzer.
Gueye made 10-of-15 shots for 21 points and 10 rebounds for Hawai’i, which had won three in a row. Matt Lojeski added 12 points, Gibson 11 and Owsley 10 for the Rainbow Warriors.
Leading 67-66, Nevada point guard Ramon Sessions made a pair of free throws for a 69-66 lead with 1:13 left. But Gueye scored in the lane to cut it to 69-68 with 49 seconds remaining before Lojeski stole Kyle Shiloh's pass to give Hawaii the ball with 32 seconds left and set up the dramatic finish.
Kemp opened the second half with consecutive 3-pointers to start his personal 14-point run, capped by another 3-point goal to put Nevada ahead 54-45 at 13:40.
Lojeski and Gibson made back-to-back 3s and Gueye hit from 17 feet to cut it to 56-55 at 10:07. The Warriors tied it at 59 when Gibson scored in the lane off a pass from Bobby Nash with 7:39 left.
Fazekas made a pair of free throws and Kemp turned a steal into a dunk to put Nevada up 63-59 at 5:46. But Lojeski scored inside and Nash hit a 3-pointer to cut it to 65-64 at 2:24. Sessions scored inside for a 67-64 lead at 2:01, then after Owsley's 15-footer, made two free throws to make it 69-66 at 1:13.
Nevada went on a 9-0 run midway through the first half for a 25-15 lead when Ikovlev blocked Dominic Waters' shot in the lane, went the length of the floor for a dunk, was fouled and made the free throw. Hawaii answered with a 16-6 run, including 3-point goals by Nash and Gibson, and Owsley's jumper to tie it 31-31 4:50 before the half. But Kemp followed with a 3-pointer, Fazekas made four free throws and Sessions two for a 40-33 lead at the break.
The Wolf Pack made a season-high 95.2 percent of its free throw attempts in the game (20-21). Fazekas made all nine of his free throw attempts for the Wolf Pack.
FABULOUS FAZEKAS
The 2005 and 2006 Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year, senior forward Nick Fazekas returns for his senior year poised to finish his career as one of the most decorated players in school history. He is the preseason favorite to win his third consecutive WAC Player-of-the-Year honor and could become just the second player in league history to be named the WAC Player of the Year three times in his career (Utah's Keith Van Horn is the other). He has been named a 2007 Wooden Award Midseason All-American and is under consideration for that prestigious National Player of the Year award. Fazekas is also one of 30 candidates for the 2007 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award, presented annually to an NCAA Division I male senior basketball player who excels both on and off the court, and was one of 50 players on the preseason watch list for the 2007 Naismith Trophy.
A preseason first-team All-American by Athlon and Street & Smith's, Fazekas has moved into the top 10 in nearly every Nevada career statistical category. The honorable-mention 2006-07 preseason Associated Press All-American scored 20 points in a Nov. 18 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff to become Nevada’s all-time leading scorer. He broke Edgar Jones’ 27-year-old record (1,877 points, 1975-79) and now has 2,236 career points, which ranks sixth on the WAC’s career scoring lists. Fazekas has already set Nevada's career record for blocked shots with 178, overtaking Jones who had 142 in his career. He has moved into first on the career list for field goals made with 818 and has also set the school record for free throws made with 491. With his five rebounds Dec. 12 vs. Saint Mary’s, he moved past Jones for second on the Nevada career rebounding list, while his 1,142 rebounds also rank fifth in the WAC career annals.
Fazekas suffered a severe ankle sprain Jan. 8 vs. Boise State and missed the first two games of his career at San Jose State on Jan. 11 and Hawai’i on Jan. 13. He returned to action Jan. 18 vs. Fresno State, turning in 20 points and 10 rebounds in 25 minutes while playing with a brace on the sore ankle and added 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting Jan. 20 at New Mexico State. Prior to the San Jose State game, he had played in all 114 previous games in his four years at Nevada and had started 102 career games, including 86 consecutive contests. The senior has now played in 120 career games with 108 starts.
Fazekas has turned in double-doubles in 14 of his 21 games this season, including 24 points and a career high-tying 18 rebounds Jan. 27 vs. Utah State and 21 points and 10 rebounds Saturday vs. Hawai’i. He scored 29 points and pulled down 10 rebounds in just 21 minutes in the season opener against Alaska-Anchorage and then 19 points and matched his career best with 18 rebounds Nov. 15 at Oregon State. He pulled down 17 rebounds to go along with his 20 points in just 21 minutes vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff, added 29 points and 14 rebounds Nov. 21 vs. UC Irvine and had 28 points and 15 rebounds Nov. 25 at Santa Clara. Fazekas also turned in a game-high 24 points and nine rebounds despite fouling out with 5:15 to play on Dec. 30 vs. Gonzaga.
