Nevada makes self at home
MOSCOW, Idaho – Nevada got the win. Idaho got a measure of respect. Memorial Gym got a split decision.
The 11th-ranked Wolf Pack led by 14 points before Idaho registered its first field goal and they maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the way to post an 84-68 Western Athletic Conference men’s basketball victory Thursday in front of 1,268 at Memorial Gym.
Nevada (25-2, 12-1 WAC) showed off its variety of offensive weapons, shooting 62 percent from the floor, 50 percent on 3-pointers and 16 of 16 at the free-throw line. Player of the year candidate Nick Fazekas made 7 of 9 attempts and finished with 21 points and 14 rebounds. Ramon Sessions had 15 points and six assists. Marcelus Kemp added 14 points and Kyle Shiloh had 12.
“They create challenges for you because they can bounce it at you, they shoot it and they can post you up,” said Idaho coach George Pfeifer, whose club dropped its 10th straight and fell to 3-24, 1-13.
Idaho trailed 8-0 before scoring its first points – a pair of free throws by senior guard Keoni Watson. The Vandals were down 16-2 before they got their first field goal when JaVale McGee goaltended Trevor Morris’ shot. The Vandals finally got the small but vocal crowd into it with a 3-point barrage by Watson and Morris.
Idaho pulled within 10 on three occasions in the first half, but the Wolf Pack usually answered with a bucket, often from Kemp or Sessions.
“We started off real slow and we can’t do that,” said Watson, who had 27 points on Senior Night. “We’ve been doing it pretty much all year. We played hard after that. We played harder defensively than we normally do.”
The game was played in Memorial Gym because Idaho’s home facility, the Kibbie Dome, was occupied by the annual Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival.
“I liked it. It reminded me of ‘Hoosiers’ a little bit,” Sessions said. “That’s all I thought about when I walked out, dang, just like the movie ‘Hoosiers.’ “
Said Nevada coach Mark Fox: “It probably helped us because it had an atmosphere to it, an energy. I was pleased we played here quite frankly.”
The Wolf Pack led by 19 at half, but they weren’t able to pull away. The Vandals were within 13 at the 8-minute mark after another Watson 3-pointer. Fazekas, who didn’t care for the cozy gym, responded with a pair of free throws, Shiloh drained a 3-pointer and Fazekas added two more free throws to give the Wolf Pack their biggest lead, 74-54.
“We got off to a good start and got a good lead and that kind of protected us in the second half,” Sessions said.
Idaho kept battling, getting within 14, but no closer.
“We started the game in a hole and we tried to fight to get out it,” Pfeifer said. “They’ve got a lot of talented players, that’s the reason they’re ranked where they are. We made some shots and I thought we didn’t go away. It was 19-4 and a real obvious time for us to go ‘hey’ (throw in the towel), particularly with all the things that have happened to us, and our kids didn’t do that. I was real pleased and proud of them for that.”
Watson hit 5 of 9 3-pointers and 9 of 18 shots overall. Morris added four 3-pointers and scored 14 points. Freshman David Jackson contributed 13 points and five boards, but Idaho was outrebounded 38-24.
Idaho finishes the regular season with road games at Hawaii on Thursday and San Jose State on Saturday. The Vandals and Spartans likely will meet in the WAC tournament opener.