HONOLULU, HI. - Jarod Lucas scored a game-high 22 points, Nick Davidson set new career marks in points (19) and rebounds (16), Kenan Blackshear scored 16 points, and the Nevada Men's Basketball team held Temple to a season low 56 points on a season-worst 27.7 percent shooting from the field, as the Pack throttled the Owls 80-56 to commence the 2023 Diamond Head Classic.

Following the win, Nevada improved to 10-1 on the season, and the Pack now owns a record of 10-2 in MTE's under Head Coach Steve Alford. 

Nevada completely shut down Temple throughout the game, limiting the Owls to just 18 made field goals on 65 attempts (27.2%). Temple entered Thursday's contest as one of the premier rebounding teams in the country, and the Pack dominated the glass, outrebounding Temple 42-37. 

Nevada completely commanded the paint on both ends of the court, as they scored 40 points in the paint and limited Temple to just 16 points in the lane. 

Offensively, Nevada shot an exceptional 47.5 percent from the field (29-61), marking their third best clip in a game this season.

Lucas led the way, scoring a game-high 22 points on 8-18 shooting from the field. Lucas drained three shots from behind the arc and went 3-3 at the free throw line. Lucas was also impressive on the defensive end of the court, as he recorded two steals in the game and held Matteo Picarelli to 0 points as the primary defender. The fifth-year senior completed the contest with a game-high plus/minus of +36 in 31 minutes of action. 

Davidson was sensational on Thursday, turning in his best performance of his collegiate career. Davidson recorded the first double-double of his career, scoring a career-best 19 points on 7-10 shooting from the field, 1-3 from behind the arc, and 4-4 at the free throw line. Davidson also pulled down a career-high 16 rebounds and tallied two steals. The redshirt sophomore recorded a plus/minus of +30 in 34 minutes of playing time. 

After having an off shooting night against Hawaii, Blackshear bounced back in a tremendous way, as he turned in a stellar outing Thursday. He scored 16 points, pulled down nine rebounds, and dished out a game-high five assists in the contest. 

Daniel Foster earned his second start of the season as K.J. Hymes missed the game due to illness, and Foster was outstanding in place of Hymes. The senior guard scored four points, matched a career-high with nine rebounds, dished out two assists, and matched a career-high with two blocks. 

Redshirt-junior forward Tylan Pope made his debut appearance for Nevada after missing the first 10 games of the season, making a significant impact off the bench for the Pack. Pope scored eight points in 15 minutes, during what was his first game action in nine months. 

Senior forward Tre Coleman also had a solid outing for Nevada, chipping in nine points in addition to recording one block in the game.

Nevada led for 33 minutes and 58 seconds throughout the game, and the 24-point victory for the Park marked the largest margin of defeat that Temple has suffered in a game this season.

First Half

Temple started off the game in strong fashion, winning the opening tip and draining a 3-pointer  on their first offensive possession. The Owls converted a layup to build a 5-0 lead one minute and 45 seconds into the game. 

Nevada responded to the early deficit by ripping off a 9-0 run over the next 3:11 of game time. The run began with two free throws from Coleman, followed by a contested 3-pointer by Blackshear. 

Foster pulled down a tough offensive rebound and finished a layup at the time, and Lucas completed the run by splashing a mid-range jumper. 

Nevada extended their lead to six points after Pope drew a foul and hit two free throws, as they owned a 13-7 advantage with 13:15 left in the first half. 

Temple battled back, outscoring Nevada 12-4 over the next 4:27, as the Owls retook the lead and held a 19-17 edge over the Pack with 8:48 remaining before halftime. 

After falling behind, Nevada significantly elevated their defensive intensity and completely locked down Temple for the remainder of the first period, as they held the Owls to just nine points on 2-17 shooting from the field over the final 8:47 of the first half. The Pack received a strong boost over the elite stretch of defense from Jeriah Coleman, who recorded two blocks during the stretch. 

Nevada took a 35-28 advantage into the halftime break after Pope and Davidson scored eight points apiece, while Blackshear contributed seven and Lucas chipped in six over the first 20 minutes of action.

Second Half

After Temple scored the first bucket of the second half, an and-one layup to trim the Pack's lead to four points, Nevada completely took over the game, reeling off a 10-0 run to take a 14-point lead, their largest of the contest at that point. 

The run started with a Tre Coleman layup at the 19:32 mark, and after Foster recorded a steal on defense, he found Davidson open in the paint, who proceeded to flush a two-handed slam.

The Pack got another stop on defense and Blackshear came down, rose over his defender and drained a mid-range pull up jump shot. Blackshear then drove right by his defender and finished a layup on the Pack's next offensive possession. 

Lucas completed the run by recording a steal and finishing a contested layup through contact on the other end. 

Nevada continued to expand their lead as the half went on, pushing the advantage all the way up to 24 points, as Lucas, Davidson, and the rest of the Pack continued to pour it on, and Nevada cruised to a 24-point victory in the first round of the Diamond Head Classic.

Notable Stats

• Nevada outscored Temple in the paint, 40-16.

• Nick Davidson scored a career-high 19 points and pulled down a career-high 16 rebounds.

• The Pack finished the contest 17-20 from the free throw line (85%).

• After scoring 22 points, Jarod Lucas has scored in double figures in all 11 contests for Nevada this season, including scoring 20+ points in three games. 

• Lucas, Davidson, and Blackshear combined for 36 of Nevada's 45 points in the second half.

• The Pack scored 20 second-chance points on 11 offensive rebounds.

• After recording five assists, Kenan Blackshear has now tallied five or more assists in six games this season.

• Tylan Pope scored eight points, all of which came in the first half in his debut appearance for the Pack.

Up Next

Nevada will return to the court Friday, as they will face TCU in the first semifinal game of the Diamond Head Classic at 2 p.m. (PT). 

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