Nevada vanquishes Vandals
LAS CRUCES, N.M. – It was over almost before it started.
Idaho surrendered the game’s first nine points in the first 2 1/2 minutes and never recovered, dropping an 88-56 decision to 10th-ranked Nevada Thursday afternoon in the Western Athletic Conference men’s basketball quarterfinals at the Pan American Center.
Nevada (28-3) will play Utah State in today’s semifinals.
The Vandals finished the season 4-27. First-year coach George Pfeifer said that better things are ahead, as the team improved over the course of the season.
“When we started conference play, it seemed like we took our level of play up a notch,” Pfeifer said after the season-ending loss. “If we would have played the way we played during the WAC season during our non-conference season, we would have won a few more games.
“I will always remember this team and the San Jose State game (on Tuesday). Throughout that game our system clicked and we looked better. The win was such a great feeling.”
Pfeifer also is upbeat because he believes he has one of the best incoming recruiting classes in the WAC. Harvey Perry has transferred in from Washington, and Pfeifer is bringing in Demetrius Crowell, who is the younger brother of Michael, a member of this year’s team. He also has brought in Andre McFarland, who averaged 23 points per game for Brewster Academy in Las Vegas.
“I believe this team is going to be good, and with the recruits they are bringing in it will be the missing pieces of the puzzle,” said UI freshman forward David Jackson, who scored a career-high 17 points on 8-for-11 shooting.
The game followed the same format as the Feb. 22 meeting in Moscow when the Wolf Pack scored 16 of the game’s first 18. This time, Nevada looked crisper – if that’s possible – and the Vandals looked lost.
Idaho missed three shots and turned the ball over twice on its four possessions to open the game. Nevada, led by Marcelus Kemp, went 4 for 4 from the field. Kemp, who finished with 14 points, scored seven of those during that span.
“Nevada obviously is really good,” Pfeifer said. “They came out from the start and played really well. We were back on our heels a little bit. Understand that they can pound the ball inside and shoot really well (from outside). We had a couple of breakdowns defensively, and they make you pay.”
Nevada went on two more good scoring runs in the half. A 9-0 run made it 28-10, and a 12-3 half-ending surge made it 49-24. Nevada shot 59 percent from the floor, hitting 20 of 34, including 5 for 10 on 3-pointers. Idaho shot 31 percent, knocking in 10 of 32.
Idaho never got closer than 23 points the rest of the way. Nevada gained a 30-point lead, at 69-39, on a 3-pointer by David Ellis and again at 74-44 on a basket by Matt LaGrone.
The only two Idaho players who were effective against Nevada were Jackson and senior Keoni Watson. Jackson had nine in the first half and Watson added seven of his 15 in the first 20 minutes.
“I feel like they played the best game all year,” Pfeifer said. “They were strong and took good shots. One thing about Keoni is that he still puts up good numbers even though the best defender is always guarding him.”
It was certainly a good way for Jackson to finish his season.
“I tried to work and play as hard as I could,” Jackson said. “I felt I was getting good, open shots and looks at the basket.
“I felt that Nevada played differently than they did in Moscow. When they came out, you could really tell they wanted to seal the deal early.”
Utah St. 73, Hawaii 70: Jaycee Carroll scored 24 points and came up with a late offensive rebound that helped the fourth-seeded Aggies (22-10) beat the fifth-seeded Rainbow Warriors (18-13).
Hawaii might have played its last game under longtime coach Riley Wallace. Wallace, the school’s all-time career leader in wins with 334, announced earlier he was retiring at the end of the season. Barring a bid from the NIT, Wallace’s 20-year tenure with the Rainbow Warriors is over.
Carroll, who had a double-double with 13 rebounds, hit the first of two free throws with 5.9 seconds left for the final margin. The ball went out of bounds in a scramble after Carroll’s miss and Hawaii got the possession, but with 2.2 seconds left.
Hawaii got the ball to Matt Lojeski, who raced into the frontcourt and put up a 3-pointer that bounced off the back of the rim. Lojeski scored 20 points and Bobby Nash scored 22.
Boise State 78, Fresno State 73: Coby Karl hit five free throws in the final minute and helped with a late steal that sealed the sixth-seeded Broncos’ win over the third-seeded Bulldogs (22-9).
Boise State (17-13) rallied from a 14-point halftime deficit behind the scoring of Karl. He had 11 of his 13 points in the second half and sparked the comeback. The Broncos also benefited when Fresno State leading scorer Quinton Hosley was ejected with 17:14 left for throwing an elbow that connected with the right side of Karl’s head.
Fresno State had its six-game winning steak snapped. The Bulldogs had just one field goal over the final 4 minutes, but still had a chance in the final seconds.
Boise State had a 76-70 lead with 34.5 seconds left after two free throws by Karl and two more by Eric Lane. Fresno State’s Hector Hernandez followed with a 3-pointer with 26 seconds left, and the Bulldogs then forced a turnover on Boise State’s inbound pass.
Fresno State called a timeout, but Boise State’s defense prevented the Bulldogs from getting a good look. Karl and teammate Anthony Thomas stole the ball from Fresno guard Eddie Miller with 2 seconds left.