Nevada hosted Washington State on December 2, 2024, and suffered a tough 68-57 loss to Washington State, and it was a loss that began the derailment of last year’s team. It was the Pack’s turn to return
the favor, going into the Cougars house this year looking to pick up their seventh win of the season.
Nevada did exactly that, turning a one-point game at halftime into a commanding 14-point win over Washington State. It was a slow first half offensively, but a second-half surge and tight defense flipped the switch.
Scoring Summary
1st Half
Nevada 31 – Washington State 32
2nd Half
Nevada 47 – Washington State 32
Final: Nevada 78, Washington State 64
Offense
It took three minutes for points to go up on the board, with Chuck Bailey finding two to give Nevada a nearly lead. It was a bit of a new look lineup for the Pack, who were without Joel Armotrading, Corey Camper Jr. and Ethan Croley.
The new look offense took some time to get going after the early lead. A few free throws by Elijah Price were the last points Nevada would get for over three minutes. The Pack’s offense also only made one basket from the floor for the first 10 minutes of the first half.
Nevada was able to wake up the offense production a bit, but had to settle for 36 percent from the field and 30 percent from deep in the first 20 minutes. Amire Robinson hit one from beyond the arc as time expired in the first half to bring Nevada’s deficit down to one.
Tayshawn Comer provided a quick spark coming out of halftime, hitting a deep step-back three and following it with a layup, pushing Nevada into the lead. Three’s were flying to start for the Pack, as Comer, Robinson and Price all nailed shots from beyond the arc to give Nevada a 14-point lead at the 11:29 mark.
Comer’s second-half emergence made him the leading scorer tonight with 24 points on 9-16 shooting. 20 of those points all came in the second half, as Comer went 7-12 from the field and 4-5 from three in that span. Price (15), Bailey (12) and Robinson (11) also reached double digits in the points department.
Defense
Neither side wanted to score points to start and shot pretty terribly for most of the first half. Washington State went on a bit of a run and led as big as 10 through the first half, but the scoring drought bug hit the Cougars for a few minutes.
Early turnovers kept the game close against the Cougars’ offense, forcing eight in the first half. Washington State entered halftime with a slim one-point lead after shooting 41 percent from the field but only 23 percent from three.
Cougars guard Thomas Thrastarson reached double digits in the first half with 13 points on 5-7 shooting. He finished the game with 20 points and five rebounds on 7-10 shooting.
Nevada continued to force turnovers against Washington State, which averaged 13.2 turnovers per game before this one. The Wolf Pack turned 14 turnovers into 14 points while also winning the rebound battle 35-34.
Nevada’s defensive intensity increased in the second half. The Cougars faced another scoring drought after the 10-minute mark and made only one out of nine field goal attempts throughout that span. Nevada held Washington State to just 38 percent from the field and 36 percent from three in the second half.
What’s Next
Nevada heads back home for its final non-conference game of the season against Duquesne. The Dukes are 6-3 and will play Boise State this week before traveling to Reno to take on Nevada on Saturday, Dec. 13.
Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. PST.
