Nevada crushes East Bay in Alford’s coaching debut

RENO — The University of Nevada men’s basketball team used several runs to down Cal State East Bay, 81-52, in an exhibition game Saturday night at Lawlor Events Center.

It was the first victory under head coach Steve Alford, who was hired earlier this year to replace Eric Musselman, who became the head coach at Arkansas.

The game also marked the return of Lindsey Drew, who was sidelined for more than a year. Drew suffered an Achilles injury on Feb. 14, 2018 against Boise State, and in his rehabilitation, a hip injury developed. Drew scored 5 points in 27 minutes.

Jazz Johnson, who saw many minutes as a guard during the 2018-19 season, tallied 8 points

CSEB jumped out in front of the Pack, scoring the first eight points, but Nevada responded with a 15-0 run and led 27-15 at halftime.

In the second half the Pack put together a 21-5 run lead by 26 points. Nevada’s biggest lead of the night was the 29 point advantage at the end of the game.

Junior Jalen Harris tied for game-high honors with 21 points, making 6-of-13 shots from the field, 3-of-5 from behind the arc. Senior guard Nizré Zouzoua scored 16 points that included a pair of 3-pointers.

Freshman Zane Meeks, who may have reminded Pack fans of the legendary Nick Fazekas, was impressive in his Pack debut by scoring 10 points and hauling down 14 rebounds. Meeks made 3-of-7 three pointers as the Pack connected on 9-of-21 from behind the arc.

The Wolf Pack will host Colorado Christian in the preseason’s second exhibition game on Oct. 30 at 7:30 p.m. The Nevada women will host William Jessup at 5 p.m.