Blake Miller /Nevada Sagebrush Guard Kelsey Kaelin dribbles down the court against Fresno State on Saturday, Jan. 24 at Lawlor Events Center. The junior is averaging 3.8 points a game and is shooting 36 percent this season.
By Nicole Skow
Another week, another pair of losses for the Wolf Pack. Nevada fell to the UNLV Rebels 75-52, before losing 61-45 to Wyoming.
The Wolf Pack’s losing streak is at six games after losing both games by a combined 39 points. Nevada has lost all but one of those games by double digits.
Much like the rest of its season, shooting has been the Wolf Pack’s downfall. Against UNLV, the team shot a combined 30 percent. They shot even worse against the Cowgirls at an abysmal 28 percent.
“I don’t know if it’s so much that we need to change besides finding the people who will step up and continue to work within our philosophy,” said Nevada’s associate head coach Camille Williams. “We’ve lost some passion out there. January has been a very tough month for us overall so now we’ve got to find the people who want to give their all day in, day out for February because it’s still wide open.
“We still have opportunities. We still have chances. We still have games to play. We can’t quit. We have to keep fighting.”
Nevada’s Emily Burns returned to action two weeks ago, but she’s already showing signs of her old self. She put up 17 points against the Rebels and chipped in 13 against Wyoming — including going 3-of-6 from behind the arc.
“I think after a couple games she’s gotten her groove back,” said Nevada guard Kelsey Kaelin. “She’s actually really helped us a lot because we don’t have very many 3-point shooters so her threes really help us (and) just having a bigger body in there for a three guard. I think she’s coming back a lot better now that she has a couple games under her belt.”
Kaelin also had a strong weekend, scoring in double-digits for the first time against the Cowgirls, putting up 10 points. Kaelin has had lofty shoes to fill this season as star point guard Terilyn Moe went down with an ACL tear back in November. Kaelin, a true shooting guard, has been playing out of position at the one position.
“[Kaelin] has been very steady for us and able to make adjustments [and] handle pressure,” Williams said. “Those are the two elements that keep us composed and at least be able to operate an offense. That is what we need Kelsey to do. She’s really stepped into that position and done it very unselfishly. It hasn’t been about what Kelsey can do for herself, but what Kelsey can do for this team.”
February offers a fresh start for the Pack. It is time for them to close the book on January and focus on the next 10 games. Williams knows that in order to be successful the team must focus on future and let go of the past.
“We got to forget the past,” Williams said. “That’s the one thing that I hope this team in February will do. Forget the past. Yes, Colorado State (was) disappointing. Then we go to Utah State, disappointing. We understand what is happening. Now we have to forget it because we have other challenges ahead of us.”
Nicole Skow can be reached at euribe@sagebrush.unr.edu and on Twitter @SagebrushSports.