Currently, Fazekas is second in the WAC in scoring at 20.2 points per game, just behind Utah State’s Jaycee Carroll (21.0 ppg). After leading the nation for the first seven weeks of the season, Fazekas is first in the WAC and third in the NCAA in rebounding (11.5 boards per game) and has the WAC’s second-best field goal percentage (58.5 percent, 165-282). In addition, Fazekas also ranks 20th in the nation in scoring and 32nd in field goal percentage.
Fazekas turned in one of the finest seasons in school history in 2005-06. A third-team 2006 AP All-America selection, he led the WAC and ranked 16th in the nation in scoring with 21.8 points per game after pacing the conference with 20.7 points per game in 2004-05. With 721 points on the year, he also broke the school single-season scoring record, passing Ken Green’s 697 points in 1982-83. Fazekas finished first on the squad, second in the conference and 15th in the NCAA in rebounding with 10.4 boards per contest. He was one of 21 players in NCAA Division I basketball to average a double-double last year. He knocked down 52.9 percent of his field goal attempts (268-507), which was good for fourth in the WAC, and finished second in the league and 41st in the nation in free throw shooting at 84.6 percent (154-182). Fazekas added a team-best 49 blocked shots (third in the WAC at 1.48 per game).
In addition to winning the 2006 WAC Player of the Year Award and being named to the All-WAC first team, both for the second straight year, Fazekas was one of 22 finalists on the national ballot for the 2006 John R. Wooden Award and was a finalist for the Adolph Rupp Award. He was recognized on several All-America teams in addition to his AP honor and was named the 2006 United States Basketball Writers Association District VIII Player of the Year and earned National Association of Basketball Coaches All-District 13 first-team accolades.
FAZEKAS JOINS SOME ELITE COMPANY
With 19 points Dec. 12 vs. Saint Mary’s, Wolf Pack career-leading scorer Nick Fazekas has become the first player in school history and just the 12th player in the history of the Western Athletic Conference to score 2,000 points. His 17 rebounds Dec. 9 vs. UNLV made the senior forward the third player in school history and the 12th WAC student-athlete to reach the 1,000-rebound plateau. Fazekas is just the fifth player in the history of the conference to turn in both 2,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds, joining Utah’s Keith Van Horn, Arizona’s Bob Elliott, Rice’s Michael Harris and Utah’s Josh Grant on that prestigious list.
According to research done by Jon Teitel of collegehoopsnet.com, Fazekas has a chance to become just the sixth player all time to score 2,000 points, pull down 1,000 rebounds and shoot 50 percent from the field and 80 percent from the line. Accomplishing that feat will put Fazekas in some very elite company, which includes Rick Barry, Larry Bird, Bill Bradley, Christian Laettner and Keith Van Horn.
WINNINGEST PLAYERS
With Nevada’s Dec. 16 win over Pacific, seniors Nick Fazekas and Kyle Shiloh became the winningest players in school history, passing Kevinn Pinkney (2002-05) for the distinction. The pair now has 98 career victories to their credit. Since starting their Wolf Pack careers in 2003-04, Fazekas and Shiloh have played on teams that have amassed a 98-24 mark, including the 25-7 NCAA squad in 2004-05 and a 27-6 NCAA team last season. Pinkney was a member of four squads that turned in an 85-43 record, including an NCAA Sweet Sixteen season in 2003-04 (25-9 record).
ROAD WARRIORS
Including an 8-1 record this year, Nevada has now won its last 13 of its last 14 regular-season road games. The team also holds a 3-1 record in WAC road contests this season.
Nevada had an 11-game regular-season road winning streak snapped with its Jan. 20 loss at New Mexico State. Included in that 11-game streak were seven straight WAC road victories, including a 72-63 victory at San Jose State on Jan. 11 and a 68-66 overtime win at Hawai’i on Jan. 13. The team downed Oregon State 75-47 on Nov. 15 in Corvallis, Ore., edged Santa Clara 78-70 on Nov. 25, snapping an eight-game losing streak in the Broncos’ home gym, beat Louisiana-Lafayette 86-74 Nov. 29 in the Cajundome. The Wolf Pack also snapped Akron’s 21-game home winning streak, then the fourth-longest streak in the nation, with a 73-71 victory on Dec. 22 in Akron, Ohio. Nevada also won both of its first neutral-site games this season, downing California 77-71 on Dec. 3 in the Pete Newell Challenge and Gonzaga 82-74 on Dec. 30 in Seattle.
