Grading the Pack: Nevada defense strong against Fresno State

Grading the Nevada Wolf Pack’s 72-57 men’s basketball victory over the Fresno State Bulldogs at Save Mart Center in Fresno, Calif. Saturday . . .

STARTERS

JAROD LUCAS: B +

Lucas was very efficient on the offensive end of the court, draining all three of his 3-point shots on the way to 17 points. It was the 6-foot-3 shooting guard’s first perfect game from beyond the arc in his two seasons at Nevada and his first since his eighth game his freshman year (1-for-1) for Oregon State on Dec. 1, 2019 against Portland State.

Lucas has been one of the most efficient shooters in the Mountain West from 3-point range over his last four games, converting 12-of-22 (55 percent). He’s also been 27-of-50 from the floor overall (54 percent) during those four games.

Lucas scored seven of the Pack’s first 11 points against Fresno State for an 11-9 lead with 12:38 to go in the first half. He also had a 3-pointer for a 32-26 lead with two minutes to go in the opening half.

Just two of Lucas’ 17 points came in the final 16 minutes of the game. When he wasn’t shooting jump shots Lucas, though, didn’t do much with just two rebounds, no assists, blocks or steals, no free throws and one turnover.

KENAN BLACKSHEAR: A

Blackshear turned in one of his best all-around games at Fresno State with 18 points, seven rebounds, four steals, four assists and no turnovers in 34 minutes.

The 6-6 point guard had nine points in each half and was the biggest reason why the Pack trailed for just 19 seconds of the final 16 minutes of the game. Blackshear’s four steals are his season high and his most since he had five against New Mexico on Jan. 23, 2023.

Fresno State outscored the Pack 5-0 when Blackshear sat the bench for 2:17 midway through the first half. The Bulldogs outscored Nevada 13-6 during the six six-plus minutes Blackshear was not on the floor for the entire game.

Blackshear had seven points, one steal, two assists and two rebounds in a span of 3:27 down the stretch helping turn an uncomfortable 54-49 lead into a game-deciding 72-55 lead with 1:21 to play.

NICK DAVIDSON: C +

The 6-8 sophomore battled through one of the toughest shooting nights of his season, missing 8-of-11 shots from the floor. Davidson misfired on all four of his 3-pointers. He is now just 7-of-33 (21 percent) on threes this season.

Davidson, who scored nine points in his 34 minutes, continued to hustle and work hard on both ends of the floor, contributing to the victory with six rebounds, three steals, two blocks and an assist.

He had four points, a steal, rebound and a block in the first five minutes of the second half as the Pack built a 47-36 lead.

TRE COLEMAN: B -

Coleman had a pair of 3-pointers less than a minute apart late in the game that helped the Pack put the Bulldogs away. He connected for a 67-55 lead with 2:44 to play and a 70-55 lead with 1:51 left.

The 6-7 forward finished with 10 points in his 28 minutes with three rebounds and three assists. He was 4-of-6 from the line (all in the first half) after going just 8-of-10 over his 10 previous games combined.

Coleman started off slow, missing a layup and a 3-pointer and turning the ball over once without scoring in his first seven minutes. But then he came alive with a pair of assists just 46 seconds apart, feeding Jarod Lucas for a jumper and Daniel Foster for a layup and a 13-11 lead with 12 minutes left in the first half.

K.J. HYMES: D

Hymes played just nine minutes because of four fouls. All four fouls came during his first seven minutes.

The 6-10 center, though, did step back on the floor with just under seven minutes to play and did contribute something to the victory. He had three free throws and a block in a span of 63 seconds.

Hymes, who has struggled with four trouble (and injuries) throughout his six-year Pack career, had just three fouls over his four previous games before Saturday.

BENCH

HUNTER McINTOSH: C +

McIntosh was basically the only offense off the bench for the Pack, scoring 11 of the reserve’s 15 points in 15 minutes. The 6-3 guard was 3-of-6 on threes.

His back-to-back threes just 35 seconds apart gave the Pack a 53-39 lead with 12 minutes to play. He also had a 3-pointer and a jumper 44 seconds apart for a 24-18 lead with six minutes to go in the first half.

Despite McIntosh’s offense, the Pack was outscored 23-19 when he was on the floor.

DANIEL FOSTER: C

Foster played 25 minutes because of Hymes’ foul trouble and mainly concentrated on defense. He had six rebounds, a steal, three fouls and two points.

His layup gave the Pack a 13-11 lead with 12 minutes to go in the first half. His only other shot was a missed 3-pointer early in the second half.

TYLER ROLISON: C

Rolison had two rebounds, two assists and two fouls in his 12 minutes. Both of his assists led to 3-pointers by fellow bench player Hunter McIntosh, one in each half.

TYLAN POPE: C

Pope played just nine minutes and missed all three of his shots (a 3-pointer and two short jumpers in the paint). The 6-6, 240-pound transfer from Tulane, playing in just his fifth game of the year, did have three rebounds. He has had three or four rebounds in each of his last four games.

JAZZ GARDNER: Incomplete

The 7-foot freshman played just two minutes late in the first half despite Hymes’ foul trouble. Gardner connected on a jumper for a 26-22 lead with just under five minutes to play in the first half. The two minutes on Saturday are the shortest playing time he’s received this year in his 13 games.

COACHING: A

Coach Steve Alford basically won this game with defense and efficiency. Just two of the starters (Lucas, Blackshear) were consistent on offense the entire game and the bench scored just 15 points.

So Alford turned up the defense in the second half and the Pack basically suffocated the Bulldogs on their own home floor. Fresno State shot 14-of-27 (52 percent) in the first half and trailed just 36-32 at the break. The Pack defense then stepped up in the second half, holding Fresno State to just 32 percent shooting (7-of-22). Fresno State was just 3-of-13 on shots inside the arc in the second half.

The Pack also played nearly mistake-free basketball in running away with this Mountain West season-opening victory. The Pack turned the ball over a season-low three times the entire game and forced Fresno State into 14 turnovers.

That’s how you win a conference game on the road. Alford, now in his 11th Mountain West season as a coach (six at New Mexico) knows that as well as anyone. He also spent five-plus seasons in the Pac-12 and eight years in the Big Ten.

The three turnovers are the fewest the Pack has committed since Alford took over the team for the 2019-20 season and its fewest since it had just two in the unforgettable 75-73 NCAA tournament comeback victory over Cincinnati on March 18, 2018.

OVERALL: A

This was just the third Alford-coached Pack team to play at Fresno State in the last five years. And each time the Pack has had its hands full, winning just 60-56 last year and losing 73-56 in 2021-22 before Saturday night.

So don’t be overly concerned that the Pack led just 56-51 with just over six minutes to play on Saturday against a now 7-8 Fresno State team that just lost by 27 at San Diego State three nights earlier.

The Bulldogs also lost by 20 at San Francisco on Dec. 22 and beat Fresno Pacific, the team the Pack destroyed 92-59 last Saturday, just 77-66 to open the year.

The Wolf Pack, now 14-1, 1-0 and winners of six in a row, won this game the way you are supposed to win a league game on the road. They did it with coaching, defense, hustle and efficiency and the leaders (Blackshear, Lucas) led the way.

That formula might not always be enough against the tougher teams in the league (namely San Diego State, Utah State, Colorado State and Boise State). The Pack will need more from its bench and for Hymes to avoid foul trouble to beat those teams on the road.

But it will be more than enough to also do away with Air Force at home on Tuesday.