Upset Alert: Nevada falls to New Mexico for first loss of the season

The sixth-ranked Nevada Wolf Pack experienced a classic 85-58 blowout to New Mexico Saturday. The Pack fall to 14-1 after their best start in school history since 1951-52. The loss may have an effect in their spot on the AP 25 to make matters worse.

The Pack couldn’t claw their way out of this one, and it looked to be a long night from the outset.

THE RUNDOWN:

OFFENSE:

• Nevada shot a season-low 33 percent from the field and were 4-22 from three including a 1-12 stretch in the second half. 58 points marked a new season-low for the Pack to add on to an already ugly offensive performance.
• Trouble with the Zone: The Pack have struggled with zones all year, and it showed once again. New Mexico’s 3-2 zone defense gave the Pack headaches offensively, forcing them to run their offense from the perimeter and take contested shots in the half court setting. The Lobos’ strategy worked to perfection, as Nevada had just one player score in double-figures all game.
• Jordan Caroline Moves up Scoring List: Jordan Caroline scored a team-high 17 points to go along with eight rebounds. He’s scored in every game this season and his 1,355 points with Nevada passed Armon Johnson for 11th all-time in school history. Caroline punished the Lobos inside, but he also expanded his range off the dribble with a three-pointer to cut the Pack’s deficit to 20.

• Another Rough Night: Caleb Martin came into the game averaging 19 points per game, but has failed to score in double-figures the last two games. Martin scored just eight points on 2-14 shooting and failed to do any damage from beyond the arc.
• Another Slow Start: Nevada had another slow start offensively, and the Lobos took advantage with a 20-6 run in the early stages. The Pack was down 38-26 at the half and it all spiraled out of control from there.

DEFENSE:

• The Lobos shot 45 percent from the field and 38 percent from three. Three players scored in double figures and they also recorded 18 assists on the night. Nevada’s 14 turnovers fueled easy points in transition to put the Pack down a season-high 29 points in the second half.
• Career Night for Mathis: Senior guard Anthony Mathis recored a career-high 27 points, five assists and six rebounds. Mathis drained five three pointers and killed any momentum for the Pack with a dagger from beyond the arc.
• No Second-Half Surge: Nevada failed to cap-off a signature second-half comeback. The Pack were out-rebounded (47-37) for the fifth-straight game, they were outscored 47-32 in the second-half.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

To put it simply, this game was ugly and one to forget about. The loss can have future implications on their status as one of the top teams in the country, but time will tell. The Pack have had their struggles against non-ranked opponents, and this one finally caught up to them.

NEXT UP:

The Pack will look to brush-off the blowout loss against San Jose State January 9. The Spartans are 3-10 this season and 0-1 in conference play, placing them seventh in the MWC.