Field Level Media
Mar 8, 2018
Jordan Caroline scored 21 points, and No. 22 Nevada rallied for a 79-74 win over UNLV on Thursday afternoon in the Mountain West Conference tournament quarterfinals in Las Vegas.
Josh Hall contributed 16 points on 6-for-10 shooting off the bench to help Nevada secure the comeback victory. Kendall Stephens added 15 points and led all players with five blocked shots.
Kris Clyburn led the Rebels with 19 points in 28 minutes off the bench. He also grabbed six rebounds.
Nevada (27-6) trailed by eight points at halftime but outscored UNLV 48-35 after the break. The Wolf Pack advanced to play San Diego State in Friday's semifinals of the conference tourney. The Aztecs defeated Fresno State 64-52.
UNLV (20-13) lost for the sixth time in the past seven contests. The Rebels reached the 20-win mark for the first time since the 2013-14 campaign and likely will receive a ticket to the NIT.
The Wolf Pack won despite an underwhelming performance by twin brothers Caleb and Cody Martin, who combined for 19 points on 8-for-23 shooting. Caleb Martin finished with 12 points, while Cody had seven.
UNLV forwards Shakur Juiston (14 points, 12 rebounds) and Brandon McCoy (12 points, 14 rebounds) each posted double-doubles in a losing effort. Jovan Mooring also finished in double digits with 13 points.
Nevada shot 44.6 percent (29 of 65) from the field and 48 percent (12 of 25) from 3-point range. UNLV shot 39.1 percent (25 of 64) from the field and 30.4 percent (7 of 23) from beyond the arc.
UNLV had a 46-31 rebounding advantage, but it coughed away many of its possessions. The Rebels amassed 14 turnovers, compared with six for Nevada.
Tervell Beck hit a 3-pointer for UNLV in the final minute of the first half to push the Rebels' lead to eight points. UNLV stretched the advantage to 12 points early in the second half before Nevada responded with a 22-6 run. That gave the Wolf Pack a 53-49 lead with 13 minutes left.
UNLV cut the deficit to three points on a trey by Juiston with 48 seconds remaining. Hall made a pair of free throws to extend Nevada's lead to five with five seconds to go.
--Field Level Media