The Wolf Pack has tallied a 28-6 record in road contests in the last three seasons (82.4 percent since the start of the 2004-05 season), including a 10-3 record on the road last season (6-2 WAC mark). The Dec. 3 contest against Cal in the Pete Newell Challenge ended a stretch of four of seven games away from Lawlor Events Center to start the year. That stretch included road games at Oregon State, Santa Clara and Louisiana-Lafayette and the neutral-site contest vs. California.
Last year, Nevada opened the year with five of its first six games away from the friendly confines of the Lawlor Events Center (four road wins and a loss on a neutral floor vs. NCAA runner-up UCLA) and saw streaks of 14 straight road wins and 10 consecutive WAC road victories, which dated back to the 2004-05 season, come to an end.
SCHOOL IS IN SESSIONS
After averaging 4.7 points per game last season, junior Ramon Sessions is turning in an average of 13.7 points per contest this year, which ranks 11th in the WAC. He has led the team in scoring in four games this year, including 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting Jan. 25 vs. La Tech and a career high-tying 23 points Jan. 20 at New Mexico State.
Sessions has turned in five 20-point games this season and a total of six in his career. He scored all 20 of his points in the second half in the Dec. 30 win over Gonzaga, turned in 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting Dec. 22 at Akron, had 21 in the Jan. 8 win over Boise State and turned in a team-high 19 Jan. 13 at Hawai’i.
Sessions, who is also leading the team in assists for the third consecutive season, is also shooting 49.3 percent from the field and 41.2 percent from three-point land (14-33) this season after turning in a 35.9 percent effort from the field and not making any treys one year ago (0-3).
DISHING IT OUT
The Wolf Pack ranks second in the WAC and 25th in the NCAA in assists so far this season and has two players ranked in the top 10 in the league in the category. Nevada is averaging 16.70 assists per game and turned in a season-best 28 assists Dec. 28 against Maine. The team has been efficient in its last three home games, turning in 21 assists on 31 made field goals Jan. 25 vs. La Tech, 23 on 29 field goals Jan. 27 vs. Utah State and 15 on 22 Saturday vs. Hawai’i.
With 101 assists so far this year, junior Ramon Sessions is ranked third in the WAC with 4.39 assists per game. Sessions turned in a season-high eight assists in the Dec. 16 win over Pacific. He had seven assists in the Nov. 21 victory over UC Irvine, seven (and no turnovers) Nov. 29 at Louisiana-Lafayette and seven Jan. 27 vs. Utah State. Sessions has also dished out at least five assists in six other contests so far this year, including six Jan. 25 vs. La Tech. Senior Kyle Shiloh is second on the team and seventh in the league at 3.35 assists per game, while sophomore Lyndale Burleson is third on the team with 2.45 assists per contest, dishing out a season-high tying six assists (with no turnovers) on Dec. 28 vs. Maine. Shiloh has turned in a season high six assists twice this year, including six assists with no turnovers Jan. 27 vs. Utah State.
One of 17 national finalists for the Bob Cousy Collegiate Point Guard of the Year Award, Sessions has moved into fifth place in the Nevada career record books with 419 assists in just 86 career games (4.9 assists per game). Sessions has led the team in assists in each of his seasons at Nevada, setting both the school’s freshman (166) and sophomore (153) marks for assists. Last year, he ranked second in the WAC with 4.9 assists per game.
Sessions and Shiloh are also ranked in the top three in the WAC in assist-to-turnover ratio. Sessions is leading the WAC at 2.20 (101 assists-46 turnovers) and Shiloh is third (1.97, 77-39), while Burleson would be ranked in the WAC’s top five at 2.16 (54-25) but falls short of the league minimum of 3.00 assists per game. As a team, Nevada has the league’s best 1.26 assist-to-turnover ratio.
KEMP ON A ROLL
Marcelus Kemp is a great shooter who can get on a roll, and that is just what the junior guard has done so far this season. Kemp has made 42.3 percent of his three-point attempts this season (58-137), good for fifth in the WAC statistics, and is second in the league in three-point field goals made (2.52). He has tied his career best with five three-pointers made in three games this season: in the Nov. 10 season opener vs. Alaska-Anchorage, at Oregon State on Nov. 15 and Jan. 11 at San Jose State. He also added four on Jan. 18 vs. Fresno State, draining 4-of-6 attempts from beyond the arc, and made 4-of-7 Saturday vs. Hawai’i.
