Wolf Pack comeback: Nevada stuns No. 2 Cincinnati in historic comeback
Thomson Reuters
Mar 18th 2018 9:12PM
Down by 22 points in the second half Sunday, seventh-seeded Nevada pulled off a comeback for the ages, getting a put-back from Josh Hall with 9.1 seconds left to stun second-seeded Cincinnati 75-73 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament's South Region at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.
Hall, who finished with 14 points, grabbed the miss of Cody Martin's step-back jumper and converted on an open 8-footer in the lane. The shot capped a game-ending 32-8 run for the Wolf Pack (29-7), who trailed 65-43 with 11:27 left after a Jarron Cumberland bucket.
Nevada's second-half comeback was the largest in NCAA Tournament history per CBS, citing STATS, LLC.
"Just a lot of heart and a lot of determination, no quit" Wolf Pack coach Eric Musselman said in a postgame interview on TNT. "Some halftime adjustments of some trapping and trying to speed them up. Nothing feels better that this, nothing! Sweet 16!"
Musselman added of using just six players in the game, "We worked so hard in the summer on conditioning. We don't get tired. We get stronger as the game goes on."
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BOISE, ID - MARCH 15: Johnathan Williams #3 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs battles for a rebound against James Dickey #21 of the UNC-Greensboro Spartans in the first half during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Taco Bell Arena on March 15, 2018 in Boise, Idaho. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 15: Cyril Langevine #10 of the Rhode Island Rams goes up for a shot between Brady Manek #35 and Khadeem Lattin #3 of the Oklahoma Sooners in the second half of the game during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at PPG PAINTS Arena on March 15, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX - MARCH 15: Donte Ingram #0 and Marques Townes #5 of the Loyola Ramblers celebrate after Ingram makes a game-winning three pointer against the Miami Hurricanes in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at American Airlines Center on March 15, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX - MARCH 15: Keith Stone #25 of the Florida Gators goes up for a shot against Tshiefu Ngalakulondi #5 of the St. Bonaventure Bonnies in the second half in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at American Airlines Center on March 15, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. The Florida Gators won 77-62. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
WICHITA, KS - MARCH 15: Trey Kell #3 of the San Diego State Aztecs reacts after his teams loss to the Houston Cougars in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at INTRUST Arena on March 15, 2018 in Wichita, Kansas. The Houston Cougars defeated the San Diego State Aztecs 67-65. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)
BOISE, ID - MARCH 15: Kevin Knox #5 of the Kentucky Wildcats and Oskar Michelsen #15 of the Davidson Wildcats battle for the ball in the second half during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Taco Bell Arena on March 15, 2018 in Boise, Idaho. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
WICHITA, KS - MARCH 15: Khadeen Carrington #0 and Desi Rodriguez #20 of the Seton Hall Pirates pressure Allerik Freeman #12 of the North Carolina State Wolfpack in the second half during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament at INTRUST Arena on March 15, 2018 in Wichita, Kansas. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
BOISE, ID - MARCH 15: Zach Norvell Jr. #23 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs makes a three point basket in the second half against the UNC-Greensboro Spartans during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Taco Bell Arena on March 15, 2018 in Boise, Idaho. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SAN DIEGO, CA - MARCH 16: Rondale Watson #23 of the Marshall Thundering Herd dives for a loose ball late in the second half against the Wichita State Shockers during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Viejas Arena on March 16, 2018 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
BOISE, ID - MARCH 15: The Buffalo Bulls bench celebrates in the second half against the Arizona Wildcats during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Taco Bell Arena on March 15, 2018 in Boise, Idaho. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI - MARCH 16: Isaac Haas #44 of the Purdue Boilermakers reacts after falling to the court on a foul by Cal State Fullerton Titans during the second half of the game in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Little Caesars Arena on March 16, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
SAN DIEGO, CA - MARCH 16: The Marshall Thundering Herd bench reacts after a play in the second half against the Wichita State Shockers during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Viejas Arena on March 16, 2018 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Donald Miralle/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN - MARCH 16: Cody Martin #11 of the Nevada Wolf Pack scores against the Texas Longhorns in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament held at Bridgestone Arena on March 16, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Justin Tafoya/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
Charlotte NC - MARCH 16: UMBC forward Arkel Lamar (33), center, flies past Virginia guard Kyle Guy (5), right for a slam dunk during UMBC's upset of the University of Virginia in the 1st round for the mens NCAA basketball tournament at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte NC on March 16, 2018 . (Photo by John McDonnell/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NC - MARCH 16: The UMBC Retrievers bench reacts to their 74-54 victory over the Virginia Cavaliers during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Spectrum Center on March 16, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
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Cody Martin scored a game-high 25 points, leading five Nevada players in double figures. Kendall Stephens and Jordan Caroline each added 13. Caleb Martin, who hit for 10 points, drained a 3-pointer with 54 seconds left to tie the game at 73.
