Feb. 17, 2007
Final Stats
RENO, Nev. - Nevada shot 63 percent from the field in the second half to pull away and post a 79-64 win over the University of Northern Iowa in an O'Reilly ESPNU BracketBusters game played at Lawlor Events Center. Nevada improved to 24-2 on the season, while UNI fell to 16-12.
Nevada's Marcellus Kemp led all players with 18 points, and added nine rebounds and six assists. Eric Coleman (Maplewood, Minn.) led the Panthers with 16 points and nine rebounds, while Jordan Eglseder (Bellevue, Iowa) came off the bench to score a career-high 11 points and grab five boards.
The 11th-ranked Wolf Pack trailed 33-32 at halftime, but opened the second half on a 10-0 run over the first 2:30 to open a 42-33 lead. Kyle Shiloh and Denis Ikovlev each hit three-pointers during that stretch, and the Nevada was never seriously threatened after that. The Wolf Pack connected on eight of its first 10 field goal attempts in the second half - including a perfect 4-of-4 from behind the arc - as Nevada built its lead to as many as 23 points, and held a double-digit lead the final 16 minutes of the game.
Nevada got off to a strong start to the game, as Kemp had eight early points to help the Wolf Pack build a 17-9 lead with 12:41 left in the first half. UNI answered with an 8-0 run, tying the game at 17-all after a Coleman basket. Neither team held more than a two-point lead the rest of the half, with UNI taking a 33-32 lead into the locker room after Jared Josten (Webster City, Iowa) hit two free throws with one second left on the clock. The first half featured nine ties and nine lead changes.
UNI freshmen Adam Koch (Ashwaubenon, Wis.) and Eglseder were key contributors in the first half, combining for eight points and eight rebounds, as both Coleman and Grant Stout (New Sharon, Iowa) sat on the bench the final seven minutes with two fouls apiece.
Nevada shot 51 percent from the field for the game, including 50 percent (9-for-18) from three-point range. UNI connected on 42 percent of its shots and was 5-for-16 on threes.
UNI returns to Missouri Valley Conference action on Tuesday (Feb. 20) when it travels to Peoria, Ill., to face Bradley. Tipoff is 7:05 p.m. from Carver Arena.
