Kenan Blackshear scored 30 points as Nevada nipped Georgia Tech 72-64 on Sunday to win the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu.
The Wolf Pack (12-1) continued their strong start to the season by riding Blackshear’s 11-of-14 shooting performance, not to mention his five rebounds and four assists. Jarod Lucas chipped in 20 points for Nevada, while Nick Davidson notched nine points and eight boards.
Baye Ndongo registered 20 points and eight rebounds to pace the Yellow Jackets (8-4) in both categories. Miles Kelly contributed 10 points but only shot 3 of 15 from the field and 1 of 9 from beyond the arc.
The Wolf Pack won despite shooting just 7 of 22 (31.8 percent) from 3-point range, although the Yellow Jackets were even worse from long distance at 6 of 26 (23.1 percent).
Neither team led by more than six during a first half that ended with Nevada ahead 36-30. Lucas had 10 points in the period, while Kelly and Ndongo paced Georgia Tech with eight apiece.
About five minutes into the second half, Lucas made a jumper and a 3-pointer to put Nevada ahead by seven, but Kyle Sturdivant responded with five consecutive points for Georgia Tech. Lucas’ 3-pointer helped push the lead back to seven, but the Yellow Jackets kept chipping away.
With just under 6 1/2 minutes left, Naithan George converted a layup to get Georgia Tech within a point. The teams remained close over the next several minutes, with Blackshear accounting for the bulk of the offense for Nevada. His turnaround jumper rolled in with 1:20 remaining to give the Wolf Pack a 66-62 lead.
George missed two free throws with 1:04 to go, and Blackshear responded by going 2-for-2 from the foul line on the other end with 37 seconds left. Ndongo’s two free throws with 27 seconds remaining got Georgia Tech within 68-64, but Blackshear and Lucas combined to make 4 of 6 free throws in the final 24 seconds to seal the win.
–Field Level Media
