RENO, Nev. - The Nevada Men's Basketball team earned their 21st victory of the season Tuesday night after putting on an exceptional display of defense to earn a 66-51 victory over San José State. The Pack limited the Spartans to just 51 points on an abysmal 36.4 percent shooting from the field and 30.4 percent from behind the arc, as they outscored San José State 42-23 in the second half, propelling Nevada to the 15-point victory.

After the win, Nevada improved to 21-7 overall this season, including a mark of 11-4 in Mountain West play. The victory also marks the Pack's 14th win at home this season, as they maintained their perfect record at the Lawlor Events Center.

Will Baker led all scorers in the contest with 18 points on 6-10 shooting from the field and a perfect 6-6 at the free throw line. Baker was sensational in the second period, dropping 12 points over the final 20 minutes of game time on 5-7 shooting from the field. 

Freshman Darrion Williams also had an outstanding night for Nevada, scoring all 14 of his points in the second half on a perfect 5-5 shooting from the field, 2-2 from behind the arc, and 2-2 at the free throw line. Williams pulled down five rebounds throughout the game, dished out two assists, and recorded two steals. 

Kenan Blackshear had a stellar all-around performance for the Pack, scoring 12 points on 5-7 shooting from the field and 1-1 from behind the arc, in addition to pulling down a team-high seven rebounds, dishing out three assists, and tallying one block. 

Tre Coleman also had an impressive showing for Nevada, as the junior forward scored seven points on 3-7 shooting from the field, while also grabbing four boards, recording three assists, and tallying one steal and one block.

First Half

After Nevada missed a 3-pointer on their first possession, San José State drilled a shot from behind the arc on their first possession to take an early 3-0 lead over the Pack.

Nevada quickly erased the deficit, as Baker hit two free throws and Coleman finished a left-handed layup at the rim off of a strong drive.

The Spartans hit another 3-pointer to take back the lead; but, Blackshear drilled a 3-pointer of his own at the top of the key, giving the Pack a 7-6 advantage with 14:24 to go until halftime.

The two squads went back and forth over the next 5:32, as Nevada held a one-point lead with 8:52 remaining in the first half. 

The Spartans used a 5-0 run over the next two minutes of play to build a 16-12 advantage over the Pack.

Seeing his first action this season, Hunter McIntosh entered the game and quickly found Nick Davidson open behind the arc.  Davidson proceeded to knock down a triple, bringing the Pack within one. 

San José State put together a 7-0 run after Davidson's 3-pointer, taking a 23-15 lead over Nevada with 4:10 left in the first half, marking the Spartans largest lead of the contest. 

The Pack responded in the form of a quick 5-0 run, as Lucas drained a 3-pointer and Blackshear hit a mid-range jump shot to bring Nevada within three with 2:40 left until halftime. 

San José State maintained their lead and expanded it back to six points with nine seconds left in the first period; but, Trey Pettigrew went coast-to-coast off of the inbound pass and finished a layup at the rim right before the halftime buzzer. Nevada entered the break trailing the Spartans, 24-28.

Second Half

Nevada started off the second half strong, as Williams drained a corner 3-pointer on the Pack's first possession, trimming San José State's lead to just one with 19:07 to go in the game.

After the Spartans scored on the other end and the Pack missed a shot, Williams recorded a steal and converted it into points, finishing a layup at the rim to bring Nevada within one point of San José State once again. 

The Spartans proceeded to score six straight points, extending their lead back up to seven with 16:29 remaining, as they held a 36-29 advantage over the Pack.

Coleman hit a critical 3-pointer on Nevada's next possession; and, each time San José State attempted to make a significant run, the Pack had an answer. 

Williams hit another pull-up jump shot to bring Nevada within two points, before Blackshear finished a layup in the paint to tie the contest at 36 points apiece with 14:13 left in the game. 

Williams continued to heat up, earning a steal on Nevada's next defensive possession and taking it coast-to-coast for a layup on the other end, giving the Pack their first lead since the 8:52 mark in the first half.

The lead changed three times over the next three minutes before Williams drained his second 3-pointer of the night at the 10:44 mark, giving the Pack a lead they would not relinquish for the remainder of the contest.

The 3-pointer by Williams sparked a 10-0 Pack run, propelling Nevada to a 50-42 advantage with 8:04 left in the game. 

San José State knocked down a 3-pointer to trim Nevada's lead to five; however, Baker began to take over on offense, as he hit a difficult jump shot to push the lead back up to seven. 

The Spartans hit another shot from behind the arc to cut Nevada's lead to four with 6:42 remaining; but, the Pack reeled off 14-3 run over the remainder of the game, and they went on to earn the 66-51 victory. 

Nevada locked down on defense over the last stretch of the game, limiting San José State to just 1-9 shooting from the field and 1-7 from behind the arc over the final 5:28, fueling the Pack to their 21st victory of the year. 

Notable Stats:

• Nevada shot 61.5 percent from the field (16-26) and 60 percent from behind the arc (3-5) in the second half.

• Nevada was +4 in turnover margin.

• The Pack knocked down 12-15 shots at the free throw line.

• Nevada outscored San José State in the paint, 34-20. 

• The Pack outrebounded the Spartans, 33-32.

• Eight different players scored at least two points for Nevada.

Next Up

A two-game road trip is next up on the schedule for the Pack, beginning with a trip to Fresno, California as Nevada is set to take on Fresno State this Friday at 8pm.

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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