Grades: Lucas leads Pack back into win column

Grading the Nevada Wolf Pack’s 77-64 men’s basketball victory over the Colorado State Rams at Lawlor Events Center on Wednesday:

STARTERS

JAROD LUCAS: A +

For roughly 19 consecutive minutes on Wednesday night Lucas was Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, Iron Man, Wolverine and The Hulk all rolled into one unstoppable jump-shooting machine.

Lucas, starting with 7:05 to go in the first half, made an unbelievable nine shots in a row for 22 points, taking a 15-15 tie and turning it into a 55-46 Pack lead with 11:38 to play.

This was the Jarod Lucas the Wolf Pack desperately needs to become special this season. He finished with 28 points on 10-of-14 shooting (3-for-3 on threes, 5-for-5 on free throws). It was Cool Hand Lucas, doing what a fifth-year, 148-game veteran jump-shooting hired gun is supposed to do in time of need.

Lucas began his 9-for-9 streak with a pair of threes for a 29-22 lead with 3:21 to go in the first half. He ended the first half with two jumpers in the last 67 seconds, the final one a dagger right before the buzzer for a 35-27 lead at the break.

He then made his first five shots in the second half, the final two producing a three-point play and a 3-pointer for a 55-46 lead with 11:38 left. Lucas ended his evening with the Wolf Pack basketball version of the football kneel-down, making four consecutive free throws in the final 1:24.

KENAN BLACKSHEAR: A +

Blackshear, too, played the role of superhero with a phenomenal final six-plus minutes. The fifth-year, 138-game veteran simply put the Pack on his back down the stretch.

Blackshear made his final five shots and two free throws in the last 6:29, scoring 12 points with two key offensive rebounds and a steal to bury the Rams. He finished his evening with 20 points on 9-of-12 shooting with five rebounds, five assists and two steals.

Blackshear’s night, though, started out a bit slowly and, well, also a little disturbing. He took and missed a 3-pointer just 28 seconds into the game, a reminder that when bad things happen to the Pack point guard it usually centers around errant 3-pointers (he’s 4-of-19 this year and a career 29 percent shooter from long distance).

He finished the first half with just four points and a couple of turnovers. He still had just eight points with five turnovers as the Pack nurtured a nervous 61-55 lead heading into the final six-plus minutes of the game. But that’s when Blackshear stepped into the phone booth and transformed from a mild-mannered reporter into Superman.

His save-the-game stretch was preceded by a five-minute stretch when he missed his only shot, committed two turnovers and a foul. That missed jumper came when the Pack led just 59-53 with 8:17 to play.

Daniel Foster, though, fed Blackshear for a short jumper with 6:29 left, awakening the Pack point guard for the remainder of the game at exactly the right time. Two offensive rebounds and a steal then led to six Blackshear points in a span of just 2:35, turning a 65-60 lead into a 71-60 lead with 2:35 to go.

NICK DAVIDSON: B

Davidson did the best he could with just 21 minutes and four shots. He nearly had a double-double with an efficient 10 points and a team-high seven rebounds and also added an assist and a block.

He was 3-of-4 from the floor and 4-of-4 from the line. It must be noted that when Davidson was off the floor for 19 minutes the Pack was outscored 39-33.

Davidson was limited to just 21 minutes mainly because he picked up his third (and final) foul just seven seconds into the second half. He then saw the bench for five-plus minutes. He also sat the bench for four minutes in a row after helping the Pack build a 59-51 lead with just under nine minutes to play.

The 6-8 sophomore was at his best midway through the second half when he had six points, two rebounds and a blocked shot over four-plus minutes. The prompted coach Steve Alford, for some reason, to take him off the floor for four straight minutes (when the Pack was outscored 9-8) before sending him back out there with 4:49 to play and the Pack up 67-60.

TRE COLEMAN: B -

Coleman, who led the Pack in scoring over the two previous games (both losses), returned to his more natural role as utility man and the Pack returned to the win column.

Coleman, who had 39 points combined in losses at San Diego State and Wyoming last week, scored just five points against Colorado State on 2-of-10 shooting. But the 6-foot-7 defensive standout had seven key assists and also five rebounds to contribute to the victory.

He had a 3-pointer for a 26-21 lead just 4:27 before halftime and then had an 11-second flurry in which he missed two shots, pulled down two offensive rebounds and was rewarded for his tenacity with a layup and a 31-22 Pack lead with 1:48 left in the half.

Coleman’s biggest contribution offensively in the second half was four assists over nine minutes, that culminated with a 57-49 lead with 9:11 to play. Coleman, of course, got a team-high 35 minutes by being the driving force behind a defense that saw Colorado State miss 17-of-23 3-pointers.

K.J. HYMES: C - 

The Pack’s 6-10 sixth-year center started off well with four points, two rebounds and a block in the game’s first three minutes. But the final 37 minutes saw Hymes produce just two points, three fouls, two missed shots in the paint and just two rebounds.

