In front of a sellout crowd of 11,997 fans, Nevada hosted rival UNLV for the first time this season. Nevada let off the gas a bit toward the end, but a career night from Corey Camper Jr. and Elijah Price led to an 89-76 win over the Rebels.
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“Our student (section) has been phenomenal the last two games, so we’re very grateful for that,” Steve Alford said of the crowd and student section. “Our community always supports us in a wonderful way, so we’re very proud of that.”
“Hearing the crowd and seeing them here 72 minutes before the game in the warmup, it motivates us and motivates us,” Camper said.
Summary of scores
1st half
UNLV 28 – Nevada 33
2nd half
UNLV 48 – Nevada 56
Final: UNLV 76, Nevada 89
Offense
I’m repeating myself from the last games, but once again it was Corey Camper Jr. who started the scoring for the Pack. Two layups, one from Camper and the other from Vaughn Weems, gave Nevada an early 4-0 score to start things off.
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Camper also made the first three of the night to give Nevada a 9-0 lead just five minutes into the game. He reached double figures midway through the first half with a takedown to extend Nevada’s lead to 13 points.
Nevada got within 31 after three minutes, but went cold to close the half, scoring just two points in those final three minutes, and went into halftime with a 33-28 lead. Camper finished the half with 14 points on 6-9 shooting and finished the night with a career-high 32 points.
Camper continued to dig in with his second three of the night, in the first three minutes of the second half. Nevada kept the pace going with a 9-0 run, forcing UNLV to take a timeout at the 14:23 mark and giving the Pack a 19-point lead.
UNLV chipped away at the lead, but Nevada pushed it back to 19 points on Camper’s third three of the night and reached 20 points.
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Nevada big man Jeriah Coleman came off the bench with a nice dunk, followed by a block, helping Nevada score five of its final six baskets. Three more from Camper, followed by an and-one for Weems and Nevada reached the 80-point mark with just over four minutes left.
Elijah Price finished the night just behind Camper with 22 points and 11 rebounds. He also shot 14-15 from the free throw line. Nevada, as a team, shot 58 percent from the field and 57 percent from beyond the arc.
“I think we should shoot more (threes),” Alford said. “We shot 14 tonight and made eight, so maybe we should start shooting more, but I like our motion attack right now.”
Defense
UNLV turned the ball over early, committing a shot clock violation and a few air ball shots to stay scoreless until 15:32 of the game with a three-pointer.
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The Rebels melted the ice a bit, scoring on three straight drives, including two three-pointers, to cut the lead to five points. Things fizzled out after those eight quick points, hitting another four-plus minute drought.
UNLV gained momentum in the final minute of the half, cutting its 13-point deficit to five points at 33-28. Despite the half ending, UNLV shot just 31 percent from the field and 29 percent from deep in that span.
In any rivalry, additional tension will arise. This game ended up being no different, as just before the end of the first half, Alford and UNLV guard Howie Fleming Jr. had a slight exchange of words.
“It was nothing serious, he was just talking to the bench,” Alford said. “In my opinion, you don’t talk to opposing players, and opposing players don’t talk to the bench.”
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The Rebels found themselves in another goal drought, this time lasting more than four minutes. During that span, UNLV shot just 1-7 from the field.
UNLV had three players reach double figures and shoot over 50 percent in the second half. Overall, UNLV shot 46 percent from the field and 42 percent from three while committing 23 personal fouls. The Rebels also turned the ball over 10 times, which turned into 19 points for the Wolf Pack.
What’s next
Nevada will head out to face Boise State for the final time as a conference opponent. The Pack beat the Broncos in Reno last month, 81-66.
Tip-off in Boise is scheduled for 6 p.m. PST on Tuesday, February 3.
