HONOLULU, HI. - Kenan Blackshear scored a game-high 30 points, Jarod Lucas poured in 20 of his own, and the Nevada Men's Basketball team held Georgia Tech to 38.6 percent shooting from the field and 23.1 percent from behind the arc on their way to a 72-64 victory over the Yellow Jackets to win the 2023 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic Championship. 

With the win, Nevada improved to 12-1 on the season, and the Pack made history, as the win over Georgia Tech marked the first time in program history that Nevada has defeated power-five opponents from two different conferences in consecutive games.  

Nevada has been exceptional in Multi Team Events under Head Coach Steve Alford, as they now own a record of 12-2 under Alford's command. The 2023 Diamond Head Classic Championship also marked the Pack's third MTE title with Alford at the helm of the program.  

Blackshear was unbelievable in the game, as he scored 30 points on 11-14 shooting from the field and 8-11 at the free throw line, in addition to pulling down five rebounds, dishing out five assists, recording two steals, and tallying one block. The fifth-year senior was sensational in the second half, scoring 21 points on a perfect 7-7 shooting, including an incredible 15 points in the final 9:40, and 11 over the final six minutes.  

Blackshear was named to the 2023 Diamond Head Classic All-Tournament Team after averaging 20 points per game on 60 percent shooting from the field, as well as 5.3 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game.  

Lucas was outstanding in the Championship game, scoring 20 points on 7-13 shooting from the field, including 4-7 from behind the arc. Lucas also grabbed four rebounds and made 2-2 shots at the free throw line.  

The fifth-year senior was named the MVP of the 2023 Diamond Head Classic after averaging a tournament-high 22.3 points per game on 50 percent shooting from the field, including a mark of 39.1 percent from behind the arc. Lucas also averaged 4.0 rebounds per game and went a perfect 18-18 at the free throw line across the Pack's three victories in the Diamond Head Classic.  

Nick Davidson had another impressive performance for Nevada, scoring nine points and pulling down a team-high eight rebounds in the game, three of which came on the offensive glass. Davidson was exceptional throughout the tournament, averaging 14.0 points per game on 60.7 percent shooting from the field, in addition to pulling down 9.7 boards per contest.  

Graduate student Hunter McIntosh had his best outing of the Diamond Head Classic against Georgia Tech, as he provided an immense offensive spark off the bench for the Pack. McIntosh scored six points while draining 2-3 shots from behind the arc in the game. 

Redshirt-junior Tylan Pope did not score in the contest, however, he had a noteworthy performance on the glass and on defense for Nevada, pulling down four rebounds and tallying two blocks in 16 minutes of action.  

The Pack shot 49.1 percent from the field throughout the game (26-53), and they outrebounded Georgia Tech, 34-31.  

Nevada held a lead for 31 minutes and 57 seconds, while only trailing for six minutes and 11 seconds in the game. 

First Half 

Similar to the first two games of the tournament, Nevada fell behind early, as Georgia Tech won the jump ball and drained a 3-pointer on their first offensive possession to take a 3-0 lead 20 seconds into the contest.  

After just over two and a half scoreless minutes from both teams, the Pack finally got on the board at the 17:08 mark, as Davidson made a contested hook shot in the lane.  

36 seconds later, Blackshear scored his first bucket of the game, driving past his defender and finishing a tough contested layup through contact, as he drew a foul and made the free throw to convert the and-one opportunity and put Nevada ahead 5-3 with 16:22 left in the first half. 

10 seconds later, the Yellow Jackets drilled another 3-pointer to retake the lead.  

After a missed 3-pointer by the Pack, Georgia Tech managed to make their third 3-pointer in the first 4:03, as they built a 9-5 lead over Nevada with 15:57 remaining in the first period.  

The Yellow Jackets expanded their lead to six points 37 seconds later after making a jump shot in the paint, as they held an 11-5 advantage over Nevada. The six-point advantage for Georgia Tech marked their largest lead of the night.  

Nevada responded to the 8-0 run from Georgia Tech in an exceptional way, as they ripped off a 12-2 run over a 4:05 stretch to take a 17-13 lead with 11:15 to go before halftime.  

The run started with a Daniel Foster layup at the 14:58 mark, and 57 seconds later, Lucas splashed a 3-pointer off a pass from Davidson.  

After Georgia Tech scored a bucket, Lucas drilled a second consecutive 3-pointer, tying the game up at 13-13 with 13:19 left in the first period.  

