Menu
Tigers throttle defending conference champs Smith-Cotton
A decisive 56-42 victory over defending West Central Conference champion Sedalia Smith-Cotton gave second-year Nevada Tigers head basketball coach Shaun Gray his signature win.
With the victory Nevada improves to 5-1 overall and 2-0 in the West Central Conference.
"It's our goal to improve each and every day," Gray said. "And if we want to be as good as we're capable of being, we're going to have to get wins like this."
Smith-Cotton was unable to contain the Tigers high-octane duo ---- point guard Matthew Sommer and center Clay Gayman, as the pair dropped 40 points on Smith-Cotton's defense.
"Some people thought we might not have been able to get this type of win this early in the season," Gray said. "But I've see how hard these guys work in practice every day, and I wasn't surprised by their performance tonight."
The game took an interesting twist early as Gayman picked up his third foul late in the first quarter, sending him to the bench for the remainder of the first half. Gayman had a tough assignment as he was tasked with matching up against 6-foot-7 center Dante Scroggins. Gayman's length frustrated Smith-Cotton's senior big-man.
Scroggins who is known for his inside-play, also came into the game shooting 50 percent from beyond the arc. When the final horn sounded, Scroggins stat-line read 0-for-6 on 3-pointers, as he finished the night with just 12 points, eight under his season average.
First half
The Tigers jumped out to a 3-1 lead after guard Myles McNeley knocked down a triple from the left wing 35 seconds into the game.
Later in the first quarter, back-to-back baskets by Gayman handed the Tigers an 8-4 advantage. With 1:27 left in the first quarter a Sommer running floater put the Tigers in front 10-4. Nevada led 10-6 heading in the second quarter.
Smith-Cotton cut into the lead early in the second, as Gavin Jones found Zion Buckner for the lay-in. On Nevada's ensuing possession, small forward Andrew Heathman hit a jumper from the left baseline, to put Nevada up by four.
Smith-Cotton responded with a quick 6-0 run via back-to-back 3-pointers to go ahead 14-12 with 4:05 remaining in the first half. The Tigers quickly regained the lead at 15-14 courtesy of a Sommer trey from the right-wing.
Baskets in the paint from Buckner and Zion Jones gave Smith-Cotton an 18-15 lead late in the second quarter.
Meanwhile at the other end, Sommer drilled a 3-pointer from two steps beyond the top of the key, tying the score 18-18 with 1:39 on the second quarter clock.
With under a minute to play in the first half, a trey from Buckner put Smith-Cotton back on top 23-20. Nevada scored the final points of the half courtesy of Derek O' Dell's turnaround jumper from 8-feet out. Nevada trailed 23-22 at halftime.
Gray said he was pleased his squad hung tough with Gayman on the bench the entire second quarter.
"As good as everybody else played, if Matthew isn't there to handle the basketball for us ---- we're a completely different team," Gray said.
Second half
With Gayman back on the floor, Nevada opened the second half with an 8-0 blitz to go on top 30-23. The run started with a Gayman assist to a cutting Heathman for the lay-in, followed by a Gayman offensive rebound and put-back, followed by a Sommer drive and lay up.
The run was capped by a Sommer rebound and outlet pass to a sprinting Gayman who threw down a hard two-handed dunk, sending the Wynn Gym crowd into a frenzy.
Smith-Cotton was finally able to stop the bleeding as Scroggins was fouled on a point-blank basket, and then hit the free throw to slice the Tigers lead to 30-26 midway though the third quarter. Smith-Cotton's 7-2 spurt late in the third quarter inched them closer as they trailed 32-30.
The Tigers went up 34-30 thanks to a Gayman pass to a cutting Heatham for the easy two. Nevada led 35-30 entering the fourth quarter.
Smith-Cotton's fourth quarter full-court press led to multiple Nevada turnovers and four quick points as Nevada's lead shrunk to 35-34.
A lightning-quick Sommer drive along the right-baseline for a lay-in handed the Tigers a 37-34 edge. A pair of Scorggins free throws with 5:47 remaining in regulation again cut Nevada's lead to a point at 37-36.
A Gayman silky jumper from the left-side put Nevada up 39-36 with 5:18 to play in regulation. From there, the Tigers dominated the remainder of the quarter, ending the game on a 17-6 run. Two of Gayman's fourth-quarter buckets were over the extended arms of Scroggins.
"Clay hit big shot after big shot down the stretch," Gray said. "Tough shots over Scroggins. And Scroggins would continue to become frustrated at that end, which led to him shooting poorly on the other end."
Gayman's three quarter monster performance included 20 points, 15 rebounds, four assists, and three blocks. Sommer also finished with 20 points, Patrick Ferry, seven, Heathman four, and McNeley three.
"If you want to win the conference you have to beat the defending conference champs," Gray said. "The next step is to defeat the state-ranked O'Hara Celtics next Tuesday."
Up next
A West Central Conference road matchup with the Kansas City O'Hara Celtics, with tip for the varsity game slated for Tuesday at 8 p.m.