Nevada tops Boise State, advance to MW Tournament semifinals

It took a 15-point comeback, but Nevada’s grown used to double-digit deficits over the past two seasons. Their resilience showed once again in a 77-69 victory over the Boise State Broncos to advance to the Mountain West Tournament semifinals.

Nevada’s streaky shooting from behind the arc and timely buckets in the waning moments took down a physical Broncos team that played hard all 40 minutes. The Pack improved to 29-3 on the season, tying a program record set in 2006-07.

THE RUNDOWN:

OFFENSE:

• Nevada shot 48 percent from the field and 39 percent from three-point range (9-23). Four players scored in double-figures and recorded 16 assists on the day. Cody Martin recorded 10 points and dished out a game-high nine assists as the floor general of the Wolf Pack offense. Both Martin twins played all 40 minutes.
• All That Jazz (Tournament Version): Jazz Johnson’s spark off the bench lit a fire under the Pack and fueled a signature second half comeback. Johnson scored a team-high 20 points on 5-7 shooting from three-point range. His array of shots from behind the arc gave Nevada a two-point lead with under five minutes left to play.

• Tre’Shawn “Big Game” Thurman (Part Two): At various points in the season, it seems as if the senior forward shows up in the biggest moments. Thurman’s performance showed once again, and it paid dividends with 17 points on 8-10 shooting and five rebounds. Thurman scored all of his points inside, including an and-1 layup to start a second half comeback.

• Caleb Grabs 19 Points: Caleb Martin added 19 points on 6-17 shooting on 3-11 shooting from three. Martin added four points from the stripe, but he found his rhythm with buckets in transition, including a coast-to-coast layup with the right hand.

• Jordan Caroline Moves to Fifth in Nevada Scoring: Jordan Caroline moved to fifth on Nevada’s all-time scoring list with 1,735 career points in the silver and blue. Caroline totaled just seven points and added nine boards. The Broncos’ heavy 2-3 zone bottled Caroline inside for much of the contest.
• SportsCenter Top 10?: To cap-off the highlight reel plays, Cody’s alley-oop to Trey Porter may have to deserve some national recognition. The Wolf Pack have already been featured on the “SportsCenter Top 10” two times this season.

DEFENSE:

• Boise State shot 45 percent from the field and 47 percent from three-point range (8-17). Derrick Alston scored a game-high 21 points on 7-15 shooting with four-made threes. Justinian Jessup followed with 18 points and six rebounds.
• Stops Spark a Run: The Pack scored the first five points of the second half and strung together multiple stops in route to a 10-0 run that spanned over both halves, a key component for the Pack to grab a two-possession lead with under four to play.
• Rebounding Battle: The Pack also won the battle of the boards, 33-25, with five players recording five rebounds or more.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

Both teams played all 40 minutes, but Nevada’s execution down the stretch took care of business to advance to the next round. The Broncos came out of the gates firing, but the Pack methodically came back into the contest with streaky baskets from three and timely stops. A better start from the floor may be key for the Pack in the semifinals.

UP NEXT:

Nevada plays the San Diego State Aztecs in the semifinals March 15 at 6 p.m. The No. 4 seeded Aztecs came off a 63-55 victory over the fifth-ranked UNLV Rebels to advance.