Kemp ranks second on the team, third in the WAC and 41st in the nation in scoring at 18.8 points per game. He is second in the league in scoring in conference-only games at 19.9 points per WAC game. Kemp also ranks ninth in the WAC in field goal percentage at 46.2 percent.
Kemp has led the team in scoring 12 times this year, including six of the last 10 games. That stretch has included 22 points Jan. 6 vs. Idaho, 27 Jan. 8 vs. Boise State, a season-best 33 Jan. 11 at San Jose State, 22 (15 in the second half) Jan. 18 vs. Fresno State, 20 Jan. 31 at La Tech and 23 Saturday vs. Hawai’i (16 in the second half). He has turned in at least 20 points in eight of the last 11 games (225 points, 20.5 ppg in that stretch) and a total of 12 this season, while his 33 points Jan. 11 vs. the Spartans were just one point shy of his career-best 34 vs. Montana in the 2006 NCAA Tournament. With his 14 points Jan. 20 at New Mexico State, Kemp became the 18th player in school history to join the 1,000-point club and now has 1,068 career points, which ranks 14th on the all-time Nevada scoring lists.
Kemp turned in 29 points, including 5-of-6 three-pointers, Nov. 15 at Oregon State and had 23 points on 9-of-18 shooting in the Nov. 21 victory over UC Irvine. He scored 21 Dec. 28 vs. Gonzaga and led the team with 19 points Dec. 16 vs. Pacific, making 4-of-8 attempts from beyond the arc. Last year, Kemp was second on the team and 11th in the WAC with 15.0 points per contest. He led the team with 52 treys made and shot 35.9 percent from beyond the arc.
NEVADA TURNS IN BEST START IN SCHOOL HISTORY
With a 17-1 record to open the season, Nevada turned in the best start in school history, besting the mark of the 1951-52 team which won 16 of its first 18 games, and now stands at 21-2. That 1951-52 team won its first 14 games, the best start without a loss, but dropped its next two games and finished with a 19-3 overall record.
Nevada turned in a 7-0 record to start the 2006-07 season and opened the year with seven straight wins for just the second time in school history prior to its Dec. 9 loss to UNLV. With the team’s Nov. 18 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Nevada won its first three games for the third consecutive season. The Wolf Pack won its first three games in 2004-05, while last year, the team started the season with six consecutive victories and won 10 of its first 11 tilts. The Wolf Pack’s only loss in its first 11 games last year was a 67-56 defeat by NCAA runner-up UCLA in the Dec. 10 Wooden Classic in Anaheim, Calif. The 6-0 starts by this and last year’s squads also marked the first time in school history that Nevada opened the year with six straight wins in back-to-back seasons.
WOLF PACK SHOOTING THE BALL WELL
The Wolf Pack has shot the ball well from the field this year and turned in a season-high 59.6 percent shooting effort on Dec. 28 vs. Maine (34-57), including an impressive 64.0 percent showing in the second half (16-25). The team turned in its second-best showing of the season on Jan. 6 vs. Idaho, knocking down 56.6 percent of its shots (30-53) and made 56.4 percent of its attempts Jan. 25 vs. La Tech (31-55).
Nevada ranks among the national and WAC leaders in field goal, free throw and three-point percentage. The Wolf Pack leads the league and ranks eighth in the NCAA in three-point percentage (41.3 percent, 170-412). Nevada also ranks first in the WAC and 20th in the country in field goal percentage (48.9 percent) as well as second in the WAC and 29th in the NCAA in free throw percentage (74.1 percent). Last year, Nevada shot 45.6 percent from the field and 36.0 percent from three-point land and made 71.4 percent of its attempts from the charity stripe.
Nevada has shot 50 percent or better in 13 of its 23 games and has made at least seven three-pointers in all but seven games this year. The Wolf Pack knocked down a season-high 12 treys Jan. 11 at San Jose State, making 63.2 percent of its long-range attempts (12-19). The team had 11 treys Nov. 21 vs. UC Irvine (11-19) and against Jan. 18 vs. Fresno State (11-25) and turned in a season-best 71.4 effort from beyond the arc Dec. 12 vs. Saint Mary’s (10-14).
