LAS VEGAS - The Nevada Men's Basketball team sustained its first loss of the season Saturday evening, falling to Drake by a final score of 72-53.

Following the loss, the Pack owns a record of 7-1 on the season.

Nevada struggled offensively throughout the entire game, finishing the contest with clips of 37.3 percent from the field, 24.0 percent from behind the arc, and 50 percent from the free throw line.

Nevada was solid defensively, limiting Drake to 43.5 percent shooting from the field and 33.3 percent from behind the arc, while outrebounding the Bulldogs, 30-29.

Individually, Jarod Lucas and Tyler Rolison led the way for the Pack, scoring 10 points apiece. Rolison had an impressive performance, reaching 10 points on 3-4 shooting from behind the arc in 17 minutes of action.

Kenan Blackshear scored eight points, pulled down seven rebounds, and dished out three assists throughout the night. 

Nevada's front court of K.J. Hymes and Nick Davidson had a solid night. Hymes completed the contest with nine points on 3-6 shooting from the field, in addition to pulling down three rebounds. Davidson posted a quality stat line of eight points, seven rebounds, and one block.

Daniel Foster gave Nevada a strong boost off the bench, scoring four points, pulling down six rebounds, dishing out three assists, and tallying one steal and one block.

For the first time this season, Nevada was outscored in the paint, as the Bulldogs posted 24 points in the lane compared to a season-low 22 from the Pack. 

Nevada also had its most turnovers in a game this season, finishing the contest with 19 turnovers.

First Half

Nevada got off to a slow start, falling behind 7-0 in the first two minutes of the game. Lucas finally got the Wolf Pack on the scoreboard at the 17:12 mark, burying a contested 3-pointer off a pass from Tre Coleman.

K.J. Hymes flushed a two-handed dunk just over a minute later; and, at the 14:45 mark, Nevada tied the game at 7-7 after Coleman finished a layup in the paint.

Drake ripped off a 5-0 run to retake the lead, as they held a 12-7 advantage with 12:12 left in the first half.

The Bulldogs went on to outscore the Pack 16-12 over the remainder of the first period, and Nevada faced a 28-19 deficit at the break.

Second Half

The Pack commenced the second half in strong fashion, as Blackshear hit back-to-back buckets to begin the period, bringing Nevada within five with 18:46 left in the game.

Drake scored three consecutive points to push their lead back up to eight; however, Davidson hit a mid-range jumper in the paint to cut the lead down to six. 

After the Bulldogs scored on the other end, Davidson threw down a massive two-handed dunk to trim the deficit to six once again, as Nevada trailed 33-27 with 17:38 remaining.

Drake used a 19-5 run over the next six minutes and 10 seconds of gametime to take a 52-32 lead over the Pack with 11:28 to go, marking the Bulldogs' largest lead in the game at that point in time.

Nevada battled back, as Hymes made a layup and Rolison hit back-to-back 3-pointers, cutting Drake's lead down to 12 with 9:19 left in the game; however, Drake reeled off a 10-0 run over the next 1:17, as they took a 22-point advantage. 

Nevada went on to fall in the contest, sustaining their first loss of the season.

Notable Stats:

• Five different Wolf Pack players scored 8+ points. 

• Nevada had nine assists on 19 made field goals.

• Tyler Rolison drained a career-high three 3-pointers on four attempts. 

• The Pack shot 46.7 percent from the field in the second half.

Up Next

Nevada will return home to host Weber State at Lawlor Events Center on Wednesday, with tip-off slated for 7 p.m.

Season and Single Game Tickets on Sale    

Season tickets, mini plans, and single game tickets are on sale now. Season tickets for Nevada Men's Basketball start at just $149. Student admission for regular season games is free on a first come first served basis on Gameday.     

Click here for more information and to purchase tickets.   

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