Jacob Evans tallied 19 points to pace the Bearcats (31-5), while Cumberland potted 17 before fouling out with just over four minutes left. Gary Clark finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds, and Kyle Washington contributed 10 points and 11 rebounds.
The Wolf Pack will meet 11th-seeded Loyola-Chicago on Thursday night in a classic bracket-collapse matchup in the South Region semifinals at Atlanta.
Cincinnati opened the game as though Nevada were a fresh slab of meat tossed into a bearcat's cage. It scored the first 10 points in a span of 1:56 and forced Musselman to burn a timeout, then widened the lead to 18-4 and forced a second timeout just 4:17 into the game.
A 3-pointer by Cumberland at the 12:11 mark upped the Bearcats' advantage to 27-10, but Nevada finally found some traction. Cody Martin drained a jumper with 5:54 left in the half to pull the Wolf Pack within 33-26.
However, Cincinnati regained momentum just before the halftime. Consecutive driving layups by Evans upped the lead to 14 points before another jumper by Cody Martin made it a 44-32 advantage for the Bearcats at halftime.
--Field Level Media
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The academic ranking of 2018 March Madness teams
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The academic ranking of 2018 March Madness teams
Penn
NCAA ranking: 64
U.S. News & World Report: #8 National University
(Photo by Corey Perrine/Getty Images)Duke
NCAA ranking: 6
U.S. News & World Report: #9 National University
(Photo by Michael Berg/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)UCLA
NCAA ranking: 41
U.S. News & World Report: #21 National University (tie)
(Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)Virginia
NCAA ranking: 1
U.S. News & World Report: #25 National University
(Photo by John McDonnell/The Washington Post via Getty Images)Michigan
NCAA ranking: 11
U.S. News & World Report: #28 National University
(Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)North Carolina
NCAA ranking: 5
U.S. News & World Report: #30 National University (tie)
(Photo by Andy Mead/YCJ/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)Florida
NCAA ranking: 21
U.S. News & World Report: #42 National University (tie)
(Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)Miami (FL)
NCAA ranking: 22
U.S. News & World Report: #46 National University (tie)
(Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)Villanova
NCAA ranking: 2
U.S. News & World Report: #46 National University (tie)
(Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)Ohio State
NCAA ranking: 20
U.S. News & World Report: #54 National University (tie)
(Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)Purdue
NCAA ranking: 7
U.S. News & World Report: #56 National University (tie)
(Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)Texas
NCAA ranking: 39
U.S. News & World Report: #56 National University (tie)
(Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)Syracuse
NCAA ranking: 44
U.S. News & World Report: #61 National University (tie)
(Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images)Clemson
NCAA ranking: 19
U.S. News & World Report: #67 National University
(Photo by Peyton Williams/UNC/Getty Images)Texas A&M
NCAA ranking: 25
U.S. News & World Report: #69 National University (tie)
(Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)Virginia Tech
NCAA ranking: 31
U.S. News & World Report: #69 National University (tie)
(Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)Texas Christian University (TCU)
NCAA ranking: 24
U.S. News & World Report: #78 National University (tie)
(Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)Florida State
NCAA ranking: 38
U.S. News & World Report: #81 National University (tie)
(Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)Michigan State
NCAA ranking: 9
U.S. News & World Report: #81 National University (tie)
(Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)North Carolina State
NCAA ranking: 37
U.S. News & World Report: #81 National University (tie)
(Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)Buffalo
NCAA ranking: 51
U.S. News & World Report: #97 National University (tie)
(Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)Oklahoma
NCAA ranking: 40
U.S. News & World Report: #97 National University (tie)
(Photo by David Stacy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)Auburn
NCAA ranking: 13
U.S. News & World Report: #103 National University (tie)
(Photo by Bryan Lynn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)Loyola-Chicago
NCAA ranking: 46
U.S. News & World Report: #103 National University (tie)
(Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)Tennessee
NCAA ranking: 10
U.S. News & World Report: #103 National University (tie)
(Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)Alabama
NCAA ranking: 36
U.S. News & World Report: #110 National University (tie)
(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)Arizona State
NCAA ranking: 43
U.S. News & World Report: #115 National University (tie)
(Photo by Chris Williams/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)Kansas
NCAA ranking: 3
U.S. News & World Report: #115 National University (tie)
(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)Missouri
NCAA ranking: 32
U.S. News & World Report: #120 National University (tie)
(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)Seton Hall
NCAA ranking: 29
U.S. News & World Report: #124 National University (tie)
(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)Arizona
NCAA ranking: 16
U.S. News & World Report: #124 National University (tie)
