Tyler Rolison delivered in the closing moments, scoring on a last-second layup as Nevada escaped Fresno State with a 66–65 victory Saturday night at the Save Mart Center.
The Pack survived a back-and-forth Mountain West battle that featured countless lead changes and came down to the final possession. After Rolison’s go-ahead bucket with just seconds remaining, Nevada’s defense denied Fresno State a tip-in at the buzzer to seal the one-point win.
Nevada struck first with Elijah Price scoring the Pack’s opening points on a putback layup, and Chuck Bailey added a fastbreak finish early. Fresno State answered with a three-pointer to take a brief lead heading into the first media timeout, setting the tone for a tightly contested first half.
Corey Camper Jr. returned to the rotation after missing time with back spasms and made an immediate impact, knocking down a three in his first minutes back. Peyton White followed with a triple as Nevada briefly grabbed a two-point edge midway through the half. Fresno State responded with perimeter shooting of its own, hitting three early triples and regaining momentum.
The Bulldogs pushed ahead late in the half as Nevada struggled offensively, hitting just one of its final seven shots before the break. Fresno State carried a 26–21 lead into halftime, while Nevada did not attempt a free throw in the opening 20 minutes. Former Bulldog Elijah Price led the Pack with six points at the intermission.
Nevada came out firing in the second half. Vaughn Weems drilled two three-pointers and Kaleb Lowery added another as the Pack used a 6–0 run to cut the deficit to one. Tyler Rolison provided a spark with an and-one layup and followed with baskets on consecutive possessions to keep Nevada within striking distance.
With under eight minutes to play, Price converted an and-one to tie the game at 49. Fresno State answered with its own three-point play, and the teams continued to trade punches down the stretch. After back-to-back Nevada turnovers allowed the Bulldogs to build a short cushion, the Pack responded behind Price and Rolison to keep the game within one possession.
Price tied the game at 61 with a pair of free throws with 1:54 remaining, and Fresno State went scoreless from the field over the next three minutes. After a Bulldog layup gave the home team a one-point lead late, Camper split a pair at the line before Price swatted away a Fresno State shot to give Nevada a final opportunity.
Rolison capitalized, driving to the basket and finishing through traffic to put the Pack up late. Nevada’s defense then stood tall, denying Fresno State a last-gasp tip-in as time expired.
Nevada improved to 11-3 (3-0 MW) with the road win and now returns home to Reno, where the Pack will face San Diego State on Tuesday.