RENO, Nev. (AP) — Eric Musselman says point guard Cody Martin has full control of No. 6 Nevada.
Martin finished with 14 points and 10 assists as Nevada defeated Little Rock 87-59 on Friday night.
Martin as plenty of options when he is looking to distribute the ball and it showed against Little Rock (2-1).
"He's a next level point guard," Musselman said. "He's got a great basketball IQ. He's letting the game come to him. He's not forcing shots. He's not taking bad shots."
Cody Martin's twin brother, Caleb, scored 19 points, Jordan Caroline had 17 points and 12 rebounds and Jazz Johnson added 17 points.
Nevada never trailed, carrying a 20-point advantage into halftime. The Wolf Pack (3-0) shot 53 percent from the field and outrebounded the Trojans 43-36.
Rayjon Tucker led Little Rock with 21 points on 8-for-13 shooting.
Jordan Brown, Nevada's preseason Mountain West Freshman of the Year, saw his first significant playing time. He had eight total points through the first two games. Against Little Rock, he broke loose for 12 points and 11 rebounds.
"I got back into the flow of the game (tonight). It's what I'm used to doing," said Brown, the 6-foot-11 forward and second McDonald's All-American to ever sign out of high school with Nevada. "Really my teammates, they pushed me and helped me out. Even Caroline. He was telling me toward the end of the game — I had nine rebounds — he was boxing people out and told me to go get the board to help me get my first double-double. I really appreciated that."
Nevada's defense, led by Cody Martin, frustrated Little Rock's shooters.
The Nevada senior held Trojan guard Markquis Nowell to 2 of 12 from the floor and six points.
Little Rock sophomore Kris Bankston, who averaged 16 points through the first two games, was held scoreless. He did not take a shot from the floor before coming out of the game halfway through the second half.
BIG PICTURE
Little Rock: It was Darrell Walker's first loss as Little Rock coach.
Nevada: The Wolf Pack kept rolling after receiving its highest national AP ranking in program history this week at No. 6.
SWEET CAROLINE
Jordan Caroline is off to a hot start in his senior season for Nevada. Caroline, named Mountain West Player of the Week last week, is averaging 19 points and led Nevada with 11 rebounds through three games.
MARTIN SCORES IN FIRST HALF
Caleb Martin, Nevada's leading scorer last year and so far this year, was held scoreless in the first half of the first two games this season, but scored 21 and 22 in the second half of the first two games, respectively. Martin opened scoring Friday with a 3-pointer, his first points in the first half of any game this season. He finished with 19.
VERSUS TOP 10
Nevada was the highest-ranked school Little Rock has faced since its 73-51 loss to No. 2 Kentucky on Jan. 3, 2012.
PLAYING NEVADA SCHOOLS
Little Rock's matchup Friday marked the first time the Trojans played a Nevada school since 1990. That year, Little Rock lost 102-72 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to eventual national champion UNLV.
UP NEXT
Little Rock: The Trojans finish a three-game road trip Monday in Tulsa.
Nevada: The Wolf Pack hosts California Baptist on Monday in its final game of its four-game homestand to start the season.
Game Notes:
No. 6 Nevada improved to 3-0 after an 87-59 victory over Little Rock (2-1) tonight at Lawlor Events Center in front of 10,273 fans.
The Wolf Pack hosts California Baptist (2-1) on Monday at 7 p.m. to conclude a four-game homestand to begin the season.
The Little Rock and California Baptist games are part of the Continental Tire Las Vegas Holiday Invitational. The Wolf Pack will play two games at the Orleans Arena next week to conclude the event.
Fourth-year head coach Eric Musselman improved to 24-0 in home nonconference games and 46-5 overall at LEC. His career mark at Nevada stands at 84-29.
Senior Jordan Caroline posted his second double-double in three games finishing with 17 points and 12 rebounds. It is his 29th career double-double which moves him alone into sixth on the career list. The Pack is 27-2 when he posts a double-double.
Nevada had three players post double-doubles in the game Caroline, Cody Martin (14 points and 10 assists) and Jordan Brown (12 points and 11 rebounds). The last time three Nevada players had double-doubles and one that included a player with 10 or more assists was March 4, 2017 in a home win over Colorado State.
Cody Martin has dished out 10 or more assists in all three games this season. He has 31 assists and just six turnovers this season.
Brown's double-double marked his first collegiate double figure scoring and rebounding game.
The double-double for Cody Martin is the sixth in his Wolf Pack career and second in the last two games.
Junior Jazz Johnson has scored in double figures in all three games this season and the 17 tonight was is his Wolf Pack career high. Johnson has made three 3-pointers in each game this season.
Nevada had five players in double figures for the second consecutive game; Caleb Martin (19), Caroline (17), Johnson (17), Cody Martin (14) and Brown (12).
