RENO, Nev. – The University of Nevada men's basketball team employed a 22-7 run in the second half to key a 78-64 victory over visiting San Francisco State in a non-conference game Saturday at Lawlor Events Center. With the loss, the Gators (5-2) had their five-game winning streak snapped, while the Wolf Pack (2-7) won for the first time in eight outings.
“Nevada has a nice basketball team,” said SF State head coach Paul Trevor. “I thought they rebounded the ball extremely well, but we just couldn't make enough shots when we needed to. We were unable to get some stops and make plays to counter their run, so credit goes to them.”
Individually, the Gators were led by Marquel Hoskins, who tallied 15 points and five rebounds, while Nefi Perdomo added 13, including an 8-for-8 performance at the free-throw line. In addition, Ralph Nevarez reached double figures with a season-high tying 10 points on 5-for-7 shooting, while Phoenix O'Rourke and Tyler Brown recorded season bests with five rebounds and three steals, respectively.
Conversely, the Wolf Pack was paced by Dario Hunt, who notched his third double-double of the year with a career-best 25 points and game-high 12 rebounds, including six on the offensive glass.
Nevada fashioned a trio of seven-point leads in the first half, including a 30-23 spread following three Deonte Burton foul shots at the 4:52 mark. However, SF State responded with an 8-0 run, highlighted by consecutive Winston Demmin baskets to take its first lead of the night at 31-30 with 1:52 before halftime.
The Wolf Pack quickly answered with a jumper and two free throws by Malik Story, followed by two additional foul shots by Devonte Elliott to go back in front 35-31, before the Purple and Gold scored the final three points of the period on a Matt Fochtman free throw and a Brown layup to give the contest its 35-34 tally at intermission.
Shortly after the break, a Nevarez jumper put the Gators up for the final time in the game at 36-35 with 56 seconds elapsed in the second half when Nevada crafted its decisive run. After a Tim Pratt jumper at the 18:12 mark, SF State was held without a field goal for over six minutes until Demmin converted a layup and subsequent free throw with 12:03 left on the clock. By that time, however, the Gators found themselves trailing 55-43 when an Elliott put-back off an errant 3-pointer gave the host school a commanding 14-point bulge.
SF State cut the deficit to seven at 60-53 on a pair of Fochtman free throws at the 8:52 mark, but could draw no closer as the Wolf Pack cemented the game with an 18-11 spurt in the remaining minutes.
Nevada used its height and athleticism to frequently get to the foul line, converting 29 of 36 free-throw attempts, compared to the Gators' 17-for-29 clip. The Wolf Pack also owned a 43-36 rebounding edge and limited the Purple and Gold to a 28.6 field goal percentage in the second half on 8-for-28 shooting.
SF State will now have two weeks off before jumping back into California Collegiate Athletic Association play, Dec. 29-30, when it travels south to tackle Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State San Bernardino on consecutive nights. Opening tip for both contests is set for 5 p.m.
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