NEW ROCHELLE, NY — Nevada used a strong second half in a 81-76 win over the Iona College basketball team in an out-of-bracket contest associated with the GCI Great Alaska Shootout at the Lawlor Events Center. The Gaels led by 10 at halftime but went ice gold from distance in the second half in the defeat.
Senior Jordan Washington led all scorers with a 29-point, 13-rebound double-double. Washington shot 11-of-14 from the field and 7-for-13 from the line in just 22 minutes of play. Grad student Jon Severe added 13 points and four rebounds and rookie E.J. Crawford posted 12 points, eight rebounds and two assists. Junior Deyshonee Much came off the bench to add nine points, seven rebounds and four assists. Sophomore Rickey McGill posted four points, four assists and two steals.
The Gaels led by as many as 14 points in the first half with 2:39 to play on a conventional three-point play by Crawford. The Wolf Pack cut the margin to 10 points at the break.
Trailing by five points just over five minutes into the second half, Nevada scored 11 straight points over a two minute stretch to gain the lead for good.
All five Nevada starters recorded double-digit point totals accounting for all but two of the home team’s scoring. Cameron Oliver had 22 points, six rebounds and four blocks. Elijah Foster posted a 21-point, 10-rebound double-double and leading scorer Marcus Marshall had 20 points in the win.
Both teams head to Anchorage tomorrow for the Great Alaska Shootout tournament. Iona takes on Drake Thursday night at 9:30 pm ET while Nevada plays Wednesday vs. Oakland.
