FRESNO, Calif. – Fueled by an exceptional defensive effort in which they held Fresno State to just 37.5 percent shooting from the field and 25.7 percent from behind the arc, the Nevada Men's Basketball team earned their 22nd victory of the season Friday night, securing a 60-56 road victory over the Bulldogs.

Following the victory, Nevada improved to 22-7 overall this season, including a mark of 12-4 in Mountain West play.

The Pack put on a defensive clinic against Fresno State, as Fresno State had just one of eight players that saw action finish the contest shooting 50 percent or better from the field, and the Bulldogs' field goal percentage of 37.5 percent marked their seventh-lowest clip of the season.

In addition to holding Fresno State to abysmal shooting clips, Nevada also forced the Bulldogs into 17 turnovers, during which the Pack matched a season-high by tallying 12 steals throughout the game.

Offensively, Will Baker led the way for the Pack, scoring 13 points on 5-10 shooting from the field in 26 minutes of action.

Kenan Blackshear had another all-around sensational game for Nevada, finishing second on the team in scoring with 11 points on 4-7 shooting from the field, 1-1 from behind the arc, and 2-2 at the free throw line. Blackshear also dished out a game-high six assists, grabbed three rebounds, and tallied three steals.

Blackshear has now reached double figures in scoring in 20 consecutive games, and he has recorded six or more assists in eight games this season.

Freshman Darrion Williams also had an outstanding performance for the Pack, scoring 10 points on 4-10 shooting from the field, pulling down a game-high eight rebounds, and recording two steals. Williams logged 32 minutes of playing time and finished the contest with a plus/minus of +3.

Junior forward Tre Coleman was immaculate on the defensive end of the floor, fueling Nevada's exceptional defensive performance as a team throughout the contest. Coleman recorded a career-high five steals, while also tallying one block. Offensively, he scored five points on 2-4 shooting from the field and dished out two assists. Coleman also pulled down four boards and earned a plus/minus of +2 in 32 minutes of game time.

Jarod Lucas was limited to eight points offensively; however, he still made a strong impact on the game, finishing second on the team with five rebounds, in addition to dishing out two assists. Lucas finished the game with a plus/minus of +4 in 34 minutes of action.

Nevada's bench was phenomenal in the contest, as Nick Davidson, Daniel Foster, and Hunter McIntosh combined to score 13 points on 5-9 shooting from the field and 3-5 from behind the arc.

Davidson scored five points on 2-3 shooting from the field, and the redshirt freshman finished the contest with a game-high plus/minus of +11 in 14 minutes of playing time.

McIntosh, playing in just his second game of the season after returning from injury, drilled two huge 3-pointers during the game. He finished the contest with six points and one assist and earned a plus/minus of +4 in 13 minutes of action.

Foster provided a high level of intensity and grit off the bench, as he pulled down four rebounds in the game —three of which came on the offensive glass — in addition to scoring two points and tallying one steal. Foster finished the game with an impressive plus/minus of +9 in 16 minutes of game time.

First Half

Nevada struggled offensively to begin the game, falling behind 12-6 in the first six minutes of the contest; however, they managed to find their rhythm, reeling off a 10-0 run to take a 16-12 lead at the 10:54 mark.

Blackshear sparked the run for the Pack, hitting a difficult jump shot in the paint to trim Fresno State's lead to 12-8 with 13:40 left in the first half.

Baker then proceeded to hit a lone free throw to cut the deficit to three points before Lucas knocked down a pair of shots at the line to make it a one-point game with 12:46 remaining in the first period.

After Coleman recorded a steal on the other end of the floor, Blackshear found Davidson open in the paint for a layup, giving the Pack their first lead of the game, as they held a 13-12 advantage at the 11:24 mark.

After Nevada forced Fresno State into a missed 3-pointer, Blackshear once again found Davidson open, this time for a 3-pointer, as Davidson knocked it down to give the Pack a 16-12 lead with just under 11 minutes to go until halftime.

Fresno State responded with an 8-0 run of their own to take a 20-16 lead over Nevada with 9:02 left in the first half.

