Nevada closed out its final Mountain West regular-season matchup against Fresno State with a hard-fought 69-59 victory Thursday night, powered by clutch shooting and a dominant second-half run.
The Pack got on the board first as Vaughn Weems converted a wide-open layup, but the Bulldogs responded quickly. Jake Heidbreder nailed a three, and Fresno State rattled off two more triples to open an early lead. Weems answered with a three of his own, cutting the deficit to six, but both teams then endured a scoring drought that lasted over two minutes. By the 7:30 mark of the first half, Nevada trailed 23-18 despite a powerful dunk from Jeriah Coleman and an and-one finish from Weems.
Nevada’s late first-half push changed the momentum. Joel Armotrading, making his first appearance since November, contributed two points and a rebound immediately upon checking in. Corey Camper’s three-pointer pulled the Pack within four, and Kaleb Lowery’s midrange jumper capped a 7-0 run to tie the game at 28 heading into halftime. Offensively, both teams struggled early, with Nevada shooting just 33.3% overall and 14.3% from three, while Fresno State sat at 32.1% and 26.3% from deep.
The second half opened with Fresno State scoring quickly, but Nevada kept pace. DeShawn Gory hit a three for the Bulldogs, answered by Tayshawn Comer from deep. The game remained tight until Nevada mounted a decisive surge. Elijah Price’s fast-break layup and Camper’s timely three-pointer tied the game at 47, and Tyler Rolison’s free throws gave the Pack their first lead of the night at 51-45. Nevada rattled off a 13-2 run over four-plus minutes, taking full advantage of Fresno State’s four-minute scoring drought.
Fresno State briefly cut the lead to one, but Nevada responded with a series of clutch plays. Vaughn Weems finished an and-one layup, Jeriah Coleman blocked a layup attempt, and Corey Camper converted a contested layup on the break. Rolison and Camper both hit key threes in the final two minutes to seal the 69-59 win.
Camper and Weems led Nevada with 15 points each, while Kaleb Lowery grabbed nine rebounds. The Pack’s balanced attack and timely defense were the difference as they ended the night on a high note. Nevada now turns its attention to San Diego State, traveling to take on the Aztecs on Saturday.