The SIU basketball team fell to the Nevada Wolf Pack (11-2) on Friday evening 86-64 in its first matchup of the Las Vegas Classic.

Nevada was led junior guard Jordan Caroline who transferred from SIU after his freshman season.

Caroline finished the game with 13 points and seven rebounds against his old school.

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The Wolf Pack also featured many shooters on the perimeter, as its 11-19 3-point shooting factored tremendously into the victory.

The Salukis came out the gates stong and scored the first two buckets, the second being a layup by junior center Kavion Pippen. Pippen finished with 11 points and shot an efficient 5-6 from the field.

Midway through the first half, the Wolf Pack went on a massive 25-2 scoring run after SIU led 17-16.

The Salukis mustered a 6-0 spurt led by 2 jumpers from senior forward Jonathan Wiley that broke the run.

The first half ended with the score at 46-28 after Nevada hit a buzzer-beating layup.

Nevada kept the pressure on Southern in the second half and sealed the victory without any threat from the Salukis.

Not all was bad for SIU as four Salukis scored in double figures in the game.

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Junior forward Rudy Stradnieks scored a career-high 11 points and drained a 3-pointer.

Senior guard Sean Lloyd scored 12 points along with theee rebounds and three assists.

Sophomore guard Aaron Cook added 10 points and dished three assists and one steal.

The Salukis (7-5) will play their final game of the Las Vegas Classic against the Duquense Dukes on Saturday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Sports writer Ryan Demer can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @RyanDemer_DE

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