RENO, Nev. (AP)—Nick Fazekas scored 28 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to help No. 22 Nevada beat Sacramento State 82-74 on Saturday night.
Marcellus Kemp had nine of his 15 points in the final 3:15 and Chad Bell and Mo Charlo each scored 11 for the Wolf Pack in their season opener.
Alex Bausley scored 28 points on 6-of-11 shooting from 3-point range and Haron Hargrave added 14 points for the Hornets (1-2).
Nevada took its biggest lead 58-35 midway through the second half on a pair of free throws by Kemp. Bausley made five 3-pointers over the final eight minutes of the game to pull the Hornets within 78-69 with 28 seconds left before Charlo made three free throws and Lyndale Burleson added another to seal the victory.
Fazekas was 10-of-15 from the field and blocked three shots for the Wolf Pack, who are 29-4 at home over the past two seasons.
Nevada, which outrebounded Sacramento State 45-33, trailed 9-2 early but put together a 10-0 run midway through the first half and opened the second half with a 17-2 run to take a 50-32 lead on Bell’s basket at 13:52.
The lead grew to 54-34 when Charlo hit from 10 feet then broke away for a dunk. But Bausley made four 3-pointers during a 24-8 run that pulled the Hornets to 66-59 with 5:11 left.
Burleson had a breakaway layup and Kemp scored inside for a 70-61 lead at 3:16.
DaShawn Freeman, who finished with 13 points, scored off a rebound to make it 70-63 but Kemp made a 3-point goal then added two more free throws for a 75-65 lead at 1:19.
Bausley and Freeman each followed with 3-pointers but the Wolf Pack made the free throws they needed after that for the win.
Nevada turned the ball over three times in the first 2:30 as Sacramento State opened a 9-2 lead on 3-point shots by Bausley and Hargrave and a 3-point play by Harris.
Williams’ pushed the lead to 22-17 when Bell was called for goaltending 11 minutes before the half, but the Wolf Pack went on a 10-0 run over the next 6 minutes, taking their first lead 23-22 at 6:28 when Fazekas followed a tip-in with a blocked shot and then another basket off a rebound.
