Marshall, Oliver rally Nevada in Mountain West semifinals (Mar 10, 2017)
LAS VEGAS (AP) Marcus Marshall had 25 of his 28 points in the second half to fuel a huge run and top-seeded Nevada rallied for an 83-72 win over fourth-seeded Fresno State on Friday night to reach the Mountain West Conference championship game for the first time.
Cameron Oliver had 18 of his 27 points in the second half as the Wolf Pack (27-6) avenged two regular season losses to the Bulldogs (20-12) to earn a matchup with second-seeded Colorado State. Nevada joined the MWC in 2012 and last made the NCAA Tournament in 2007.
Fresno State shot 48 percent and Nevada 23 in the first half and the Bulldogs led 32-21. Early in the second half the Wolf Pack scored 16 straight and made it a 25-2 run. Marshall had 11 points, making three 3-pointers and Oliver had 10 with three 3s, including a 4-point play that made it 56-42 with 9:03 to play.
Nevada shot 79 percent (19 of 24) in the second half, going 8 of 10 behind the arc. Oliver and Marshall both finished with five from distance with Oliver moving to No. 2 on the MWC single-season list with 112. The Wolf Pack increased its school record to 305.
Deshon Taylor had 21 points and Paul Watson 19 for the Bulldogs.
