Nov. 24, 2011
Complete Release 
Nevada (3-2) will be seeking its fourth consecutive win versus BYU (3-1) on Friday at 3 p.m. PT. Friday's game will be the third for the Wolf Pack in the Chicago Invitational Challenge. The Pack defeated PVA&M?60-47 and Longwood 80-78 in two home games. The Cougars defeated the same two opponents in their first two games of the challenge. The game will air on BYU-TV.
Friday, 3:00 p.m. PT
BYU Cougars
(3-1)
vs.
NEVADA WOLF PACK
(3-2)
Sears Centre (10,000)
Hoffman Estates, IL
RADIO: University of Nevada Sports Network (KUUB 94.5 FM Reno; KPLY 630 AM Reno; KELY 1230 AM Ely; KWNA 1400 AM Winnemucca; and KSVL 92.3 FM Yerington)
Don Marchand (play-by-play), pregame starts at 2:30 p.m.
TELEVISION: BYU-TV (check your local provider for station information)
Dave McCann (play-by-play), Steve Cleveland analyst
Live stats: Livestats Link
WEB STREAMING: none
SERIES?HISTORY: Tuesday's game will be the first meeting between Nevada and Longwood.
UP?NEXT: Nevada concludes the Chicago Invitational Challenge on Saturday versus Bradley or Wisconsin. Tip-off will be either 2:30 or 5:30 p.m. PT.
ABOUT?THE?BYU?COUGARS - BYU (3-1) has won its last three games for seventh-year head coach Dave Rose, who is 162-46 at the Utah school. ?The Cougars lost at Utah State 69-62 to begin the season but have defeated BYU-Hawaii (73-52), Longwood (92-60) and Prairie View A&M?(90-51).
Four BYU?players are averaging double figures led by 6-8 center, Noah Hartsock who is averaging 15.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game while shooting 60 percent from the field. Forward Brandon Davis (6-9) is scoring 13.3 points and grabbing 6.5 rebounds per game. Charles Abouo (6-5) is averaging a team-high 8.8 rebounds per game and is contributing 13 points per outing. Another of the Cougars frontline players is 6-8, Stephen Rogers who is chipping in 11.8 points per game.
From the field BYU is shooting 52.2 percent and is holding opponents to 35.7 percent shooting. From beyond the arc the Cougars shoot 45.3 percent and opponents just 27.6. Offensively, BYU?is averaging 21.3 more points than their opponents, 79.2-58. On the board the Cougars are plus 10.9 per game, 41.2-30.3.
Last game: Nevada Holds On to Beat Longwood 80-78 -
RENO, Nev. (AP) - Malik Story scored 28 points and Nevada held on for the 80-78 victory over Longwood in the Chicago Invitational Challenge on Thursday.
Deonte Burton had 14 points and Dario Hunt 13 for the Wolf Pack (3-2), which led by as many as 15 points at 59-44 with 12:11 to play. Longwood (1-4) responded with a 20-4 run over the next eight minutes and went up 64-63 with 4:57 left in the game. Nevada came right back to regain the lead on a Burton 3-pointer with 4:39 left and never trailed again.
Tristan Carey had 19 points for Longwood and his potential game-winning 3-point attempt glanced off the front of the rim at the final buzzer to seal the loss.
Nevada shot 50 percent from the floor, including 10 of 25 from 3-point range, while holding Longwood to 44.4 percent shooting and 11 of 24 on 3-point shooting.
STORY MAKES CAREER-HIGH SEVEN THREE-POINTERS - Junior guard Malik Story made a career-high seven, three-pointers in Nevada's 80-78 victory over Longwood on Tuesday. Story was good on 7-of-10 attempts versus the Lancers and finished with 28 points on the night. The 28 points is tied with Deonte Burton for the Pack high this season and the high in the Western Athletic Conference this year. His previous high was six that he accomplished twice last season with the last being in the against Fresno State in the WAC Tournament. The seven, three-pointers is also the high in the WAC?this season.
Story is sixth in the WAC?in scoring at 15.2 points per game. He is third in three-point field goal percentage (59.3) and three-pointers made per game (3.2) in the conference. In free throw percentage he ranks third at 92.3 percent.
HUNT RECORDS 200TH CAREER BLOCK - Senior forward Dario Hunt broke the Nevada career blocks record in the season-opener versus Missouri State with the 193rd block his career. Tuesday in the Longwood game Hunt recorded his 200th career block and now has 202 in 105 games. He came into the season tied with Nick Fazekas (2004-07) with 192.
Hunt had six blocks in the Pack's 66-60 loss to New Mexico State in the WAC?Tournament last year to move into a tie with Fazekas. Hunt's 202 blocks have come in 105 games while Fazekas' 192 came in 131 games. Hunt has three of the top five seasons in school history with his best year of 67 during the 2008-09 season ranking third and is the freshman record. In 2009-10 he had 66 which are fourth on the list and his 59 last year ranks fifth.
Hunt is also climbing the Nevada rebounds career chart with his 739 ranking seventh. His nine in the MSU?game moved him over 700 for his career. Ric Herrin (1989-93) is sixth with 815 rebounds.
BURTON FIFTH PACK PLAYER TO EARN PRESEASON WAC POY NOD - Point guard Deonte Burton became the fifth Nevada player and sixth overall to be selected as the WAC?Coaches' Preseason Player of the Year. Kirk Snyder (2003-04), Nick Fazekas (2005-06 & 2006-07), Armon Johnson (2008-09) and Luke Babbitt (2009-10) were all preseason players of the year with Fazekas earning the honor twice. Snyder, Fazekas?(twice) and Babbitt all earned the honor at the end of the season when chosen as the preseason player of the year. Like Burton, Babbitt and Johnson were both sophomores when they earned the preseason honor.
