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LOGAN — Nevada didn't come into the Smith Spectrum on Friday night looking like a team on a six-game losing streak, or a team who had lost to Utah State by 29 points at home just two weeks ago.
The Wolf Pack offense overwhelmed the Aggies in the second half and came away with a dominant 85-72 win.
You hear that popping noise?
That's the sound of Utah State losing their third Quad 3 game of the season, all but eliminating any hope of an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Meanwhile, David Cambridge Jr. is strutting out of Cache Valley celebrating a game-high 27 points on 10-of-16 shooting. His partner in crime, Grant Sherfield, hit 12 free throws and tacked on 24 points. The Wolf Pack shot 60% in the second half and finished the game 10 of 20 from the free-throw line. The win snaps a six-game losing streak for Nevada.
"We did not play our best tonight. They came in here and played a lot more hungry, wanted more than we did. They were playing desperate," Aggies guard Rylan Jones said. "Cambridge and Sherfield make some shots. They're a hard guard because those two are really good."
Utah State, perhaps still reeling from an overtime loss at Wyoming, or looking ahead to two road games against San Diego State and Boise State next week, didn't appear emotionally ready for a Nevada team seeking revenge — and they were due for a win.
The Wolf Pack established the intensity early, forcing five turnovers in the opening minutes and held the Aggies scoreless until the 15:37 mark. Cambridge and forward Tre Coleman were both audibly amped up after several big plays, and any intimidation factor the 7,866 fans clad in white provided was minimized.
In the second half, the Wolf Pack piled on 53 points and cruised to victory.
Utah State coach Ryan Odom admitted losing this game was "a little bit of a different feeling" than the previous six conference losses. Each six of those games were a one-possession game within the final minute of the game.
On Friday night, the outcome was decided when Sherfield hit a step-back jumper with 3:01 to play to give Nevada a 10-point lead.
"I take full responsibility for what happened tonight. I didn't have the guys breathing fire for this game," Odom said. "And that's what we needed to be. We needed to be the hungrier and tougher team, and we were not."
The reason the Aggies were competitive for as long as they were was thanks in part to Brandon Horvath. The senior forward shot 9 of 10 from the free-throw line in the first half and finished with 15 points.
For the game, he nabbed a career high 29 points on 9-of-15 shooting. Justin Bean chipped in 16 points, and Jones added 11 points. Sean Bairstow and Steven Ashworth — both of whom were great during the five-game winning streak — were a combined 0 of 9 from the field.
After a slow start, Utah State stemmed the bleeding and took its first lead of the game on an RJ Etyle-Rock 3-pointer to go up 22-21 with 5:48 remaining in the half. The Aggies finished the half on a 7-2 run and took a 37-32 lead.
The real damage, however, came in the second half as the Wolf Pack jumped out to a 8-2 run to retake the lead on the Sherfield jumper.
"They retook the lead to start the second half," Jones said. "And then you know, when they make one or two shots, they can get going."
A Cambridge Jr. 3-pointer gave the Wolf Pack a 61-56 with 9:20 remaining. Cambridge Jr. was 3 of 5 from 3-point range and had 15 points in the second half.
"He's an elite scorer and shooter. He makes hard, difficult shots. We shouldn't have let them get them up," Jones said. "But he made them and we just weren't as good as we have been on defense in the last couple of games."
Wolf Pack center Will Baker got going late and hit four-straight shots, and Nevada built a 9-point lead with 4:02 remaining.
The Aggies offense sputtered in the second half and settled for contested jumpers, but shot just 3 of 12 from 3-point range. As the clock ticked down, the shot selection got increasingly desperate, while the Wolf Pack continued to make shots en route to the double-digit win.
Utah State will look to bounce back Tuesday at San Diego State.
