By Aaron Johnson (@voz_aaron1) – Spear Reporter
San Jose State’s Latrell Davis goes up for a contested shot in a 84-63 loss to Nevada. I Photo by Christian Vieyra – The Spear
San Jose State men’s basketball (9-19, 2-13 MW) put every last drop of sweat into it’s defensive effort in the first half forcing nine turnovers from the Wolfpack. With the score 34-29 in Nevada’s (22-6, 9-5 MW) favor at halftime, SJSU would need to play a perfect second half in order to beat one of the top teams in the Mountain West.
SJSU was able to tie the game at 42 but Nevada would heat up from the 3-point line shooting 9-12 to pull ahead in the 84-63 win.
“I thought our guys did a good job battling even in the game,” SJSU head coach Tim Miles said. “Then our perimeter defense let us down.”
Nevada junior Hunter McIntosh led the charge of the 3-point air raid shooting 6-9 on the game and was the catalyst it’s monster second half.
“We were going to make (McIntosh) dribble it,” Miles said. “It was disappointing that we let him get going.”
Junior guard Myron Amey Jr. was San Jose State’s leading scorer dropping 18 points and also grabbing four rebounds.
“I think our defensive intensity is what kept us in the game,” Amey Jr. said. “It’s not like we shot the ball particularly well in the first half.”
The Spartans have lacked a physical inside presence all season and it was extra apparent Friday. They struggled to find an answer for Wolfpack sophomore forward Nick Davidson.
Davidson put up a double-double on the game scoring 23 points and snagging 15 rebounds.
“I really thought he did most of the damage from the offensive rebounding standpoint,” Miles said. “It’s really difficult when you have to commit two to the posts because he’s going to beat you one-on-one.”
One bright spot in the matchup for the Spartans was freshman guard Latrell Davis. Owning 17 points and led the team with six rebounds.
Davis made the highlight play of the night grabbing a rebound and putting it back up with a reverse layup.
“(My mindset) is play hard because that’s what going to keep me in the game,” Davis said. “We got a lot of scorers on our team, so I got to find a way to do something else to be able to help contribute on the court.”
SJSU’s next game will be on the road against No. 19 San Diego State (20-7, 9-5 MW) on Tuesday at 8 p.m.