GEORGE TOWN, Grand Cayman - Trailing by seven with just 4:47 remaining, the University of Nevada Men's Basketball team displayed unbelievable resilience and grit, concluding the game on a 13-2 run to claim a thrilling 62-58 victory over Akron.

Will Baker had another stellar offensive performance for the Pack, scoring a team-high 20 points on 8-14 shooting from the field, while also pulling down six rebounds. The redshirt-junior center was unstoppable in the paint and finished the game with a plus/minus of +10 in 31 minutes of action.

Jarod Lucas also had another fierce outing on offense, putting up 16 points, while knocking down 4-9 shots from three. Over the course of the three games at the 2022 Cayman Islands Classic, Lucas averaged 19.3 points per game on an incredible 44 percent shooting from behind the arc, as the senior guard garnered First Team All-Tournament honors following the win for his sensational play.

Despite taking an elbow to the face that forced him out of the game with 7:21 to go, Kenan Blackshear battled through the pain and returned to the contest with 3:25 remaining. Playing with injuries that later required stitches, Blackshear went on to score the final eight points for Nevada, propelling them to victory. He finished the contest with 10 points and four assists. 

Darrion Williams also had a strong outing for the Pack, pulling down a team-high 10 rebounds, in addition to scoring six points, dishing out four assists, and tallying two steals.

Junior forward Tre Coleman was phenomenal on the defensive end of the floor, holding Akron's leading scorer, Xavier Castaneda, to just 11 points on 2-10 shooting from the field, marking the lowest offensive outing for Castaneda in his past 12 games. Coleman also finished the contest with a game-high plus/minus of +11 in 33 minutes of action.

Nevada opened the game with strong intensity, building a 7-0 advantage going into the first media timeout, as the Pack hit three of their first six shot attempts while forcing Akron into a 0-9 start from the field. 

Akron scored their first points of the game at the 12:31 mark and went on to score the next seven after that, taking a 9-7 lead nine and a half minutes into the first half.

After the Pack went cold from the floor, the Zips were able to build an eight-point lead, their largest of the contest, with 2:20 remaining in the first half. 

Williams recorded a steal on the next possession, and Coleman scored in the paint on the other end, trimming the deficit to six. After the Pack got another stop on defense, Lucas drew a foul and knocked down two free throws, as Nevada entered the half down 24-20.

The Zips scored on the first possession of the second half to push the lead back to six; but, Nevada responded with an 8-0 run, highlighted by three consecutive 3-pointers from Coleman, Lucas, and Nick Davidson, respectively, giving the Pack their first lead since the 10:28 mark in the first half.

Akron recaptured the lead just over a minute later with 14:45 remaining in the game. The Zips held the lead for the next 10 minutes of game time, and with Blackshear having to exit the game due to his injury with 7:21 to go, Akron expanded their advantage to seven points, as the Pack trailed 56-49 with 4:47 left in the second half. 

Blackshear reentered the contest with bandages on his face at the under-four-minute media timeout, as Nevada still faced a seven-point deficit. 

Baker hit a turnaround jumper in the paint to trim the Akron lead to five with 3:44 to go, and Blackshear took control of the game from there. 

After Akron turned the ball over on a bad pass, Blackshear found Lucas, who drilled his fourth three-pointer of the night, cutting the deficit to just two with 3:12 to go, marking the closest the Pack had been in over six minutes of play. 

The Zips responded with a bucket in the lane, but Blackshear and Nevada refused to give up. The senior point guard stared down his defender and knocked down a contested three, cutting the Akron lead to just one point with 2:06 remaining. 

The Pack got a stop on the other end of the floor, and Blackshear worked his magic once again, this time driving past his defender and finishing a brilliant left-handed layup over another Akron player to give Nevada their first lead in 14 minutes.

Nevada earned two stops in a row on defense, and the Zips were forced to foul, as Blackshear stepped up to the line and calmly knocked down two free throws to give the Pack a three-point advantage with 10 seconds to play. 

The Pack earned another stop on the Zips' next possession, and Blackshear once again was fouled and knocked down a free-throw, increasing Nevada's lead to four with two seconds left, putting the game on ice as the Pack went on to earn their sixth victory of the season. 

With the win, Nevada claimed a third-place finish at the 2022 Cayman Islands Classic and finished their first trip away from home this season with an impressive 3-1 record.

Notable Stats:

• After averaging 19.3 points per game on 44 percent shooting from the field throughout the tournament, Jarod Lucas earned First Team All-Tournament honors. 

• With the win, Nevada now holds a record of 10-1 in MTEs under the guidance of Head Coach Steve Alford. 

• Kenan Blackshear scored or assisted on Nevada's final 10 points.

• The Pack shot a stellar 42.9 percent from three for the game, including a phenomenal 61.5 percent in the second half.

• Nevada tallied 13 assists on 21 made field goals.

• Freshman guard Trey Pettigrew had a career-high two blocks in the game. 

• Nevada was +5 in turnover margin.

• The Pack collected 10 offensive rebounds in the contest.

• Nevada knocked down 11-13 shots from the free-throw line.

• The Pack limited Akron to just 31.8 percent shooting from behind the arc throughout the game. 

Up Next

Nevada will return to the court on Monday, November 28, as they are set to host Sam Houston at the Lawlor Events Center with tip-off scheduled for 7 PM. 

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Single-game tickets for Nevada men's basketball home contests are available at www.mynevadatickets.com. Fans may also purchase single-game tickets for the season by phone at 775-348-PACK (7225). Those who have questions or need assistance may also contact the ticket office by phone or by emailing wolfpackticketinfo@unr.edu.  

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