SERIES HISTORY

Nevada and Cal Poly are no stranger to one another with Thursday's matchup being the seventh in program history. Both programs faced one another for the first time on Jan. 29, 2000 in Lawlor Events Center. Nevada defeated the Mustangs, 83-74, before taking down Cal Poly for a second time that season, 89-64, in the Big West Tournament again at Lawlor Events Center. The Pack took down Cal Poly for a third-consecutive time in 2006. The Mustangs claimed back-to-back wins in 2012 and 2013. The Pack has won the last matchup, defeating Cal Poly 71-40 in Reno on Dec. 28, 2019. 

 

LAST TIME OUT (W, 73-67 vs. San Francisco)

• Nevada closed out the 2021 Nugget Classic presented by the University of Nevada with a victory of the San Francisco Dons on Sunday

• Senior Da'Ja Hamilton led Nevada offensively, tabbing 18 points, three rebounds, two assists and one steal

• Hamilton's game-tying three pointer at the buzzer pushed the game into overtime

• Alyssa Jimenez totaled 14 points, three rebounds and one steal

• Nia Alexander also had a strong game for the Pack, recording 13 points, two rebounds one assist and one steal

• Kylie Jimenez and Hamilton were named to the All-Tournament Team on Sunday after helping Nevada to a 2-1 record

• Nevada fell to Drake in the tournament-opener before ending with two wins over Idaho and San Francisco

 

CLUTCH VICTORIES

The 2021 Nugget Classic presented by the University of Nevada was filled with four strong teams and six intriguing matchups. Nevada bounced back after its loss to Drake to claim two crucial wins over Idaho and San Francisco. The wins didn't come easy, but Nevada never backed down to the challenge. Down by one with six seconds left, senior Nia Alexander's hard cut to the basket during a baseline inbound resulted in two free throws. Alexander showed she wasn't afraid of big moments after sinking them both to propel Nevada to a 61-60 victory over the Idaho Vandals. The Pack tallied another win over San Francisco after Da'Ja Hamilton's clutch three at the final buzzer took the game into overtime. Nevada, which controlled the overtime period, cruised to a 73-67 win. Moral of the story: don't count the Pack out, even when down in a game's final minutes. Nevada showed it can inch itself back into a game and find a way to win. 

 

BASKETBALL RUNS IN THE FAMILY

Sophomore Kenna Holt will face Cal Poly on Thursday, a program she is familiar with. In fact, Holt's two older sisters, Breezi and Malia, played college basketball for the Mustangs. Malia Holt played from 2017-20 and averaged 30.1 minutes, 3.3 points, 4 rebounds, 2.7 assists and one steal as a junior. Breezi played for the Mustangs from 2015-18. Holt's parents both played college basketball at LMU. 

 

SECOND HALF COMEBACK LIFTS NEVADA OVER UTAH VALLEY

Overcoming a four-point deficit at halftime, the Nevada women's basket- ball team used a second-half surge to defeat the Utah Valley Wolverines, 70- 64, at Lawlor Events Center Saturday afternoon. The game marks Nevada's first home win of the 2021-22 season.

Three players led Nevada in double-figures Saturday: freshman Audrey Roden (17), senior Nia Alexander (15) and senior Da'Ja Hamilton (12) paced the Pack offensively. Roden matched her career-high scoring performance after racking up 17 points, five rebounds, two assists and one steal. The West Linn, Ore., native shot 4-for-7 from deep in 20 minutes of action. Al- exander reached 800 career points after registering 15 against Utah Valley. Powering the Pack on both ends of floor, Alexander added four rebounds and three steals. Hamilton recorded 10 of her 12 points in the second half, including a crucial three followed by a step-back jumper on top of the right key to close the third quarter and give Nevada a 54-51 edge heading into the fourth. In addition, Hamilton dished out six assists to lead the Pack.

Nevada generated its largest lead of the day when Alexander hit a jumper in the paint at the 8:02 mark, pushing the Pack's lead to nine.

Utah Valley didn't back away though. The Wolverines cut Nevada's lead to one with 4:02 left in the game. Nevada regrouped and went on a 5-0 run before being sent to the free-throw line in the game's final 30 seconds. 

RODEN EARNS MOUNTAIN WEST FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK

Audrey Roden was named Mountain West Freshman of the Week on Nov. 22. The West Linn, Ore., native tied her career high in scoring with 17 points in Nevada's 70-64 win over Utah Valley, a 2021 NCAA Tournament team. Roden led the Pack with five rebounds and also added two assists and one steal against the Wolverines. Roden scored 14 of her 17 points in the first half, including knocking down three three-pointers.

In six games this season, Roden is averaging 10.2 points and 3.8 rebounds per game while shooting 36.7 percent from three.

Roden is the first Nevada player to receive a weekly honor since Nia Alexan- der earned Mountain West Player of the Week on Dec. 30, 2019. 

ALEXANDER RECORDS 800TH CAREER POINT

Nia Alexander recorded her 800th career point on Nov. 20 after netting 15 points against Utah Valley. 

 

HAMILTON: LIFE, LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF 800 CAREER POINTS

Da'Ja Hamitlon is on track to hit 800 career points and beyond this season. Hamilton currently sits at 712 points after a strong outing at the 2021 Nugget Classic presented by the University of Nevada. Through six games, Hamilton is averaging 11.8 points and 1.8 rebounds while dishing out 14 assists on the season. 

 

WINNING AT THE LINE

Nevada is sixth in the country in free throw percentage (82.1 percents) and first in the Mountain West through six games. The Pack is 55-of-67, averaging 9.2 made free throws per game. Hamilton leads Nevada with 13 free throw attempts this season, making 12 of them. In Nevada's win over Idaho, Alexander's two-made free throws proved to be the difference maker in securing the Pack's 61-60 victory.

 

A DYNAMIC DUO

Reunited for the first time since high school, the Jimenez sisters are making the most of their time together. Both had standout weekend's against Drake, Idaho and San Francisco. Kylie led Nevada offensively vs. Drake, tallying 18 points, three rebounds, two assists and one steal. In game two vs. Idaho, Kylie also tabbed 12 points, five rebounds and four steals. Alyssa had a breakout weekend as well, recording eight points, four rebounds, one block and one steal against Idaho before registering a career-high 14 points to go along with three rebounds and a steal in Nevada's 73-67 win over San Francisco. 

 

JIMENEZ NAMED MW NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR

Graduate transfer Kylie Jimenez was named Preseason Mountain West New- comer of the Year on Oct. 13. Jimenez, a Colorado native and grad transfer from Portland State, is the sister of Wolf Pack guard Alyssa Jimenez. Kylie Jimenez played a huge role for the Vikings the past four seasons as she tied the school record with 122 starts, which is every game she played in. Throughout her career, the 5-foot-6 guard earned many accolades including Big Sky Freshman of the Year, All-Big Sky Third Team twice, an All-Big Sky honorable mention,

a Big Sky Player of the Week honor, and was named to the 2019 All-Big Sky Tournament team. She helped her team to a 25-win season during her sopho- more campaign, a Big Sky Tournament Championship and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament.