Lucas scores 28 points in Nevada's 77-64 victory over No. 24 Colorado State

Jan 25, 2024, 07:08 am

RENO, Nev. -- — Jarod Lucas scored 28 points, Kenan Blackshear added 20 and Nevada beat No. 24 Colorado State 77-64 on Wednesday night to stop a three-game losing streak.

Nick Davidson had 10 points and seven rebounds for the Wolf Pack (16-4, 3-3 Mountain West Conference), who shot 53.7% from the field. Lucas was 10 of 14 and Blackshear went 9 for 12.

“We knew that we needed it,” Lucas said. “We almost felt that our couple days of practice this week were probably the best we’ve had with a lot of energy and urgency. Of course, losing three games in a row isn’t easy, but being 16-4 at this point in the season is not a bad start. It’s a great bounce-back win for us.”

Jalen Lake led the Rams (15-4, 3-3) with 13 points and Josiah Strong scored 12. Colorado State was held to 39.3% from the floor and fell to 0-3 on the road in league play.

Rams guard Isaiah Stevens didn’t score until making a layup with 15:56 left after missing his first five field goal attempts. Stevens, who averages 17.2 points per game, finished with eight on 4-of-16 shooting.

“We led almost from start to finish against a ranked opponent,” Nevada coach Steve Alford said. “To do all the things that we really wanted to do in the game, it was incredible concentration. Couldn’t be more pleased.”

Nevada grabbed an 18-15 lead on a 3-pointer by Lucas with 7:05 left in the first half and never trailed the rest of the way.

Lucas’ turnaround jumper in the final second of the first half put the Wolf Pack up 35-27 at the break.

“Lucas had it going tonight,” Colorado State coach Niko Medved said. “I thought some of his shots, maybe, but a lot of them, we were right there. That’s what he can do, and we know that. To his credit, he really stepped up and made a lot of plays.”

Colorado State, one of the best shooting teams in the nation, shot only 28.6% from the field in the first half. Nevada shot 50%.

“If you look at the Mountain West, this is the premier conference on the West Coast,” Lucas said. “Night in and night out you know you’re going to have a battle. We knew we had a Top 25 team coming in and we were going to have to take care of business.”

UP NEXT

Colorado State: Plays at Wyoming on Saturday.

Nevada: Will play Sunday at New Mexico.

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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball