CHICAGO (AP) — The maroon and gold Final Four banner hanging from the rafters gave Nevada just a little extra motivation. Not that the Wolf Pack really needed it.
Caleb Martin had 21 points, twin brother Cody Martin scored 20 and No. 5 Nevada beat Loyola-Chicago 79-65 on Tuesday night in a rematch of their NCAA Tournament game.
Loyola edged Nevada by one point in the South Regional semifinals last season — the only other meeting between these programs. That victory came during a stunning Final Four run for the Ramblers.
"There was a lot of motivation," Caleb Martin said. "We thought that it could've been us. They had a lot of momentum behind them last year and they played really well and they had guys step up for them even though they were a young group of guys. ... We just had to tip our hats and keep it moving."
Nevada players saw the banner during shootaround, and an image was left showing it on a projector while they got dressed before the game.
Caleb Martin then scored 17 in the first half, helping the Wolf Pack (7-0) grab a 44-28 lead. The preseason All-American shot 8 of 13 in the game, including 3 for 6 on 3-pointers.
Cody Martin was 9 of 14 with seven assists.
Jordan Caroline, playing in his home state, had 15 points and six rebounds. Trey Porter added 14 points and 10 boards.
"There's a lot of veterans on that team," said Loyola's Marques Townes, who hit the decisive 3 in the closing seconds of the NCAA game against Nevada. "They got a couple of transfers and the majority of the starting lineup back. They played like men today. I feel like they out-physicalled us
today and we didn't respond."
Townes led Loyola (4-3) with a season-high 24 points and nine rebounds, but the Ramblers dropped their second straight game.