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Tigers rout Patriots, 65-39, improve to 2-0 in Big 8 West play
Controlling every facet of the game from the opening tip, the Nevada Tigers drilled the visiting East Newton Patriots, 65-39, in a Big 8 Conference West division clash Friday night at Wynn Gym.
The convincing victory moves Nevada to 8-5 overall, and 2-0 in the Big 8 West division.
Logan Applegate’s nothing-but-net triple form the top of the key handed the Tigers a 3-0 advantage with 7:07 remaining in the opening frame.
An East Newton bucket trimmed the Tigers’ lead to 3-2, but Nevada replied with an 18-2 blitz, punctuated by wing-forward Matt Thompson’s knifing drive-and-finish.
The opening frame concluded with reserve guard Carter Swearingen burying a trey from the deep-left wing, Nevada’s fifth of the quarter, handing the Tigers a 24-8 cushion.
Nevada continued to scorch the nets in the second, as Swearingen drove-and-kicked to sophomore guard Lane McNeley on the right wing for three and a 37-10 lead. The Tigers eventually went into the half up
Nevada’s offense worked more deliberately in the second half, en route to the decisive 26-point victory.
Junior forward Dalton Gayman paced the Tigers with a game-high 20 points, while Thompson and Applegate chipped in 10 apiece.
During his postgame radio interview, Nevada head coach Shaun Gray said that coming off Tuesday’s 18-point triumph over Lamar, he was pleased that his squad didn’t overlook East Newton.
“We emphasized that in practice,” said Gray, of not taking the visitors too lightly.
Continued Gray: “Defense leads to offense, and it was never more true than tonight. We had a lot of really good defensive possessions that ended in them taking some tough shots, and resulted in us getting out (in transition) and getting some good looks at the other end. Especially in the first quarter, we really found the open man with good ball movement. I was really proud of the way our guys came out tonight.”
Gayman, coming off a career-high 24 point performance against Lamar Tuesday, kept the good times rolling Thursday.
“(Dalton’s) playing his role so well, understanding how tough he is to guard around the basket, and how he can draw fouls while still getting a scoring opportunity,” continued Gray during his radio interview.
Gayman did plenty of damage on the inside, but also showed off his feathery long-range touch, as the southpaw swished a first quarter three-pointer from the right corner.
“He can make an outside shot if it’s within the flow of the offense,” explained Gray.
With the game already out of hand early in the second quarter, Gray discussed his philosophy as far as not running up the score.
“You have that fine line between still playing good, hard aggressive basketball — but not trying to run up a score or embarrass anybody,” explained the fifth-year head coach. “Which is something we never, ever want to do.”
Gray indicated he’s seen a marked improvement with his club post-Christmas break.
“We’re proud that we’ve taken a step to get better,” he said. “Because (heading into) Christmas break we weren’t where we wanted to be. And these guys took that, and were serious about getting better — and we’ve done that together as a group. And if we keep working, we can take another step like that and get even better.”
Summed up Gray: “Tonight we had nine guys in the scoring column, and it was really good to see that balance.”
Prior to the varsity contest, Nevada’s junior varsity squad (2-9) fell to East Newton in overtime, 43-37.
Up next
The Tigers are set to host Seneca in a key Big 8 West match-up.
Tip is slated for Tuesday (Jan. 15) at approximately 7 p.m. “It’s going to be a big game, and will go a long way in deciding the West division of the Big 8,” concluded Gray.