Playing the same team three times in a season is always difficult. Back-to-back games are more difficult. However, Nevada looked comfortable in an 80-45 victory over Air Force in the Mountain West championship game.
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The Wolfpack played their final regular season game last week in Reno against the Falcons. Nevada enters the tournament as the fifth seed and with this dominant win to start the tournament 1-0, they will be confident heading into the rest of the tournament.
Rating summary
first half
Air Force 10 – Nevada 39
second half
Air Force 39 – Nevada 41
Final: Air Force 45, Nevada 80
first half
Kaleb Lowery started the game with a layup to take a 2-0 lead. Vaughn Weems then hit a corner 3-pointer to start the game 5-0. Tayshawn Comer hit a three-pointer to give Nevada a 10-0 lead three minutes later.
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Wimes added another three-pointer, causing Air Force to call a timeout trailing 13-0 with 16 minutes left. The Falcons got their first points of the game when Kam Sanders scored on a layup in the 14th minute.
Nevada reached 20 points with just over 10 minutes left, while Air Force was held scoreless for more than eight minutes. The Wolfpack also went on a 16-0 run during the period.
The Wolfpack continued to suppress the Falcons’ Wings, shooting 54 percent from the field at halftime compared to Air Force’s 17 percent shooting. In nearly 10 minutes of the first half, Nevada went on a 21-2 run. The Falcons finally scored in double figures with just over a minute left in the half.
“I thought the defense was outstanding,” head coach Steve Alford said. “They did a good job of listening to the scouting reports and we made some small adjustments and they executed well.”
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Air Force scored 10 first-half points, breaking the Mountain West tournament record for fewest points scored in a first half.
second half
Comer, Elijah Price and Corey Kemper Jr. scored nine points in the first three minutes, five of which came from the free throw line. Camper hit all three of his final free throws to score 50 points for Nevada.
At 16 minutes and 21 seconds, Air Force made its first free throw, and the two reduced the Falcons’ deficit to 50-14. With 12 minutes left in the game, the Falcons scored 20 free throws to bring the score to 55-21.
There’s really nothing the Air Force can do to stay competitive. The Falcons limited the Wolves’ scoring from beyond the arc, with Nevada shooting 25 percent from that position. A total of 12 different Nevada players scored in this game, shooting 46% from the field.
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“When everybody gets involved, it definitely has a positive impact,” Price said of the majority of the team’s scoring. “It’s a team game, so when we move the ball and share the ball at a high level and everyone eats, it’s fun to play.”
Nevada also won the rebounding battle 32-22 while recording 11 steals and six blocks. Camper, the team’s leading scorer, scored 11 points on 3-of-7 shooting.
Air Force scored its first three points of the night as it trailed 16-0. With just over six minutes left in the game, Sanders struck out with three. Sanders scored 12 points on 4-of-14 shooting. Air Force shot 28% from distance and 9% from the outfield.
what’s next
Nevada will face fourth-seeded GCU tomorrow (March 12) in the quarterfinals. Nevada has only played GCU once this season, winning 66-60 in overtime at Lawler.
Tip-off is expected at Thomas & Mack at 2:30 p.m. PST.