A?Nevada player has been named the season ending WAC?Player of the Year in five of the last eight seasons with Fazekas grabbing the honor three consecutive seasons from 2003-2007.
Johnson and Babbitt are currently on the roster of the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers. Snyder was first round pick of the Utah Jazz and Fazekas was chosen in the second round by the Dallas Mavericks. Both played for several teams in the NBA.
Burton was the fourth Pack player to earn WAC?Freshman of the Year honors last year when he averaged 13.7 points and 3.5 assists per game. ?Ramon Sessions (2005), Johnson (2008) and Babbitt (2009) were the previous Nevada players named WAC?Freshman of the Year. Sessions, a second round pick of the Milwaukee Bucks, is currently on the roster of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
WOLF PACK LAYUPS
After starting the season 0-2 the Wolf Pack has won its last three.
Nevada third-year head coach David Carter is 37-34.
Senior forward Dario Hunt recorded his 200th career block versus Longwood. Hunt holds Nevada career record for blocked shots.
Junior guard Malik Story's seven, three-pointers against Longwood is a new career-high and the high in the WAC?this season.
Story's 28 points in the Longwood game tied sophomore guard Deonte Burton for the high by a Pack player this season and is tied for the high in the Western Athletic Conference this year.
Hunt scored in double figures for the first time this season finishing with 13 points versus Longwood.
Sophomore guard Jerry Evans, Jr. has scored in double figures three consecutive games with 11 in the Pacific game, 11 vs. PVA&M?and 10 against Longwood.
Defensively Nevada has held all five opponents this season below 45 percent shooting from the field. Two opponents UNLV (31.3) and PVA&M (31.7) shot below 32 percent.
Twice this season the Pack has put four players in double figures. The most recent was against Longwood when Story (28), Burton (14), Hunt (13) and Evans (10) reached double figures. In the Pacific game; Story (18), Olek Czyz (17), Jerry Evans, Jr. (11) and Kevin Panzer (11) reached double digits.
Senior Olek Czyz led the Pack in rebounding for the first time this season finishing with a game-high nine in the Longwood game.
Nevada has attempted more free throws than its opponent in every game this season. The high was 25 more than PVA&M?and the low end was eight more than Longwood.
After totaling 14 assists in the first two games Nevada had 18 in the Pacific game, 12 versus PVA&M and a season-high 20 against Longwood.
Nevada has attempted 146 free throws on the season while opponents have attempted just 86. The 146 attempts are 24 more than Fresno State's 122 among WAC?teams.
Nevada has had a different leading scorer in all four-of-five games this season; Kevin Panzer (10 pts vs. MSU), Deonte Burton (28 pts at UNLV), Malik Story (18 pts vs. Pacific and 28 vs. Longwood) and Jerry Evans, Jr. (11 pts vs. PVA&M). In the first four game the Pack had a different leading scorer until Story duplicated the feat in the Longwood game with his game-high 28.
Panzer is averaging 7.0 points per game off the bench which is fourth on the team. He tied his career high with 11 points versus Pacific and led the team with 10 in the Missouri State game. The two three pointers versus Pacific tied his career high. From behind the arc he is shooting 35.3 percent which is tied for 13th in the WAC.
After not scoring a field goal in the first two games senior forward Olek Czyz reached double figures in back-to-back games with 17 against Pacific and 10 in the PVA&M?game. Czyz has led the team in first half scoring both games with 15 versus Pacific and seven against PVA&M.
Devonte Elliott's eight points in the Pacific game tied his career-high.
Evans three, three-pointers against Pacific established a new career high. The 6-8 guard is second on the team in rebounding at 7.8 per game which is seventh in the WAC and his 6.2 defensive rebounds per game is sixth in the conference. He grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds in the Missouri State game to lead the team and his seven at UNLV tied Dario Hunt for the honor. On the season he is shooting 45.5 percent which is tied for 12th in the conference.
Hunt grabbed double figure rebounds in back-to-back games with 13 versus Pacific and 11 in the PVA&M game. Both were also games highs. He has led the Pack in rebounding three times in the first five games this season. Hunt has 19 career double figure rebound games and 40 times has led the Pack in rebounding in a game during his career.
Hunt's nine rebounds per game are tied for third in the WAC. His 3.6 offensive rebounds per game are second in the conference and 5.4 defensive boards per game are eighth.
Story's 15.2 points per game is sixth in the WAC. He is also third in free throw percentage (92.3), third in three-point percentage (59.3) and third in three-pointers per game (3.2)
Nevada started the season 0-2 for the first time since 1993-94, when the Wolf Pack began the season 0-4 under head coach Pat Foster.
Burton scored a career-high 28 points, four more than his 24 at Louisiana Tech last year at UNLV (11/14/11). Burton scored 20 of Nevada's 29 first half points. The 20 points is his career-high for a half. The 28 points for Burton was his 25th career double-figure scoring game and the 11th time in his career he has led the Pack in scoring. It was also his seventh 20-point game at Nevada. Burton made 11-of-14 free throws at UNLV. The 11 free throws equaled his career-high set versus Fresno State in the WAC Tournament last season.
Burton is 11th in free throw percentage (59.3), fifth in assists (4.2), fourth in assist to turnover ratio (2.1) and tied for 15th in steals (1.2) in the WAC.
Three Pack players are in the top 10 in blocked shots in the WAC?led by Hunt's two per game which is third. Elliot and Evans are tied for ninth averaging 0.80 per game.
