Around the country, several NCAA Tournament bubble teams took the court on Thursday. For teams on the bubble, the conference tournament can feel like the beginning of the tournament. A loss can signal the end to a bubble team’s season so that it can feel like a do-or-die scenario. That was the scenario Boise State (18-8) found themselves in. Entering the matchup with Nevada (16-9), ESPN’s Joe Lunardi had Boise as one of the “Last 4 In.”
Needing a win, they met a dominant scoring duo in Desmond Cambridge Jr. and Grant Sherfield. The two combined to score 57 points on 19-33 shooting in an 89-82 upset win over Boise. The two led a dominant shooting performance from three-point range; they combined to shoot 7 of 11 from behind-the-arc. As a team, Nevada shot 9-18 from three.
Individually, Cambridge Jr. had a season-high 31 points on 11-19 shooting and 4-8 from three. He also added 5 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. Sherfield finished with 26 points, 3 assists, 3 steals, and 2 rebounds. He hit all 3 of his three-point attempts. Warren Washington finished with a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds.
Barring a lot of bubble losses, Boise’s shot at the tournament is most likely gone. Teams like Utah State, Colorado State, and Seton Hall are poised to take their spot. Boise will need to hope for similar upsets to those teams in their respective conference tournaments.
Nevada leads from horn-to-horn
Nevada is more than comfortable with this Boise team. They swept the two matchups during the regular season, winning back-to-back games in February. Those games followed similar patterns, with Cambridge Jr. leading in scoring in the first game and Sherfield leading game two. Especially in the second game, Nevada was in control, as they pulled away for a 10-point win.
In this matchup, it was Nevada’s game from the start; they led from start-to-finish, leading by as many as 12 points. They started the game on a 9-2 run thanks to some strong defense; Sherfield picked up 2 steals while Cambridge Jr. blocked a shot during the run. Cambridge Jr. already had 16 points as Nevada took a 6-point lead into halftime.
A quick 5-point Boise burst after half trimmed the lead to 1, the lowest it would get. Nevada responded with a 12-2 run of their own to reclaim a double-digit lead. Devonaire Doutrive and Derrick Alston Jr. did their best to keep Boise in the game. They scored 17 points and 15 points, respectively; Doutrive had 9 of his 17 points in the 2nd half. However, they could not overcome the Nevada lead; Sherfield hit 2 free throws to increase the lead to 11 with 2 minutes left, effectively icing the game.
Up Next
Nevada vs. San Diego State, Friday, March 12, Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, NV
