BY DARRELL MOODY
Nevada Appeal Sports Writer
RENO " Nevada freshman London Giles' progress is there for all to see, but it's coming in baby steps and not by leaps or bounds.
Giles, playing in his fifth game since coming off the suspended list after of an off-the-court incident, scored a career-best eight points in 14 minutes in the Wolf Pack's 87-58 win over Arkansas Pine-Bluff Wednesday at Lawlor Events Center.
"I think I played well," Giles said. "I think I can play better."
The 6-foot-3 freshman had a nice stretch in the second half when he knocked down a jump shot, drained his second 3-pointer of the game and had a steal, all in about a span of one minute. The steal led to two Armon Johnson free throws which gave Nevada a 59-39 lead with 11:34 left.
"It's a confidence issue," Giles said. "That's all I can say about that."
Fox was pleased with Giles' performance.
"I thought he had a really good stretch," Fox said. "He's confident and aggressive. He's a really talented kid. It was nice to see him make a few baskets."
COMPARING OPPONENTS
Arkansas Pine-Bluff has played a grueling schedule. All nine of its games have been on the road, and eight have been against schools from major conferences.
Coach George Ivory was asked to compare Nevada with the other teams on his schedule.
"It's hard to say because of the different styles," Ivory said. "They are a very good team. They can compete with some of the teams we have played."
Ivory said that Purdue and Missouri are the two best teams that the Golden Lions have played.
AROUND THE WAC
Utah State improved to 7-1 with a 72-65 win over Southern Utah, while Idaho, under first-year head coach Don Verlin, improved to 5-5 with an 81-68 win over South Carolina State.
New Mexico State is now 5-4 after knocking off Prairie View A & M, 88-74.
CALVIN OUT
The Golden Lions played without their leading scorer Terrance Calvin, who suffered an eye injury in the 64-62 win over SMU Monday night.
"He took an elbow to the face," Ivory said. "When we get back, we'll take him to see a specialist."
Calvin is averaging 10.3 points per game.
ETC...
Up next for Nevada is a 3 p.m. game on Saturday against California. The game will be televised locally. Cal beat Nevada, 74-68, last year at Lawlor Events Center ... Nevada is 3-0 against teams from the Southwestern Athletic Conference, including 2-0 against the Golden Lions ... Nevada forced a season-best 25 turnovers and converted those mistakes into 25 points... The Wolf Pack held the Golden Lions to 58 points, the third consecutive game the team has held its opponent less than 60 points. Nevada has held its last three opponents to just 48.3 points per game... Nevada tied its season high with 12 steals with five players turning in two steals apiece (Luke Babbitt, Johnson, Fields, Giles and Richie Phillips). For Giles and Phillips, the two steals marked career highs.
- Contact Darrell Moody at dmoody@nevadaappeal.com or (775) 881-1281