AUDIO: Wertz Halftime Interview on KDOW
RENO, Nev. – Santa Clara men's basketball was not able to take the momentum it built in a five-game home winning streak on the road.
Jazz Johnson posted 20 points on 7 of 11 shooting from the floor and Jalen Harris had a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds for Nevada, which rolled to a 98-67 victory over the Broncos.
Harris also had eight assists and Zane Meeks added 16 points on 4-for-8 shooting from behind the 3-point line for the Wolf Pack (6-3) who extended their winning streak to four games by shooting 53 percent from the floor, including 50 percent from behind the 3-point line.
No Santa Clara player reached double figures as DJ Mitchell and Jalen Williams led the way with eight points apiece.
Nisre Zouzoua had 12 points and Robby Robinson added 10 for Nevada which led by as many as 36 in the second half. The Broncos (8-2), who shot 35 percent from the floor for the game, were never closer than 25 in the second half. They made only four 3-pointers (one off their season-low) on 29 attempts in the game.
After trailing for a total of less than 3 minutes in three games at last week's Cable Car Classic, the Broncos fell behind 27-11 just 8 minutes into game as Nevada hit 11 of its first 16 from the field.
The Broncos, who had their best nine-game start to a season since 1968-69 when they opened 21-0, connected on just 3 of 19 attempts from behind the 3-point line in the first half and only hit 28 percent overall from the field.
With Santa Clara offering little resistance defensively and unable to knock down some open shots, the lead grew to 53-27 with 1:35 left on Zouzoua's two free throws. He was one of six Nevada players to tally at least five points in the opening 20 minutes led by Johnson who scored 13 on 5 of 7 shooting from the floor.
K.J. Hymes had eight points and eight of Nevada's season-high 26 assists in the game.
Josip Vrankic, Tahj Eaddy and Trey Wertz each posted seven points for the Broncos, but they were a combined 6-for-28 from the floor.
Vrankic had seven rebounds, though Nevada held a 52-37 edge on the glass.
NOTES
• The teams have met 63 times with the Broncos now holding a 34-29 edge. This was be the third meeting in the last five years. The Nevada has won the last five in the series and four in a row at home. Many of the meetings between the teams came as league foes as Nevada was a member of the West Coast Conference from the 1969-70 season through 1978-79.
• Santa Clara turned the ball over only nine times, which was its second-lowest total of the season (five vs. Notre Dame de Namur, Nov. 19).
• The Broncos held a 13-12 edge on offensive rebounds.
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