2022 Mountain West Tournament: Nevada Tops New Mexico To Advance To Quarterfinals
Nevada advances
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ShertShot for the win
Nevada squeaks past New Mexico 79-72, a huge second half propels the Wolf Pack to the quarterfinals.
Both teams started slow, failing to put up big numbers in the first half. New Mexico would see a nine-point lead after Jaelen House scored six straight points with six minutes left to play. With four minutes left in the first half, House, New Mexico’s second-leading scorer, committed his third foul. House being out opened the door for Nevada to claw back into the contest before halftime. The Wolf Pack would end the half on a 9-1 run to bring the score to 35-34. New Mexico would see a small one-point lead as both teams went into the locker room.
The Wolf Pack fought to get in front early in the second half. Nevada gained the lead in the first four minutes and never trailed again after an 8-0 run. After both teams trading baskets in the middle of the half, a huge Desmond Cambridge Jr. three got the lead to nine, 67-58 with just over five minutes to go. The last four minutes of the game had both fan bases on the edges of their seats. Jaelen House, who led the way for the Lobos offensively, scored six straight points to dwindle Nevada’s lead to just three (73-70) with 1 minute left in the game. Nevada’s defense was able to step up and get two huge stops on the final two Lobos possessions to close out the contest. Nevada survives and advances, beating New Mexico, 79-72.
Leading the way for New Mexico was Jaelen House who finished with 19 points, seven assists, five rebounds, and two steals. Also finishing in double digits for the Lobos were Jamal Mashburn Jr. and Javonte Johnson with 15 points and 14 points respectively. The Lobos had a great first half, shooting 50% from both the field and from beyond the arc. However, New Mexico struggled to find the bottom of the basket in the second half, finishing with a 39% shooting percentage from the field.
Nevada leaned on Grant Sherfield once again. The Wolf Pack’s leading scorer finished with 27 points on 9-17 shooting. The 6’2 guard also ended with 10 rebounds, rounding out the impressive double-double. Three other Wolf Pack players scored in double digits, taking the scoring load slightly off Sherfield’s shoulders. Desmond Cambridge Jr. finished with 14 points, Warren Washington with 11, and Will Baker with 10 in what would be a good night shooting from the Wolf Pack. Nevada finished shooting 51% from the field and 38.5% from beyond the arc. 18 turnovers would almost come back to bite the Wolf Pack in the backside but were able to hold off the Lobos just long enough to move on to the next round.
Nevada now faces the number one seeded Boise State Broncos, Thursday, 12 PM PST