(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)Arkansas
NCAA ranking: 26
U.S. News & World Report: #133 National University (tie)
(Photo by Ken Murray/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)Cincinnati
NCAA ranking: 8
U.S. News & World Report: #133 National University (tie)
(Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)Kentucky
NCAA ranking: 17
U.S. News & World Report: #133 National University (tie)
(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
San Diego State
NCAA ranking: 45
U.S. News & World Report: #140 National University (tie)
(Photo by Josh Holmberg/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)Kansas State
NCAA ranking: 34
U.S. News & World Report: #145 National University (tie)
(Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)Rhode Island
NCAA ranking: 28
U.S. News & World Report: #156 National University (tie)
(Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)Maryland – Baltimore County
NCAA ranking: 63
U.S. News & World Report: #159 National University (tie)
(Photo by Tony Quinn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)Texas Tech
NCAA ranking: 12
U.S. News & World Report: #176 National University (tie)
(Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)Lipscomb
NCAA ranking: 59
U.S. News & World Report: #181 National University (tie)
(Photo by Matthew Maxey/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)West Virginia
NCAA ranking: 18
U.S. News & World Report: #187 National University (tie)
(Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)Houston
NCAA ranking: 23
U.S. News & World Report: #192 National University (tie)
(Photo by Leslie Plaza Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)New Mexico State
NCAA ranking: 47
U.S. News & World Report: #198 National University (tie)
(Photo by Sam Wasson/Getty Images)California State University -- Fullerton
NCAA ranking: 61
U.S. News & World Report: #202 National University (tie)
(Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty ImagesNevada
NCAA ranking: 27
U.S. News & World Report: #202 National University (tie)
(Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)Montana
NCAA ranking: 56
U.S. News & World Report: #207 National University (tie)
(Photo by Brian Murphy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)South Dakota State
NCAA ranking: 49
U.S. News & World Report: #216 National University (tie)
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)Georgia State
NCAA ranking: 60
U.S. News & World Report: #223 National University (tie)
(Photo by Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)Wichita State
NCAA ranking: 14
U.S. News & World Report: #231-300 National University
(Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)Texas Southern
NCAA ranking: 68
U.S. News & World Report: #231-300 National University
(Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)University of North Carolina -- Greensboro
NCAA ranking: 52
U.S. News & World Report: #231-300 National University
(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)Wright State
NCAA ranking: 57
U.S. News & World Report: #231-300 National University
(Photo by Andy Hancock/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)Davidson
NCAA ranking: 48
U.S. News & World Report: #10 National Liberal Arts College
(Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)Bucknell
NCAA ranking: 55
U.S. News & World Report: #33 National Liberal Arts College
(Photo by Brian Utesch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)Creighton
NCAA ranking: 30
U.S. News & World Report: #1 Regional University (Midwest)
(Photo by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images)Providence
NCAA ranking: 35
U.S. News & World Report: #1 Regional University (North)
(Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)Butler
NCAA ranking: 33
U.S. News & World Report: #2 Regional University (Midwest)
(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)Gonzaga
NCAA ranking: 15
U.S. News & World Report: #4 Regional University (West)
(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)Xavier
NCAA ranking: 4
U.S. News & World Report: #5 Regional University (Midwest)
(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)College of Charleston
NCAA ranking: 53
U.S. News & World Report: #12 Regional University (South)
(Photo by M. Anthony Nesmith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)St. Bonaventure
NCAA ranking: 42
U.S. News & World Report: #21 Regional University (North)
(Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)Murray State
NCAA ranking: 50
U.S. News & World Report: #32 Regional University (South)
(Photo by Stephen Furst/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)Marshall
NCAA ranking: 54
U.S. News & World Report: #43 Regional University (South) (tie)
(Photo by Andrew Dieb/Icon Sportwire)Radford
NCAA ranking: 65
U.S. News & World Report: #43 Regional University (South) (tie)
(Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)Stephen F. Austin
NCAA ranking: 58
U.S. News & World Report: #73 Regional University (West)
(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)Iona
NCAA ranking: 62
U.S. News & World Report: #75 Regional University (North)
(Photo by Rich Barnes/Getty Images)North Carolina Central
NCAA ranking: 67
U.S. News & World Report: #80 Regional University (South)
(Photo by Daniel Kucin Jr./Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)Long Island University -- Brooklyn
NCAA ranking: 66
U.S. News & World Report: Not ranked
(Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
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