SAN DIEGO, Calif. - The University of Nevada Men's Basketball team dropped their first conference game of the season Tuesday night, falling on the road to San Diego State by a final score of 65-74.

After the loss, Nevada now holds an overall record of 14-4 this season, including a mark of 4-1 in Mountain West play.

For the second consecutive game, redshirt freshman Nick Davidson led the way for the Pack on offense, scoring a team-high 17 points on 5-10 shooting from the field and a perfect 6-6 at the free throw line, while also pulling down a team-high seven rebounds in 20 minutes of action throughout the contest. 

Fellow freshman Darrion Willians also had a strong performance for Nevada, scoring 10 points on 4-8 shooting from the field and 2-5 from behind the arc, in addition to pulling down six rebounds, and setting a new career-high by recording four steals

Kenan Blackshear reached double figures in scoring for the ninth consecutive game and 14th overall this season, as the senior guard chipped in 12 points throughout the game. Blackshear also pulled down five rebounds and dished out five assists in the contest, as he has now recorded three or more assists in all but one game this season. 

Jarod Lucas extended his streak of reaching double figures in scoring to 16 straight games by putting up 11 points on the night. 

Freshman guard Trey Pettigrew had a solid outing off the bench for the second consecutive game, scoring seven points on a perfect 3-3 shooting from the field, while also pulling down three rebounds. Pettigrew finished the contest with a team-high plus/minus of +9 in 13 minutes of action. 

First Half

San Diego State knocked down four of their first seven shot attempts, including two of their first three shots from behind the arc, as they jumped out to an early 10-0 lead over the Pack three and a half minutes into the game. 

Darrion Williams knocked down a 3-pointer off a pass from Kenan Blackshear at the 16:08 mark, giving Nevada their first points of the game and cutting the deficit to seven. 

SDSU was able to extend their lead up to 11 after two quick buckets in the paint; but, Jarod Lucas drilled a 3-pointer and Blackshear hit a tough turnaround jumper to cut the Aztecs lead to six points with 13:30 left in the first half. 

San Diego State used an 11-4 run over the next four minutes of gametime to build their biggest lead yet, as they held a 25-12 advantage with nine and a half minutes until halftime.

Nevada was able to cut the deficit to nine multiple times over the next four minutes, however, the Aztecs went on a 14-6 run over the final 4:47 of the first half to take a 44-27 lead into the break. 

Second Half

Nevada opened up the second half on a quick 7-2 run, as Lucas hit a two-pointer jumper on the Pack's first possession of the period, followed a Williams 3-pointer and then another turnaround jumper from Lucas, cutting San Diego State's lead to 12 points with 17:27 to go in the contest.

SDSU was able to increase their lead up to 18 over the next four and a half minutes of the game, as they led 56-38 with 12:57 remaining. 

Nevada continued to battle back, as Blackshear responded with a difficult layup in the lane to make it a 16-point game, before Davidson drained a 3-pointer to trim the deficit down to 13 with just under 12 minutes left, as the Pack trailed 43-56. 

Unfortunately, Nevada then went cold from the field, and the Aztecs went on a 9-0 run to take a 65-43 lead with 9:10 left in the second half.

The two teams went back and forth over the next four minutes, as San Diego State led Nevada by 21 with just over five minutes to go.

Nevada picked up their intensity and took control of the contest over the final five minutes of the game, reeling off a 12-0 run, and cutting the deficit to just nine points with 48 seconds remaining, the closest Nevada had been since the 5:10 mark in the first half.

The Pack continued to fight until the very end; but, they came up short, as they fell by nine points to the Aztecs.

Notable Stats

• Nevada's bench outscored San Diego State's bench, 24-17.

• The Pack scored 17 second-chance points to SDSU's 14. 

• Nevada shot 45.2 percent from the field in the second half.

• The Pack continued their exceptional shooting at the free throw line, knocking down 14 out of 18 attempts. 

• Nevada pulled down eight offensive rebounds throughout the game. 

• Nevada recorded nine steals as a team.

• Over the Pack's past two games, freshmen Nick Davidson, Darrion Williams, and Trey Pettigrew are combining to average 31.5 points and 17.5 rebounds per game.

Up Next 

Nevada will return home to host Utah State at the Lawlor Events Center this Friday at 8 pm.

Single-Game Tickets on Sale Now   

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.  

Follow The Pack     

Follow Nevada Men's Basketball on social media at @NevadaHoops (Twitter), @nevadahoops (Instagram), and on Facebook at @NevadaMBB