The two squads continued to battle in what was a tight contest from start to finish. After falling behind by four points, Williams hit a mid-range jumper to bring the Pack within two.

Foster recorded a steal on the Pack's next defensive possession, and Williams found an open McIntosh, who proceeded to drain a 3-pointer, marking his first bucket in a Wolf Pack uniform, in addition to giving Nevada a 21-20 lead.

Fresno State retook the lead on their next possession after knocking down two free throws; but, on the Pack's next subsequent possession, Baker finished a layup while drawing a foul, going on to knock down the free throw to convert the and-one opportunity and give Nevada a 24-22 lead with 6:49 left in the first half.

The Bulldogs then scored four consecutive points to take a 26-24 lead over the Pack; however, Blackshear made an exceptional pass to Baker for another layup to tie the contest at 26 points apiece with just under four minutes to go until halftime.

After a 2:13 scoring drought for both teams, Blackshear made a strong drive and kicked it out to an open Coleman on the wing who proceeded to splash a 3-pointer, as Nevada recaptured the lead with 2:28 to go in the first period.

The Bulldogs scored 43 seconds later to trim the Pack's lead to just one point; but, Blackshear went on a personal 5-0 run over the next 52 seconds, first hitting a tough mid-range jumper and then drilling a 3-pointer to give Nevada a six-point lead, their largest of the contest at that point in time. Fresno State finished a put-back dunk on the final play of the first half to cut Nevada's lead to four, as the Pack took a 34-30 lead into the break.

Second Half

Fresno State opened up the second half on a 6-0 run over the first 1:31 to retake the lead, as they held a 36-34 advantage over Nevada.

Blackshear found Baker open in the lane once again for a layup to end the Bulldogs' run and tie the contest at 36 points apiece; but, Fresno State scored five consecutive points after Baker's bucket, forcing the Pack to take a timeout as they trailed 36-41 with 15:26 left in the game.

Williams finished a layup at the rim out of the timeout to trim Fresno State's lead to three with just under 15 minutes to go.

After the Bulldogs hit two free throws to extend their lead back up to five, Lucas hit a shot in the paint, cutting the deficit back to three with 12:39 left in the game. Just over a minute later, McIntosh drained his second 3-pointer of the night to tie the game at 43-43.

With just over 10 minutes left in the game, Baker recorded his first steal of the contest, and the Pack turned it into points on the other end in the form of a Foster putback layup, as Nevada recaptured the lead for the first time in over nine minutes.

Fresno State immediately retook the lead on a 3-pointer; but, Nevada responded in a massive way, ripping off a 10-0 run over the next 2:45 to build a nine-point advantage.

Lucas started the run by drilling a difficult mid-range jumper from a Coleman assist. The Pack then forced Fresno State into a missed jump shot, and Williams grabbed the rebound and proceeded to go coast-to-coast, finishing a layup on the other end of the floor.

Nevada forced the Bulldogs into another missed shot on the next possession, which they turned into a Baker layup. Blackshear tallied a steal on the Pack's next defensive possession and proceeded to draw a foul and hit two free throws.

Lucas then drilled another mid-range jumper, giving the Pack a 55-46 lead with just 7:01 to go in the game.

Nevada struggled offensively over the remainder of the game, and the Bulldogs managed to cut the Pack's lead to just one point with 3:30 to go; but, Nevada locked down on defense over the final stretch, holding Fresno State to 0-8 shooting over the last 3:30, as the Pack went on to earn the 60-56 road win.

Notable Stats:

• Nevada was +9 in turnover margin.
• There were 11 lead changes and six ties throughout the game. 
• The Pack outscored Fresno State in the paint, 28-22.
• Nevada scored 18 points off of 17 Fresno State turnovers.
• Seven different players scored at least five points for Nevada.
• Five different players recorded at least one steal for Nevada.
• Tre Coleman has now recorded at least one block in nine of Nevada's past 10 games.

Up Next

Nevada will have a quick turnaround, as they are set to continue their current two-game road swing with a contest at Wyoming this Monday at 6pm. 

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