RENO -- It almost seems unfair, but it was a freshman who finally put the Nevada men's basketball team over that monumental hump. Not somebody like junior Terrance Green, who, last season, had to go through the agonizing feeling of seeing leads slip away against teams like Fresno State and Tulsa and SMU.
But it was Kirk Snyder, who's played in about the same amount of games this season that the Wolf Pack had heartbreakingly lost over the past two seasons. With three seconds left in the game and down 85-83 to Fresno State, Snyder launched a high arching 3-pointer that proved to be the game-winning shot. Snyder scored a career-high 21 points as Nevada stunned the Bulldogs 88-85 before 8,899 fans on Saturday night at the Lawlor Events Center.
"For 2 1/2 years, this is what we've been building to, where we can beat somebody really good," said coach Trent Johnson. "I thought the kids played as hard as they could. They beat an awful good basketball team."
Not only did the Wolf Pack beat a Fresno State team that has weaved in and out of the rankings all season, but they went blow for blow with the defending Western Athletic Conference regular season champs.
"It feels great," said Nevada's Corey Jackson, who finished with eight points and a game-high 12 rebounds. "We haven't played a game like that in a long time."
If, at all. There were 20 lead changes and 15 ties in the game. The Bulldogs' All-America Center, Melvin Ely, did all he could to give Fresno State (11-6 overall, 3-2 WAC) a victory. The 6-foot-10 center scored 34 points, his fourth-straight game scoring over 30 points. But it wasn't enough to overcome the young, confident, Snyder from doing his thing.
"It's hard as a freshman in the college atmosphere to come in and do what I did," said Snyder, who's previous career high was 20 set against Rice on Jan. 5. "I can't believe what I did."
Neither can Bulldog coach Jerry Tarkanian.
"God, was that a 30-footer?" Tarkanian asked. "That was the shot you like to see a guy take. We had him covered. The guy took a shot that was a bad shot and it went in. He's a tremendous player."
It almost never materialized, though. After being tied 48-48 at halftime, Fresno State (11-6, 3-2) went up 56-50, it largest lead of the game, and Ely looked ready to take over. He scored 10 of his points in the first 8 1/2 minutes of the second half, manhandling the Wolf Pack's Matt Ochs. But every time Ely scored one of his unstoppable jump hooks, Nevada (10-5, 3-2) found a way to counter.
Green's 3-pointer with 9:29 left in the game gave the Wolf Pack their first lead of the second half, 66-65. Green scored a team-high 24 points in the game. Down 83-81, Green came up big again, nailing a jumper to tie the game at 83.
"Over the years, coaches have talked about with the game on the line to go get the ball and make a play," Green said.
The 6-foot-2 guard certainly did, but he was happy to see Snyder make the biggest play with the biggest game of Green's career on the line.
"I had confidence in Kirk," Green said. "I'm just glad he made it."
Nevada had led by as many as seven points in the first half before a 7-0 Fresno State run tied it up at 19. The Bulldogs' Chris Sandy scored 21 points and Chris Jefferies added 16 in the loss. The Wolf Pack's next game is on Thursday against UTEP in El Paso, Texas.
"I told the kids to enjoy (this win), but we got to El Paso on Thursday," Johnson said. "One game at a time."