Nevada (5-2, 0-0 MW) vs. Air Force (2-2, 0-0 MW)
Friday, Dec. 18, 2020 - 7 p.m.
Reno, Nev. - Lawlor Events Center
TV - Nevada Sports Net
Radio - ESPN Radio 94.5 FM (P-x-P: John Ramey, Analyst: Len Stevens)
Watch | Listen | Live Stats

RENO, Nev. - Nevada (5-2, 0-0 MW) opens Mountain West play this weekend, hosting Air Force (2-2, 0-0 MW) for a two-game series at Lawlor Events Center.

The series will open Friday night with a 7 p.m. tip, and conclude Sunday at 3 p.m. Both games will be aired on Nevada Sports Net, and on ESPN Radio 94.5 FM with John Ramey and Len Stevens

SERIES HISTORY
This weekend's series will mark the 16th and 17th all-time meetings between the Wolf Pack and Falcons.

The Pack has won the past nine meetings with the Falcons entering Friday.

UP NEXT
Nevada will break for the holiday before returning to action with a two-game conference series at New Mexico, Dec. 31 and Jan. 2.

CONFERENCE PLAY CHANGES
This weekend's two-game series with Air Force begins a new-look Mountain West schedule for 2020-21 only. Due to adjustments caused by the current COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020-21 Mountain West slate will go from 18 games to 20 games with Nevada playing each team in the league twice. In order to cut down on travel, teams will play one another in a two-game series in the same city.

LAST TIME OUT
Desmond Cambridge, Jr. (27 points) and Grant Sherfield (25) combined to score 52 points in Nevada's 79-72 victory at San Diego Monday night.

Cambridge, Jr., set Nevada career highs in points (27), field goals (nine) and field-goal attempts (19) while matching his overall career high with seven 3-pointers, going 7-for-11 from behind the arc. Sherfield, meanwhile, kept alive his streak of scoring in double figures in every contest this season, going for a career-high 25 points on 9-for-18 shooting with seven assists and six rebounds.

The Pack showed resiliency in the second half, bouncing back after giving up a 12-point lead to the Toreros. San Diego's 21-4 run erased a 48-36 Pack lead, but Nevada, behind the play of Cambridge, Jr., and Sherfield, battled back and used stout defense over the final two minutes to close out the win.

SCOUTING THE FALCONS
Air Force (2-2) returned to action Sunday after an eight-day break, falling 81-53 at Drake.

The Falcons are led by senior guard Chris Joyce (15.8 ppg, 50.0 FG pct., 40.9 3FG pct.) along with senior forward Keaton Van Soelen (9.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 58.3 FG pct.) and junior guard A.J. Walker (9.0 ppg, 4.8 rpg).

TWO-MAN WRECKING CREW
Desmond Cambridge, Jr., and Grant Sherfield combining to score 52 of Nevada's 79 points in Monday's victory at San Diego has become a theme for the pack's 2020-21 campaign.

On the year, the pair has accounted for 43.9 percent of Nevada's scoring (221 points of 503), made 42.3 percent of the team's field goals (74 of 175), and attempted 44.9 percent of the team's shots (179-for-399).

Over Nevada's 1-1 road trip to Grand Canyon (Dec. 11) and San Diego, Cambridge, Jr., and Sherfield combined to score 59.0 percent of Nevada's points (92 of 156) while shooting a combined 48.4 percent (31-for-64).

CONFERENCE OPENERS
Friday's contest against Air Force will mark the Mountain West opener for both teams.

Since joining the Mountain West in 2012-13, Nevada is 6-2 in its conference openers, and has won the past four.

Friday's meeting will also mark the fourth time in which the Pack has opened Mountain West play against Air Force. Nevada's first conference game as a member of the Mountain West was a 78-65 defeat at the academy on Jan. 9, 2013, but captured the openers in 2014-15 (80-62 at Lawlor) and 2019-20 (100-85 at Air Force).

CAMBRIDGE, JR., HEATS UP AHEAD OF MW PLAY
Redshirt junior guard Desmond Cambridge, Jr., appears to be heating up and finding his shot right in time for the Wolf Pack. After scoring in double digits just once over the first five contests (18 points at Nebraska on Nov. 26), the Nashville, Tenn., native has hit the 20-point mark in each of the last two, going for 24 Dec. 11 at Grand Canyon and 27 Monday at San Diego.

It could be a welcome return to form for Cambridge, Jr., who was the leading scorer in each of his two seasons at Brown (2017-19) before transferring to Nevada following the 2018-19 campaign.

From the field, Cambridge, Jr., has heated up, shooting 47.1 percent (16-for-34) overall and 54.2 percent (13-for-24) from 3-point range over the past two games. Those figures are marked improvements from his totals over the opening five contests, in which he shot just 33.9 percent (19-for-56) from the field and 18.1 percent (6-for-33) from behind the arc.

SHERFIELD'S STREAK CONTINUES
The streak continues for sophomore point guard Grant Sherfield, who scored a career-high 25 points Monday at San Diego to remain the only member of the pack to score in double digits in each game this season.

It was the second 20-point game of 2020-21 for Sherfield, who previously scored 20 Dec. 7 against William Jessup.

On the year, Sherfield is the Pack's leader in scoring (16.3 ppg) and assists (29, 4.83 apg), as well as in free throws made (29) and attempted (35).

FRESHMAN MAKE CONTRIBUTIONS
While it was Desmond Cambridge, Jr., and Grant Sherfield receiving much of the attention for their performances Monday in San Diego, three Pack freshmen played key supporting roles in the 79-72 victory.

Forward Tré Coleman posted career highs in rebounds (six) and assists (five), but it was his defense and concentration that helped seal the win late for the Pack. Coleman was part of the defense which held San Diego without a field goal over the final 2:01, and, over the final 42 seconds, he went 5-for-6 from the line to help ice the game.

Fellow forward DeAndre Henry scored six points while going 2-for-3 from the line, and guard Alem Huseinovic scored five points while draining a 3-pointer.