Johnson doing well off the bench

RENO - Demarshay Johnson played one of the best games in his Nevada career in the 74-66 win over Colorado State Wednesday night.

Johnson scored eight point on 4-for-7 shooting, but it was his rebounding and shot-blocking that earned kudos from Fox. Johnson blocked a career-high six shots and also pulled down seven rebounds, four at the offensive end.

"He's so happy final exams are over," Fox said. "He's really matured as a person.

"We're bringing him off the bench, and he's been a good sport about it. That has allowed him to relax."

Johnson is averaging 7.7 points and 5.1 rebounds a game.

FATIGUE FACTOR

Fox said that he felt his team was a bit fatigued. He's not sure whether it had to do with being in final exams or not.

"I don't know whether it was mental or physical," Fox said. "We have to be able to overcome it."

UP NEXT

Nevada returns to action on Saturday afternoon, traveling to Cedar Falls, Iowa, to take on Northern Iowa (8-2) in a rematch of last year's BracketBuster game. The game tips off at 11 a.m. local time and can be seen on KAME TV.

The Pack leaves this morning for the game, traveling via charter. The team will return immediately after the game and have two days off to spend time with their families before leaving Christmas morning for the game at North Carolina.

FAZEKAS, SESSIONS UPDATE

Ramon Sessions, who left Nevada early for the NBA, is one of the top scorers for Tulsa.

Sessions is averaging 22.7 a game for the Tulsa 66ers. He scored 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds in a 122-92 win over Fort Wayne.

Nick Fazekas, who also plays for the 66ers, is averaging 12.9 points and 7.9 rebounds per outing. He had 20 points and 16 rebounds in the win over Fort Wayne.

Sessions has led the team in scoring five of the team's first eight games.

Two other former WAC standouts are currently playing in the D-League - Coby Karl and Julian Sensley.

Karl, formerly of Boise State is averaging 19.2. Sensley, the former Hawaii star, is averaging 16.7 points and 8.9 rebounds.

FACTS & FIGURES

Senior Marcelus Kemp scored a season-high 28 points to lead the Wolf Pack. It was his sixth 20-point effort of the season and his 20th consecutive game in double figures for scoring...A veteran officiating crew - Rick Batsell, Bill Kennedy and Winston Stith - worked the contest ... Reno boxer Joey Gilbert, who was recently stripped of one of his titles, was in attendance ... The team also won for the 29th time in 31 games at Lawlor Events Center, including its fourth contest in a row...JaVale McGee led the team in rebounding (9) for the third consecutive game and the seventh time this year...Nevada blocked a season-high 10 shots, and McGee had two. It was the eighth time this year that McGee has blocked more than one shot in a game.