Hymes played 23 minutes overall, just one off his season high this year, mainly because he limited his fouls to three after fouling out of the last two games.

The Pack, with Lucas and Blackshear dominating the ball, simply operated more efficiently with Hymes on the bench down the stretch.

Hymes played just four of the final 13:27 but Colorado State outscored the Pack 9-8 in Hymes’ four minutes. The Pack dominated the Rams 24-16 when Hymes was on the bench over the final 13-plus minutes.

BENCH

HUNTER McINTOSH: B

McIntosh had a solid 17 minutes off the bench. The veteran point guard missed both his shots, but he did have three important assists in a span of just 2:21 to help give the Pack a 51-44 lead with a dozen minutes left in the game. He also had a steal that led to a Jarod Lucas 3-pointer and an 18-15 lead with 6:44 left in the first half.

The 6-3 McIntosh has gone 0-for-6 from the floor over his last four games, covering 50 minutes, after going 34-for-69 over the Pack’s first 16 games. He averaged 6.2 points over the first 16 games but has scored just two points over the last four games combined as he has basically just stopped shooting.

DANIEL FOSTER: B

Foster played his role of minutes-eater to perfection on Wednesday. The 6-6 Swiss army knife played 26 minutes (14 in the second half), took just two shots and didn’t even score. But he had six rebounds and an assist, and the Pack battled the Rams to a 46-46 tie when he was on the floor.

The Pack was at its best with Foster on the floor in the waning minutes of each half. Nevada outscored Colorado State 9-5 with Foster on the floor in the final four minutes of the first half and 14-9 with Foster around for six of the final seven minutes of the second half.

Foster didn’t do much himself during those important minutes unless, of course, you count an offensive rebound leading to a Lucas jumper with 6:29 to play. You can be sure Steve Alford counts those things. It’s no secret Alford uses Foster to stabilize games and make sure the Pack operates more efficiently at pivotal times.

TYLAN POPE: A

Pope provided a physical presence off the bench in his 12 minutes, scoring seven points on two dunks and a layup that turned into a 3-point play.

The bruising 6-foot-6, 240-pound transfer from Tulane owned the paint in his dozen minutes, with three rebounds and two blocks. It’s not a coincidence the Pack outscored the Rams, 27-23, when he was on the floor.

Pope, who was forced to wait until Dec. 21 to make his Pack debut because of a pre-season hand injury, has scored 15 points with six rebounds and three blocks over the last two games in just 23 combined minutes.

COACHING: A +

Steve Alford got his Wolf Pack back on track, putting an end to a disturbing three-game losing streak before it destroyed the season. Alford reminded Lucas and Blackshear to act and play like the leaders of the team they are supposed to be and everyone else comfortably fell into line behind them.

When Lucas and Blackshear are playing with focus, aggressiveness (not just firing up lazy threes) and confidence, the rest of the team follows their lead and does the same.

The rest of the roster is not good enough or deep enough to pick up the slack from a struggling Lucas and Blackshear, at least against good teams. And that’s fine. They are not supposed to be.

The two veterans scored 30 of the Pack’s 42 points in the second half on 12-of-15 shooting. That’s not going to happen every game but that same jump-on-my-back mindset from Lucas and Blackshear does need to show up in every game. Alford, who demanded his Indiana teammates jump on his back every game three-plus decades ago, reminded them of that.

Alford also shortened his bench on Wednesday, playing just three reserves. It paid off big time in all eight players staying in rhythm, with each of them discovering a way to contribute in their own way to the victory.

OVERALL: A

It’s OK to exhale, Wolf Pack fans. The Pack did what it needed to do at home against a team in a funk and everything is back on track.

The game was a matchup of two teams with their own set of problems. Thank goodness the game was in Reno and not Fort Collins.

Colorado State started the year 13-1 but has now lost three of its last five games with all three losses coming on the road. Their only wins during that time were in overtime at home against the worst team in the league (Air Force) and a hold-your-breath 3-point win also at home against UNLV, a team that would lose to Air Force by 32 four nights later.

So don’t for a moment think all of the Pack’s concerns were wiped away by the 13-point win on Wednesday. But all of the signs of recovery were on display just the same.

In addition to Lucas and Blackshear reviving their season, the Pack also revived its defense. The two things do go hand-in-hand for this team.

The Pack bottled up Colorado State’s Isaiah Stevens the entire game, limiting him to just eight points on 4-of-16 shooting. The Pack also buried the Rams’ Patrick Cartier, holding him to just two points in 15 foul-filled minutes. Cartier was averaging 12 points a game before Wednesday and Stevens was shooting 51 percent and averaging 17 points.

This is how good Mountain West teams win at home. They play with focus, intelligence and intensity at both ends of the floor and they cut the heads off the opposition’s top snakes.

Yes, the Pack is back. For now.