Nevada looks for revenge against San Jose State

BY DARRELL MOODY

Appeal Sports Writer

RENO - Nevada's two-point conference-opening loss to San Jose State is no doubt the low point of the season.

Nevada was 7-for-16 from the foul line and got beat on the boards, 37-33, in the 62-60 loss. It was a game there for the taking, but Nevada didn't do enough good things to take it.

The Wolf Pack (13-8, 5-3) will be out for revenge Thursday (7:05, 630AM) when the Spartans (10-11, 2-6) invade Lawlor Events Center for a Western Athletic Conference basketball game.

Both teams are coming off losses. Nevada was blitzed by Utah State, 77-63, and the Spartans lost a thriller to New Mexico State, 83-81.

"For us (the win), it was a big boost in our confidence," SJSU coach George Nessman said. "We hold Nevada in high regard. To get a win was big for our program."

Nevada had won the prior six games since Mark Fox took over the Nevada program three-plus seasons ago.

Nevada had problems stopping the inside game of C.J. Webster, the Spartans' bullish 255-pound center, who scored 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Forward Chris Oakes scored 12 points and added eight rebounds. Nevada didn't seem to have an answer for either one.

The one big difference between that game and this one is that the Spartans won't have sensational freshman Justin Graham at point guard. Graham went down with an injury, and his return is still up in the air.

Jamon Hill has subbed in capably for Graham, but he can't do as many things offensively as Graham. Hill is averaging 6.4 a game.

"Teams are more aggressive defensively without Justin," Nessman said. "Outside there is more pressure. Jamon has handled it well. He had a strong game against New Mexico State, and they put a lot of pressure on you."

"He (Hill) is not as big," Fox said. "He knows how to run their stuff. He might be a better defender. That may make them stronger."

With Graham out, the Spartans will look even more to Oakes and Webster for offense along with DaShawn Wright and Tim Pierce. All four average in double figures.

"They (Webster and Oakes) have to produce for us to have a chance," Nessman said.

"San Jose is an improving team up front," Fox said. "Oakes really gave them a lift. Webster obviously played well. We only gave up 62 points and I think we held them to less than 40 percent (from the floor), so defense wasn't as big an issue in that game as our ability to put the ball in the basket."

The Pack, which shot 41.4 against the Spartans in the first meeting, is coming off a loss to Utah State in which it shot a paltry 39 percent, and that was against a team that gave up 100 points in its previous game. Prior to that USU loss, the Pack had shot over 50 percent three times in the previous four games.

Marcelus Kemp is 19 for his last 39 from the floor, while 7-foot sophomore JaVale McGee is 18-for-35. Nevada needs to get a better shooting performance out of Armon Johnson, who was 4-for-16 in games against Fresno State and Utah State last week.

More than anything, the Pack needs to play better defense for longer stretches of time. Nevada's defensive effort in the first half left a lot to be desired. Utah State shot 67 percent in that stretch en route to an 11-point lead.

This starts a tough stretch for Nevada in that it will play five games in a 10-day period (three at home and two on the road), including a home game Monday against Utah State and a road game at Boise on Feb. 14. Nevada actually loses a few hours of prep time because its Saturday home game against Hawaii starts at 3 p.m. (ESPN2).

"We're getting ready for an important part of ours schedule," Fox said.

Fox's ability to parcel out minutes took a hit when it was learned that Richie Phillips re-injured the same leg that he suffered a stress fracture injury. Fox said an MRI was done earlier this week, and the coaching and medical staff is discussing the situation.

"We are trying to go through all the options," Fox said. "I feel really bad for Richie. He was making progress and now he's on the shelf."

Fox also said a couple of players have been ill, though he expects them to play. He didn't release the names of the ill players.

Notes: Nevada still leads the WAC and is 10th in the nation in blocked shots with 6.19 per game ... Nevada athletic department members will wear the hated red to promote the American Heart Association's fight against heart disease in women ... Nevada has won 32 of its last 35 games at Lawlor Events Center, including seven of its last eight ... Nevada has won 10 of its last 11 outings against San Jose State.