Davidson proceeded to drain a 3-pointer just over a minute later, forcing Georgia Tech to take a timeout, as Nevada led 16-13. K.J. Hymes completed the run at the 11:15 mark, as he drew a foul on a shot in the paint and made 1-2 shots at the free throw line. 

The Yellow Jackets scored four consecutive points to tie the game once again, as the two squads were deadlocked at 17 points apiece with 10:18 remaining until halftime.  

Nevada responded with a 6-0 spurt, as Lucas sparked the run by draining a contested step back mid-range jumper to retake the lead for Nevada at the 9:57 mark. 17 seconds later, Blackshear made a step back jumper of his own. After Hymes recorded a block on defense, Blackshear finished a floater in the lane, giving Nevada a 23-17 lead with 8:42 on the clock. 

Georgia Tech hit another 3-pointer 16 seconds later to trim the Pack's lead to three points, and after a missed 3-pointer from Nevada, the Yellow Jackets made a mid-range jump shot to get within one point.  

McIntosh came off the bench and hit a huge 3-pointer to expand Nevada's lead back up to four points. Georgia Tech knocked down two free throws on their next possession, however, McIntosh drained a second consecutive 3-pointer, giving the Pack a 29-24 lead with 6:43 to go until halftime.  

The two squads went back and forth over the remainder of the first half; but, Blackshear drained a vital jump shot with one second left in the period to give Nevada a 36-30 lead entering the break.  

Second Half 

Georgia Tech opened up the scoring in the second period with a layup 38 seconds in, and they hit a lone free throw shortly after to get within three points of the Pack. 

Blackshear responded with another midrange jumper to extend the lead back up to five for Nevada.  

The Pack found themselves with a 41-37 lead at the 15:01 mark after some back-and-forth play, and Lucas hit a big 3-pointer, his third of the night, to expand Nevada's lead up to seven with 14:41 to go.  

Georgia Tech used a 5-0 run to come within two points of the Pack; but, Lucas drilled another 3-pointer to extend the Nevada's lead back up to five. 

Georgia Tech managed to get within four points once again at the 10:02 mark, as Nevada owned a 51-47 advantage. With the Yellow Jackets threatening, Blackshear completely took over the game down the stretch, beginning with a pull up jumper to push Nevada's lead up to 53-47 with 9:40 to go.  

Georgia Tech scored three straight points, however, Blackshear made another mid-range jump shot, as Nevada led 55-50 with 7:49 to go following the bucket.  

A 4-0 spurt by the Yellow Jackets cut the Pack's lead down to just one point with 6:23 left; but, Blackshear once again had an answer, making a contested pull up jumper to give Nevada a 59-56 advantage with under five and a half minutes remaining. 

Georgia Tech managed to cut Nevada's lead down to one point yet again, and Blackshear continued to respond, as he pulled down a rebound and went the length of the court to finish a driving layup on the other end at the 3:51 mark.  

Just under a minute later, Blackshear found Tre Coleman open under the rim, who proceeded to finish an easy layup and extend Nevada's lead up to 64-59 with 2:55 to go entering the final media timeout of the game.  

Georgia Tech converted an and-one opportunity to get within two points with 2:38 left, as they trailed the Pack, 64-62.  

Blackshear refused to let Nevada lose; and, after Pope recorded his second block of the game, the fifth-year senior went down on offense, backed has man down, and proceeded to drain another contested mid-range shot, giving the Pack a 66-62 advantage with 1:20 left.  

Nevada made 6-8 free throws down the stretch to close out the game, as they went on to defeat their third power-five opponent of the season by a final score of 72-64 and win the 2023 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic. 

Notable Stats: 

• Nevada is 12-2 in MTEs under Head Coach Steve Alford following the victory over Georgia Tech, and the Pack have now won three MTE titles with Alford at the helm of the program. 

• Nevada is 3-0 against power-five opponents this season, with all three of those victories coming away from their home court.  

• After defeating TCU and Georgia Tech in back-to-back games, Nevada made history, as it marked the first time in program history that the Pack has beaten power-five opponents from different conferences in consecutive games. 

• Kenan Blackshear's 30 points were the most points scored in a single game in the Diamond Head Classic. 

• After scoring 20 points, Jarod Lucas has now reached double figures in scoring in all 13 games for Nevada this season, including scoring 20+ points in five contests for the Pack. 

• Nevada shot 50 percent from the field in the second half (12-24). 

• Kenan Blackshear scored 15 of Nevada's final 21 points.  

Up Next 

Nevada will return to the court on Saturday, Dec. 30, when they are slated to host Fresno Pacific at Lawlor Events Center at 7 p.m. 

Follow The Pack     

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