DAYTON, Ohio - Making their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2018 following an exceptional regular season, the Nevada Men's Basketball team fell to Arizona State Wednesday evening 98-73 as part of the First Four at University of Dayton Arena.
Nevada completed the 2022-23 season with an overall record of 22-11, representing one of the best turnarounds in all of college basketball, as the Pack earned nine more victories than the previous year, including six more wins in Mountain West play.
Will Baker scored a team-high 17 points and pulled down a team-high six rebounds in the game. Baker had an efficient night on offense, knocking down six of his 10 shot attempts and hitting all four of his free throw attempts.
Tre Coleman also reached double figures in scoring for the Pack, putting up 14 points on 6-11 shooting from the field and 2-4 from behind the arc. Coleman also pulled down three rebounds and dished out three assists throughout the game.
Darrion Williams closed out a sensational freshman year with another impressive outing, scoring 12 points while setting a new career-high by draining four 3-pointers. Williams also pulled down five rebounds in 32 minutes of action.
Hunter McIntosh, who was limited to just six games this season due to injury, had his best performance of the year, scoring eight points while drilling 2-4 shots from behind the arc. In addition to the eight points, McIntosh dished out three assists and pulled down two rebounds.
Playing just 17 minutes throughout the game due to foul trouble, Kenan Blackshear dished out a game-high seven assists and recorded two steals.
Freshman guard Trey Pettigrew had a strong performance off the bench, scoring seven points on a perfect 3-3 shooting from the field.
Nevada shot an impressive 48.1 percent from the field and 52.4 percent from behind the arc; however, they struggled defensively, allowing Arizona State to shoot 63.6 percent from the field and 52.4 percent from behind the arc in the game.
First Half
The Pack jumped out to a 3-0 lead on the first possession of the game after Baker knocked down a 3-pointer; but, ASU proceeded to reel off a 10-0 run over the next 3:10, taking a 13-3 advantage over the Pack.
Nevada battled back, trimming the lead to six after Williams splashed a 3-pointer with 14:44 remaining in the first half, as they trailed the Sun Devils, 9-15.
Arizona State hit a 3-pointer of their own on the next possession, pushing their lead back up to nine with 14:18 left until halftime.
The two squads went back and forth over the next 3:58; but, the Pack's offense went cold, as they were outscored 24-6 over the final 10:21 of the first half, entering halftime facing a 27-point deficit.
ASU shot 67.7 percent from the field amd 57.1 percent from three in the first period.
Second Half
Nevada opened up the second period on an 11-5 run over the first 4:32, cutting the deficit to 19 points with 15:28 remaining.
Nevada continued to fight throughout the second half; but, each time that they began to put together a run, ASU hit a big shot, preventing the Pack from being able to generate significant momentum and get back into the game.
Nevada managed to outscore ASU in the period; but, it was not enough, as they ultimately fell to the Sun Devils.
The loss marked the end of a tremendous and memorable season for the Pack, in which they earned their most overall victories since the 2018-19 season.
All five starters for Nevada earned All-MW recognition, matching a program record for the most players to earn All-MW honors. Darrion Williams was named the Mountain West Freshman of the Year, marking the first time in program history that a Nevada Freshman has earned the honor.
Nevada Head Coach Steve Alford earned his 650th career victory earlier this season, and he became the fourth coach of all-time to take five different teams to the NCAA Tournament. Alford was also named the NABC District 17 Coach of the Year this past Tuesday.
The Pack finished the season with an immaculate record of 14-1 at the Lawlor Events Center, while earning two wins over Associated Press ranked opponents on their home court.
Nevada has the potential to return all 14 players from their roster this season.
Follow The Pack
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