2022 Air Force Reserve Mountain West Championship - First Round
No. 8 Nevada (12-17, 6-12 MW) vs. No. 9 New Mexico (13-18, 5-12 MW)
Wednesday, March 9, 2022 - 11 a.m.
Las Vegas, Nev. - Thomas & Mack Center

TV: Nevada Sports Net (PxP: Nate Kreckman; Analyst: Marty Fletcher)
Radio: ESPN 94.5 FM (PxP: John Ramey; Analyst: Len Stevens)

RENO, Nev. - Nevada begins play at the 2022 Air Force Reserve Mountain West Championship Wednesday, taking on No. 9 New Mexico in first-round action at 11 a.m.

Wednesday's contest will be livestreamed on the Mountain West Network and televised in Reno on Nevada Sports Net, with Nate Kreckman and Marty Fletcher on the call.  The game will also be carried over the airwaves in Reno on ESPN Radio 94.5 FM and online through the Varsity Network app, with John Ramey and Len Stevens calling the action.

UP NEXT
A win Wednesday, and the Pack will head to Thursday's noon quarterfinal against top seed Boise State.

LAST TIME OUT
Nevada cut an 18-point, second-half deficit down to one and had the final possession with 9.0 seconds left in Saturday night's regular-season finale against San Diego State, but could not get the final shot off, falling 79-78.

Grant Sherfield went off for 30 points with seven assists, going 9-for-12 from the line, while Warren Washington posted his fourth double-double of the season, scoring 11 points with 10 rebounds. Desmond Cambridge Jr., playing on his Senior Night, scored 12 points with six rebounds and four steals, while Will Baker added 11 points off the bench.

SCOUTING NEW MEXICO
New Mexico (13-18, 5-12 MW) went 5-5 to end the regular season after dropping its first seven of Mountain West play, ending on a high note with a 76-67 home victory over UNLV.

The Lobos were led in Mountain West play by Jamal Mashburn Jr. (18.1 ppg, 41.2 FG pct., 24 3-pointers) and Jaelen House (17.5 ppg, 4.35 apg, 2.29 spg).

PREVIOUSLY AGAINST THE LOBOS
Nevada and New Mexico met just once this season, that coming on New Year's Day in Reno. There, the Wolf Pack picked up a 79-70 victory as Desmond Cambridge Jr. (18 points) led five Pack players in double figures.Will Baker and Warren Washington posted matching double-doubles of 12 points and 11 rebounds in the win, while Grant Sherfield had a 10-point, 10-assist double-double of his own.

NEVADA AT THE MOUNTAIN WEST TOURNAMENT
This year's Mountain West Tournament will be Nevada's ninth since joining the conference ahead of the 2012-13 season. The Pack is 7-8 all-time at the event, with one title (2017). This year's event will be just the fourth in which the Pack has opened action in the first round. Nevada has a record of 1-2 in its previous three first-round games.

Head coach Steve Alford has an overall record of 9-6 at the event (8-4 with New Mexico from 2008-13, 1-2 with Nevada), with two titles to his ledger (2012-13).

SHERFIELD, CAMBRIDGE, JR. COLLECT ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST HONORS
The Mountain West announced its all-conference teams and superlatives Tuesday, and Nevada's Grant Sherfield and Desmond Cambridge, Jr. were recognized by the league's head coaches for the second-straight season, each being named to the All-Mountain West Third Team.

Despite missing three conference contests (Feb. 1-6) this season, Sherfield put up 17.7 points per game, ranking eighth in the conference in Mountain West-only games. His 6.60 assists per game ranked second, while his assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.36 was fourth-best.

Against conference competition, Sherfield scored in double figures in 13 of 14 games, with a 30-point effort (30 points vs. San Diego State, March 5), and five additional 20-point performances. He also posted two double-doubles, going for 10 points and 10 assists Jan. 1 against New Mexico, and 25 points and 10 assists Feb. 17 at San José State.

Cambridge Jr. was another of the conference's prolific scorers in 2021-22, ranking 11th with 15.5 points per game in Mountain West play. The redshirt senior finished third, in the regular season, in 3-pointers made (44) and 3-point field-goal percentage (36.4 percent), and was 12th in field-goal percentage (41.9 percent).

Defensively, Cambridge Jr. stepped up his game this season, leading the Pack in steals (31) and blocks (24) in Mountain West play, ranking second and third in those categories' respective conference lists.