FRESNO, Calif. – Kenan Blackshear scored 18 points, Jarod Lucas poured in 17 of his own and the Nevada Men's Basketball team pulled away from Fresno State over the final 20 minutes of play, as they secured a 72-57 road victory over the Bulldogs to match the best start through the first 15 games of a season in program history at 14-1.  

With the victory, Nevada has now won seven consecutive games and the Pack is 3-0 in true road games this season. Nevada is also one of six teams in the country with 14 victories following the win over Fresno State. 

The Pack had an impressive night on both ends of the court. Offensively, Nevada shot 42.9 percent from the field and 42.1 percent from behind the arc, as the Pack drained 8-19 3-pointers. Nevada did an incredible job of taking care of the ball, completing the game with just three turnovers, marking the fewest turnovers that Nevada has had in a game since March 2018.  

Defensively, the Pack forced 14 Fresno State turnovers and recorded four blocks. Nevada was particularly impressive on the defensive end of the floor in the second half, as they limited the Bulldogs to just 25 points over the final 20 minutes on 31.8 percent shooting from the field. 

Blackshear led the way individually for Nevada, turning in another sensational performance in the Pack's conference-opener. The fifth-year senior recorded team-high numbers in points (18), rebounds (7), assists (4), steals (4), and also tallied one block. Blackshear was 6-13 from the field and 6-9 from the free throw line, and he concluded the game with a game-high plus/minus of +21. 

Lucas also had another exceptional performance for Nevada, scoring 17 points on an efficient 7-12 shooting from the field. Lucas was a perfect 3-3 from behind the arc, and he also grabbed two rebounds in the game. 

Graduate student Hunter McIntosh had a tremendous performance off the bench for the Pack, scoring 11 points on 4-7 shooting from the field, including 3-6 from behind the arc. McIntosh did most of his damage in the second half, dropping six of his 11 points over the final 20 minutes, while hitting two 3-pointers in the second period.   

Senior forward Tre Coleman was the fourth Wolf Pack player to reach double figures in scoring, as he chipped in 10 points, in addition to pulling down three rebounds and dishing out three assists. Coleman went 2-3 from behind the arc, draining back-to-back dagger 3-pointers late in the second half. 

Nick Davidson battled with the Fresno State front court throughout the evening, and the redshirt-sophomore scored nine points, pulled down six rebounds, recorded three steals, and tallied two blocks in the game. 

Daniel Foster finished the game with just two points; however, he made a multitude of impactful plays throughout the contest, and the senior finished second on the team in rebounding, pulling down six boards on the night.  

Nevada led for 34 minutes and 35 seconds, while in turn only trailing for three minutes and 37 seconds, as the Pack maintained control for the majority of the contest.  

First Half 

Nevada fell behind early, as Fresno State drained a 3-pointer 49 seconds into the contest to take a 3-0 lead. 

Lucas responded by drilling a contested mid-range jumper to cut the Bulldogs' lead to one point.  

Fresno State used a quick 4-0 spurt to take a five-point advantage over the Pack with 17:44 remaining in the first; however, that marked the Bulldogs' largest lead of the night.  

Nevada responded with a 7-0 run, beginning with a tough layup by Davidson. Davidson proceeded to record a steal on defense following the layup, and Blackshear scored his first points of the game on the other end with a mid-range jumper. Just under a minute after Blackshear's bucket, K.J. Hymes grabbed an offensive board and kicked it out to Lucas who splashed a 3-pointer, as Nevada took a 9-7 lead at the 15:53 mark.  

Fresno State managed to tie the game up two separate times over the next 3:39 of game time; but, the Pack used a quick 5-0 run to extend their advantage back up to five points with 10:51 left in the first period. 

A 7-1 run by the Bulldogs over a 2:57 stretch allowed Fresno State to retake the lead, as they held an 18-17 advantage over the Pack; however, that marked the final time that Fresno State held a lead in the game.

21 seconds after Fresno State retook the lead, Blackshear drilled another contested mid-range jumper, recapturing the lead for the Pack with 7:39 remaining until halftime.

McIntosh began to heat up shortly after Blackshear's jumper, as the fifth-year senior entered the game and immediately drilled a 3-pointer off a nice pass from Tyler Rolison. After the Pack forced a missed shot from Fresno State on the other end, McIntosh got open and splashed a pull-up jumper, as Nevada took a six-point lead at the 5:57 mark, their largest lead of the game at that point in time.

The two squads went back and forth over the remainder of the first half, and Nevada took a 36-32 lead into halftime. 

Second Half

Blackshear picked up right where he left off prior to the break to start the second half, hitting another mid-range jump shot to open up the scoring 57 seconds into the period.  

Fresno State made a lone free throw after Blackshear's jumper; but, Lucas drained his third 3-pointer of the night to push Nevada's lead up to eight points with 18:15 left in the contest.  

One minute and 30 seconds later, Davidson finished another tough driving layup at the rim, as Nevada took their first double-digit lead of the night, holding a 43-33 advantage over the Bulldogs.  

Davidson then extended the Pack's lead up to 11 points with 15:15 to go with his third bucket of the game in the paint. 

Fresno State responded with a 3-pointer to get back within eight points of the Pack; however, McIntosh began to heat up once again, as Rolison found him open behind the arc and McIntosh splashed his second triple of the game, giving Nevada a 50-39 lead with 12:34 left.  

McIntosh drained another triple 35 seconds later, this time off a dime of a pass in transition from Blackshear, as Nevada built a 14-point advantage.  

The lead grew to 15 points at the 11:22 mark after Davidson made a lone free throw; but, the Bulldogs battled back, ripping off a 10-0 run over the next 3:18 to cut Nevada's lead to just five points with 8:04 to go.  

Holding a 54-49 advantage over the Bulldogs, the Pack dominated the game down the stretch, as they outscored Fresno State 18-8 over the final 6:50. During the dominant finish, Blackshear accounted for seven points, while Coleman chipped in six, as he drained two huge 3-pointers late in the game. The Pack also held the Bulldogs to just 2-6 shooting over the final 6:50, while forcing three Fresno State turnovers.  

Notable Stats 

• The Pack's record of 14-1 this season matches a program record for the best mark through the first 15 games of a season.  

• Nevada's three turnovers were the least number of turnovers in a game for the Pack since March 2018. 

• After another stellar performance, Kenan Blackshear is averaging 17.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 2.0 steals per game over Nevada's past five games.  

• Following a 17-point outing, Jarod Lucas has now reached double figures in scoring in all 15 games for the Pack this season. 

• Nevada's bench outscored Fresno State's bench, 15-6.  

• The Pack were +11 in turnover margin.  

• Jarod Lucas, Hunter McIntosh, and Tre Coleman each hit two or more 3-pointers in the game.  

Up Next 

Nevada will return home to host Air Force this Tuesday, Jan. 9 at 7  p.m. 

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