Nevada hands Warriors first loss, 67-54
Caleb Martin scored a game-high 22 points with six rebounds and Cody Martin added 16 points and seven rebounds tonight to help unbeaten Nevada hold off Hawai’i, 67-54, in non-conference men’s college basketball.
An energized “Green-Out” crowd of about 5,200 at the Stan Sheriff Center watched Jordan Caroline add 10 points and five rebounds as the Wolf Pack improved to 6-0. Brocke Stepteau scored 10 points to lead the Warriors, who fell to 3-1.
UH held a slim lead for much of the early going, but Caroline sank two free throws with 8:30 remaining in the first half to ignite a 16-7 run capped by Caleb Martin’s layup that put Nevada ahead, 29-23, with 1:42 left. Martin, a 6-foot-7 junior forward who began his career at North Carolina State, then finished the half with a nifty spin move for a layup and a 3-pointer from the right wing to help the Wolf Pack take a 34-24 lead into the locker room.
The Warriors, meanwhile, hurt themselves at the free throw line, where they converted just 4 of 11 attempts in the first half.
UH rallied midway through the second half to close it to 46-42 after Sheriff Drammeh’s running banker from the left side with 8:52 remaining, but the Warriors would then score only one field goal over the next seven minutes as Nevada steadily pulled away.
The Warriors finished the game making just 3 of 16 attempts from 3-point range, and only 11 of 21 free throws. They also committed 17 turnovers and shot 38.5 percent from the field overall.
Hawai’i will play another home game on Monday, when it hosts Adams State at 7:00 p.m.
More details, including video highlights and interviews, will be posted later.
Good to see Jack Purchase practicing his shooting after the game.
Looked like we had a lack of focus particularly at the end of each half.