TOUGH DEFENSE
So far this season, Nevada is holding its opponents to 66.4 points and 31.4 rebounds per game, including a season-low 45 points by Oregon State on Nov. 15 and 23 rebounds by La Tech on Jan. 25. That marked the fewest points since the Wolf Pack held Idaho to just 44 in a 70-44 victory on Jan. 12, 2006, while Nevada has won 45 of its last 47 games when holding its opponent to 60 points or less, including a 13-1 record last season and a 4-1 mark this year (most recently an 81-55 win over Idaho on Jan. 6).
Nevada ranks third in the league in scoring defense and second in rebounding defense this year. The squad is also allowing teams to shoot just 40.3 percent from the field and 31.5 percent from three-point land, marks which rank fourth and third in the WAC, respectively. Nevada is also ranked 41st in the nation in field goal percentage defense. Oregon State made just 29.0 percent of its attempts and 14.3 percent of its three-point attempts on Nov. 15, while Santa Clara knocked down just 14.3 percent of its attempts from beyond the arc (2-14) on Nov. 25.
The Wolf Pack led the WAC in field goal percentage defense and three-point field goal percentage defense, ranked second in scoring defense and ended up third in rebounding defense in 2005-06. Nevada held teams to just 63.7 points per game, including a season-low 44 Jan. 12 by Idaho, and 34.1 rebounds per contest. The Wolf Pack allowed teams to shoot just 30.4 percent from beyond the arc and 40.1 percent from the field (28th in the nation). Nevada held 20 of its 33 opponents under 40 percent from the field in 2005-06, including a season-low 29.6 percent Jan. 12 by Idaho.
NEWS AND NOTES
- The Wolf Pack has now turned in a 12-2 record in games decided by 10 points or less this year, including a 4-0 mark in contests decided by five points or less.
- Nevada made a season-high 95.2 percent of its free throw attempts (20-21) on Saturday vs. Hawai’i. In the last two games, the Wolf Pack has made 90.5 percent of its attempts from the stripe, including an 85.7 percent effort Jan. 31 at Louisiana Tech (18-21). As a team, Nevada ranks second in the WAC and 29th in the NCAA in free throw percentage at 73.0 percent.
- In the last two games, senior Nick Fazekas (15-15) and juniors Ramon Sessions (6-6) and Marcelus Kemp (7-7) have combined to make all 28 of their last free throw attempts, including a 9-of-9 effort by Fazekas Saturday vs. the Rainbow Warriors.
- Senior Nick Fazekas ranks second in the WAC and 27th in the NCAA in free throw percentage at 88.0 percent (73-83). Junior Ramon Sessions is fourth in the WAC in the category, knocking down 82.4 percent of his attempts this season (98-119), including a career-high 13-of-16 Jan. 8 vs. Boise State, while junior Marcelus Kemp checks in at ninth at 78.2 percent (68-87). Sessions shot just 56.8 percent from the free throw line last year (25-44).
- Nevada has averaged 79.3 points per game in its last 12 contests (951 points), up from a season average of 77.2 points per game. The team scored a season-high 90 points on Jan. 8 vs. Boise State, besting the previous high of 89 in its Dec. 28 over Maine. Nevada put 82 points on the board in the Dec. 30 win over Gonzaga, poured in 81 Jan. 6 vs. Idaho, had 85 on Jan. 18 vs. Fresno State and scored 84 Jan. 25 vs. La Tech. The Wolf Pack is outscoring its opponents by a WAC-best 10.8 points per game this year (29th in the country in scoring margin). The team also ranks second in the WAC in scoring offense.
- The Wolf Pack and third-year head coach Mark Fox have turned in a combined 24-3 record over the final two months of the season (February and March) in the last two-plus years, including a 16-0 mark in the month of February.
- Over the last four-plus seasons, Nevada has turned in a 117-38 overall mark (.755), which is the most wins and is the second-best winning percentage of any WAC team during that time (second only to Utah State’s 109-35 record, .757). In conference games, the Wolf Pack has won 61 games, which is the most among league schools in that same time period. The next closest team is Fresno State, which has won 45 league contests.
- Senior Kyle Shiloh is tied for second in the WAC with an average of 1.57 steals per game this year. He ranks seventh on the Wolf Pack career list with 123 career steals. Shiloh has turned in a season-best four steals five times this year (vs. Alaska-Anchorage, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Idaho, Hawai’i and most recently Jan. 20 at New Mexico State). Shiloh is also fourth in the WAC in steals (1.80) in league action.
- Nevada has won its 19 of its last 20 regular-season WAC games and 22 of its last 23 games against WAC opponents, including three WAC Tournament victories last season. The team won its last 10 WAC regular-season contests last year and has won nine of its first 10 this year.
