RENO, Nev. - Kenan Blackshear scored a career-high 28 points, Will Baker set a new career-high of his own by pouring in 24 points, and Jarod Lucas chipped in 21 points, as the University of Nevada Men's Basketball reeled off a 23-6 run over the final 8:06 of gametime to earn an 85-70 victory over Utah State.  

With the win, Nevada improved to 15-4 overall this season and 5-1 in conference play. The Pack also maintained their perfect record at home this season, moving to 9-0 at the Lawlor Events Center.  

Nevada had an exceptional night on the offensive end of the floor, finishing the game with clips of 55.4 percent shooting from the field, 47.1 percent from behind the arc, and 83.3 percent at the free throw line. 

Blackshear led the way in what was one of the best performances of his career, as the senior dropped 28 points on 9-15 shooting from the field while dishing out five assists and recording a career-high five steals. Blackshear also knocked down 10-11 shots at the free throw line, and he finished the contest with a plus/minus of +12 in 32 minutes of action.  

Blackshear did the majority of his work in the second period, putting up 19 points on 6-9 shooting over the final 20 minutes, including 10 points over Nevada's 23-6 run to close out the game. 

Blackshear has now reached double figures in scoring in ten straight contests, and in 16 of 19 games this season. Blackshear has also dished out at least three assists in all but one contest for the Pack this year. 

Baker also had a career night for Nevada, scoring 24 points on a sensational 10-14 shooting from the field, including 3-6 from behind the arc. Baker also pulled down a team-high six rebounds, and the redshirt junior earned a plus/minus of +12 in 26 minutes of playing time. 

Jarod Lucas scored 21 points on 7-14 shooting from the field, 3-6 from behind the arc, and 4-5 at the free throw line. Lucas also matched a career-high by dishing out four assists, and the senior guard finished the contest with a plus/minus of +16 while playing a game-high 39 minutes. 

Lucas has now reached double figures in scoring in 17 straight games, and in 18 of 19 contests this season. Lucas has also knocked down at least three 3-pointers in 10 games for Nevada this year. 

Blackshear, Baker, and Lucas became the first trio of Pack players to each score 20+ points in a game since November of 2018.  

Redshirt freshman Nick Davidson maintained his recent streak of stellar play, scoring eight points on 3-5 shooting from the field, including a perfect 2-2 from behind the arc, in addition to pulling down four rebounds. Davidson compiled a plus/minus of +12 in just 17 minutes of action. 

Freshman forward Darrion Williams once again had a solid all-around outing for Nevada, scoring four points, dishing out four assists, pulling down five rebounds, and recording a team-high two blocks. 

Fellow freshman Trey Pettigrew had a massive impact on the game off the bench for the Pack, as he earned a game-high plus/minus of +17 in 22 minutes of playing time. 

First Half 

Utah State started the game incredibly strong on offense, knocking down six of their first nine shot attempts, including 3-3 from behind the arc, as they jumped out to 16-6 lead over Nevada just over five minutes into the contest. 

Lucas and Davidson drilled back-to-back 3-pointers to cut the deficit to five with 11:31 to go, as the Pack trailed Utah State 14-19 at the second media timeout of the half.  

Blackshear hit a tough turnaround jump shot out of the timeout to trim the deficit to just three points; but, Utah State hit their fourth 3-pointer of the half to push the lead back up to six with 9:50 remaining until halftime.  

After the Aggies knocked down a lone free throw, Blackshear hit another mid-range jumper, sparking a quick 10-2 run over a two-minute stretch, giving the Pack their first lead of the game at the 6:37 mark, as they held a 26-25 advantage. 

Utah State regained the lead less than 20 seconds later, however, Lucas drilled his third 3-pointer of the first half to give the advantage back to Nevada.  

The Pack extended their advantage to three points after Blackshear hit two free throws; but, the Aggies responded with a 9-2 run, as they held a 37-33 lead with 2:35 left in the first period.  

Utah State outscored Nevada 5-4 over the remainder of the first half, as the Pack entered halftime trailing 37-42. 

Second Half 

Utah State scored the first four points of the second half, extending their lead up to nine points with 19:02 left in the game.  

Nevada cut the deficit to seven points two minutes later, trailing 44-51 with just over 17 minutes to go.  

Down seven, Williams found Davidson in the paint for a layup, marking the beginning of a 10-0 Pack run.  

Williams earned a block on the other end of the court on the next possession, and Blackshear finished a difficult layup while drawing a foul and converting the three-point play. Davidson then drained his second shot from behind the arc to give Nevada their first lead since the 4:58 mark in the first period. Blackshear then finished another layup to push the Pack's lead up to three with 14:18 left in the game. 

The two teams went back and forth over the next five and a half minutes before the Aggies took a 64-62 lead with just under nine minutes remaining on a turnaround jump shot.  

That would mark the last time Utah State held a lead in the game, as Nevada responded in a massive way, taking complete control of the contest over the final eight minutes.  

Blackshear scored four consecutive points to begin a 19-0 run over a six-minute stretch for Nevada. 

The Pack hit 6-9 shots from the field throughout the run, while holding Utah State to 0-8 shooting from the field over the same stretch of time. 

Nevada used the remarkable run to turn a two-point deficit into a 17-point advantage, as they built an 81-64 lead with 2:19 remaining in the contest.  

Nevada went on to earn the 85-70 victory, as they closed out the game on a 23-6 run to remain undefeated at the Lawlor Events Center this season. 

Notable Stats: 

• Nevada shot a sensational 62.1 percent from the field (18-29) and 60 percent from three (3-5) in the second half, as they outscored Utah State 48-28 over the final 20 minutes. 

• Nevada outscored Utah State in the paint, 34-28.  

• The Pack were +5 in turnover margin. 

• Nevada knocked down 15 of 18 shots at the free throw line. 

• All nine players that saw action in the contest for Nevada recorded at least one rebound. 

• Kenan Blackshear, Will Baker, and Jarod Lucas combined to score 73 points in the game on 60.5 percent shooting from the field (26-43), and 50 percent from behind the arc (6-12). 

• Nevada recorded 18 assists on 31 made field goals.  

• Nevada has outscored its opponent over the final eight minutes of regulation in 14 of 19 games this season. 

Up Next 

Nevada will hit the road for their next contest, traveling to face Boise State this Tuesday at 6pm PT.  

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.   

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