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Pack shock Utah State in Logan 85-72, snap six-game skid

Nevada outscores Utah State in second half 53-35 on the backs of Desmond Cambridge and Grant Sherfield.

Nevada v Kansas Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images

Six-game losing streak: Snapped.

Further crisis: Averted (for now?).

Fire hydrant inside Dee Glen Smith Spectrum: Still there!

Quad 1 win: Check!

Superb performances from its two star guards: Also check!

Well, it looks as if the Nevada Wolf Pack men’s basketball team had everything going for them once and for all on Friday night, shocking the Utah State Aggies on the road, 85-72.

In desperation mode with very few things going their way over the last few weeks, Nevada picked up a much needed victory to snap a six-game losing streak, its longest of the season and one game shy of its longest since the start of the 2014-15 season.

Coming off a career performance against Colorado State earlier in the week where he notched a career night 36 points, Nevada guard Desmond Cambridge laid down his guard (no pun intended) once again. Cambridge topped the Pack with 27 points on 10-of-16 shooting, including 6-of-9 from 3-point range, in addition to two blocks and nine rebounds, tying Kenan Blackshear (see below) for the team-most.

In his second game back after missing three games with a foot infection, Grant Sherfield performed far more up to his standards Friday. He finished with 24 points on 5-of-14 shooting, including 2-of-3 from deep and 12-of-14 from the charity stripe, adding three boards and five assists.

Nevada shot 47.5 percent from the floor with 10 3s at a 50.0 percent clip. It had two other double-digit scorers: Blackshear and Will Baker.

Blackshear dominated the stat sheet, posting 10 points with nine rebounds (tying team high), eight assists (team high) and two steals (tying team high). Baker tallied 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including his lone (clutch) 3-pointer to put the Pack up nine with 4:02 left.

Utah State’s bugaboos from distance sparked up once again — a growing inconsistency that’s plagued its season. The Aggies shot 41.4 percent from the floor, but sunk just six of its 23 triples (26.1 percent) in the losing effort.

Brandon Horvath tallied a team-high 29 points for the Aggies, sinking nine of his 15 attempts and 11 of his 14 shots from the charity stripe. He added eight rebounds with a pair of assists.

Justin Bean had 16 points on 7-of-15 shooting, haulding down a team-high nine boards with two assists, one block and a pair of steals. Rylan Jones added 11 points while dishing out a team-most six assists in 27 minutes off the bench.

The Wolf Pack battled back from a five-point halftime deficit to outscore the Aggies 53-35 in the second half, despite shooting worse from the free-throw line (10-17; 58.8 percent) than it did from the floor (60.0 percent) and beyond the arc (7-11; 63.6 percent) over the final 20 minutes.

Nevada closed the final 11:12 on a 32-19 run and did not let its lead dip below seven points over the game’s final four minutes. Friday’s win now moves it to 10-13 on the season, including 4-8 in MWC play, 2-12 in Quad 1 or 2 games and 2-7 in true road games. Meanwhile, Utah State dips to 15-11 and are now below .500 in MWC play (6-7) with two straight losses.

Next up: The Wolf Pack are set to take on San Jose State in a home-road back-to-back next week. The first will be on Tuesday, Feb. 15 inside Lawlor Events Center at 8:00 p.m. PST on Fox Sports 1.