Applegate, Gayman lift Tigers to season-opening victory over Mount Vernon, 62-55
Nevada Tiger star duo Logan Applegate and Dalton Gayman combined for 48 points in Friday night's season-opening victory over Big 8 Conference foe Mount Vernon Mountaineers.
Nevada needed every bit of that exquisite effort in Wynn Gym, pulling away late for the 62-55 victory.
Applegate, a 6-foot-2 junior point guard, dropped in Nevada's first five points, followed by a pair of Gayman free throws to put the Tigers on top, 7-0.
An Applegate NBA range 3-pointer handed Nevada a 14-6 advantage late in the first. Mount Vernon, a state-ranked Class 3 team, replied with a 10-0 run, stretching into the second quarter.
Junior guard Logan McNeley's triple late in the half helped Nevada regain the lead, as the Tigers headed to the lockeroom with a 25-23 advantage.
After picking up his second foul at the 4:31 mark of the opening frame, and then getting whistled for his third personal in the second quarter, power froward Gayman was relegated to the bench for the majority of the first half.
Gayman came out strong to open the second half, connecting on a short hook-shot to hand the Tigers a four-point lead.
A quick 5-0 spurt, punctuated by Cale Miller's 3-ball from the right wing, put the Mountaineers on top, 28-27.
Near the midpoint of the third, McNeley drilled consecutive 3-pointers from the left wing, and Nevada led, 35-31.
Forward Zach Jones kept the Mountaineers close, pulling down offensive rebounds and bulldozing his way to several close-range buckets.
Nevada's slim advantage evaporated early in the fourth, as Kai Brown connected from deep, for a 38-37 Mount Vernon lead.
On the ensuing possession, an Applegate highlight-reel no-look pass to a cutting McNeley for the reverse lay-in, pushed the Tigers back in front by a point.
With 4:20 remaining in regulation, Miller slashed to the bucket for the score, and trip to the charity stripe. Miller's free throw put the Mountaineers up, 43-42, in what turned out to be their final lead of the night.
Nevada responded with a 6-0 blitz, starting with a Gayman low-post bucket, and followed by an Applegate steal and coast-to-coast lay-in.
The spurt was punctuated by Gayman's spin-move and score off the left block, as the Tigers led, 48-43.
Mount Vernon trailed 50-48 with two minutes remaining in regulation, but the Tigers closed strong, as Gayman's thunderous dunk with 12 seconds remaining put the icing on the cake.
Applegate concluded with a game-high 27 points, while knocking down 10-of-12 from the charity stripe. Gayman, meanwhile, tallied 21, while McNeley chipped in 10.
Nevada's junior varsity squad was also victorious over Mount Vernon Friday night, 33-27. For the JV Tigers (2-2), Owen Swearingen and Eli Cheaney shared team-high scoring honors with 10 points apiece.
Nevada made it a clean sweep, as the Tiger freshman-squad toppled the Mountaineers, 33-27. Nevada frosh forward Case Sanderson finished with a game-high 10 points in the winning effort.