Washington State wallops Nevada, 68-57; Wolf Pack drops to 6-2

Eight days between games proved to be too many for the Nevada men’s basketball team.

That long break, along with a bad week of practices, led to a lethargic Wolf Pack.

The Wolf Pack turned in a dismal performance as Washington State took a 68-57 win on Monday night at Lawlor Events Center in front of 7,748 fans.

Washington State was without its leading scorer, Cedric Coward, but Nevada had no answer for the players the Cougars did have.

Kobe Sanders led Nevada with 14 points and Justin McBride had 11 as the Wolf Pack dropped to 6-2.

The Wolf Pack entered the game third in the nation in shooting and second in 3-point accuracy, but shot 39 percent (22-of-57) from the field, and 4-of-20 from 3-point range.

Washington State had four players score in double figures, led by Isaiah Watts with 17 points. LeJuan Watts added 13, and Ethan Price and Nate Calmese each had 10. The Cougars shot 41.7 percent (25-of-60) as they improved to 7-2.

Nevada coach Steve Alford said having seven seniors, the sixth-oldest roster in the nation, should help alleviate the long time between games.

“We had a really bad week of practice,” Alford said. “Bad practices usually mean bad performances, so we’ve got to do a better job of coaching them. It’s an old group, so it’s shocking this was maybe one of the worst offensive performances this team has had since we’ve been here.”

Nevada plays at Loyola Marymount on Saturday (6 p.m., TV: ESPN+). The Lions (3-3) play at Colorado State on Wednesday.

The Lions are coming off a 73-70 win over Wyoming in the Cancun Challenge Riviera Division.

Alford said the seniors need to take leadership to get the Pack back on the right path.

“If there’s value in what happened today, that I want out of this team, learn to play how you practice,” he said. “That’s the lesson that needs to be sent to this team.”

More stats

Nevada was 9-of-13 from the free throw line while Washington State was 6-of-9. Each team had 36 rebounds.

The Wolf Pack got 30 points from its bench, to 16 for the Cougars. The Pack had 12 points off fast breaks, to one for the Cougars.

Daniel Foster returned to the Wolf Pack’s lineup after dealing with a foot injury and played 17 minutes, scoring two points.

Halftime

Washington State led 31-21 at the half as Nevada struggled from the field, hitting 9-of-35, and just 1-of-15 from 3-point range.

The Wolf Pack was 2-for-3 from the free throw line in in the first half.

The Pack stayed within two to four points of the Cougars for most of the first half, but they pulled away in the final two minutes and scored with two seconds left in the half.

Out for the Cougars

Washington State’s Cedric Coward (shoulder) and Marcus Wilson (undisclosed) were both out for game against Nevada. Coward, who averages 17.7 points and 7.0 rebounds, has not played since Nov. 21.

Series history

Before Monday’s game, the Cougars and Wolf Pack last played in 2000 in Pullman, an overtime win for WSU. The Cougars hold a 4-1 all-time advantage.

NET rankings

Before Monday’s game, Nevada was ranked No 32 in the first NCAA NET Rankings released early Monday. Also from the Mountain West, Utah State was ranked No. 14, Boise State was No. 38, and San Diego State was No. 60.

The NET rankings take into account game results, strength of schedule, game location, net offensive and defensive efficiency, and the quality of wins and losses.

In the AP Poll released Monday, San Diego State is ranked No. 24 and Utah State was ninth among others receiving votes.

Up next

• Dec. 7, Nevada at Loyola Marymount, 6 p.m. (TV: ESPN+)
• Dec. 11, South Dakota State at Nevada, 7 p.m.
• Dec. 14, Texas Southern at Nevada, 7 p.m.
• Dec. 21, Colorado State at Nevada, 2 p.m.
• Dec. 28, Nevada at Wyoming, 1 p.m.
• Dec. 31, Utah State at Nevada, 7 p.m.