RENO, Nev. – Nevada shot over 70% from the field in the second half to come from behind and defeat South Dakota State, 77-63, on Wednesday at Lawlor Events Center.
The Wolf Pack and Jackrabbits played a highly contested opening half. Nevada had a four-point lead midway through the half before SDSU tied the score at 27 with 3 minutes, 50 seconds remaining. Consecutive layups by Damon Wilkinson, Kalen Garry and Jaden Jackson had the Jacks on a six-point scoring run to close out the opening 20 minutes.
South Dakota State went into the halftime break up 37-30.
A Joe Sayler 3-pointer at the 18:49 mark of the second half put the Jackrabbits on top, 42-32. That’s when the Wolf Pack began a game-changing run.
Nevada scored 13 straight points to jump in front 45-42. Another Sayler 3-pointer briefly tied the score at 45, but the Wolf Pack’s next possession down the court saw Tre Coleman drain a shot from long range with 15:06 left. Nevada wouldn’t trail again.
The Wolf Pack went up by as many as 18 points late in the second half as Nevada closed out the game for a home victory. They improved to 7-3 overall with the win, while South Dakota State fell to 8-4 on the season.
NOTES
- SDSU, which outshot Nevada 50-40% in the first half, eventually was held to 43.6% from the field. The Wolf Pack shot 55.6%, a season high by an SDSU opponent this season, including 13 of 33 (39.4%) from 3-point range.
- The Jackrabbits had just two turnovers in the first half, but eventually finished with 11 on the night. The Wolf Pack finished with seven steals.
- Nevada had four double-digit scorers paced by 16 points from Nick Davidson. Brandon Love had eight rebounds and Kobe Sanders dished out seven assists. The Wolf Pack had 22 assists in the contest, the most by an SDSU foe this year.
- Jackrabbits were led in the score column with 15 points from Sayler. Owen Larson had 11 points and grabbed a career-high eight rebounds. Kalen Garry registered four assists. SDSU as a team recorded 18 assists, the team’s second most in a contest this year.
UP NEXT
South Dakota State continue its road trip. The Jackrabbits travel to Boulder, Colo., to face the Buffaloes at 8 p.m. CT on Friday.