- Senior Denis Ikovlev scored a career-best 18 points in the Jan. 18 win over Fresno State, making six field goals and three 3-pointers (both career highs). Ikovlev has started all 23 games this year (his first career starts) and is averaging 6.3 points and 4.0 rebounds per contest (up from averages of 1.8 points and 1.0 rebounds per game last year). He pulled down a career-best eight rebounds to go along with then career-high 10 points Dec. 12 vs. Saint Mary’s. Ikovlev has made at least one three-pointer in 17 of 23 games this year, including five games with more than one. He tied his career best with three treys on Jan. 25 vs. La Tech, going 3-of-4 from beyond the arc.
- Nevada got 23 points from its bench on Jan. 25 vs. Louisiana Tech, including seven points from freshman Brandon Fields and six from freshman Tyrone Hanson. Hanson also tied his career high with two three-pointers made. That marked the most bench points since the team turned in 23 Jan. 6 vs. Idaho and 27 points Dec. 28 vs. Maine. Fields and Hanson each scored a career-best eight points in the victory over Maine. McGee also tied his career high with eight points on 4-of-4 shooting Jan. 31 at Louisiana Tech, while Fields added six points vs. the Bulldogs.
- The Jan. 13 victory over Hawai’i marked Nevada’s second overtime win in its last eight tries. It also marked the second straight year that Nevada had gone to overtime in Honolulu. Last year, the Wolf Pack turned in a 1-1 record in overtime games. Its win over Utah State in the championship game of the 2006 WAC Tournament snapped a string of six overtime losses dating back to the 2001-02 season.
- Nevada is outrebounding its opponents by a WAC-best average of 6.3 boards per contest, including a 54-24 advantage over Oregon State on Nov. 15 and a 45-26 edge Jan. 6 vs. Idaho. Nevada also ranks 25th in the NCAA in rebounding margin. The team holds an 18-1 record when outrebounding its opponents this season and has only been outrebounded three this year (Jan. 13 vs. Hawaii, Jan. 20 vs. NMSU, Feb. 3 vs. Hawai’i). Led by the nation’s No. 3 rebounder, senior Nick Fazekas (11.5 rpg), Nevada ranks in the top five in the WAC in all five rebounding categories so far this season: offense (4th-37.7 rpg), defense (2nd-31.4), margin (1st-6.3), offensive (5th-11.43) and defensive rebounds (3rd-26.26).
- The Wolf Pack has won 35 of its last 38 contests, dating back to an 82-79 victory at Boise State on Jan. 26, 2006. The team has lost back-to-back games just five times since the start of 2003-04 season.
- The Wolf Pack’s 2006-07 schedule features 16 home games and contests with four schools that received NCAA Tournament bids one year ago (Cal, Pacific, Gonzaga and Utah State). The team will play in three special events this year: the Dec. 3 Pete Newell Challenge vs. California, the Battle in Seattle vs. Gonzaga on Dec. 30 and the ESPNU BracketBusters on Feb. 17.
- Senior Nick Fazekas and freshman JaVale McGee are both ranked in the top 10 in the WAC in blocked shots. Nevada’s career leader in the category with 178, Fazekas is third in the WAC at 1.62 blocks per game. He tied his career best with four blocks on Dec. 12 vs. Saint Mary’s. McGee is ninth in the league at 1.00 swat per game with a career-best four Jan. 6 vs. Idaho.
- Third-year head coach Mark Fox won his 70th career game on Jan. 25 vs. Louisiana Tech and and now holds a 73-15 career record in his three seasons at the helm of the Wolf Pack program (.830). Last year, Fox became the first coach in school history to lead his squad to back-to-back 20-win seasons (and now a third straight) and was been named the Don Haskins WAC Coach of the Year in each of his first two seasons as Nevada’s head coach.
- Five Nevada players made their Wolf Pack regular-season collegiate debuts in the team’s Nov. 10 season opener vs. Alaska-Anchorage, including true freshmen Brandon Fields, Tyrone Hanson, Matt LaGrone and JaVale McGee and redshirt freshman Richie Phillips.
UP NEXT
Thursday’s game at Fresno State is Nevada’s only game this week. Following Thursday’s matchup with the Bulldogs, the Wolf Pack returns to Reno for a two-game homestand, including a WAC contest with San Jose State on Wednesday, Feb. 14 and the ESPNU BracketBusters game vs. Northern Iowa on Saturday, Feb. 17.
