Wolf Pack lacking defensive intensity

It doesn't take a lot to get Mark Fox's blood pressure to boil. But there's nothing like a lack of defensive effort and execution to really set off the UNR coach.

The Wolf Pack (10-7) is 2-2 in Western Athletic Conference play, largely because of its inability to shut down opponents.

UNR managed to overcome its porous defense Thursday and hold off an improved Idaho squad, 69-61. But after Boise State made six of its first eight 3-point shots Saturday night and finished with 13 3s, it's little wonder the Wolf Pack lost at home 95-80 and finds itself at .500 two weeks into the conference season.

If UNR intends to get back into the WAC race, it will need to improve quickly at getting stops. And it will have to be able to do it away from Lawlor Events Center as UNR travels to New Mexico State and Louisiana Tech this week.

"A lot of our issues are tied to inexperience," Fox said Monday during the weekly WAC coaches teleconference. "A lot of teams would try to replace a great player by committee. We're trying to replace three great players (Nick Fazekas, Ramon Sessions and Kyle Shiloh), and we've struggled to do so."

Fox said consistency is the key to his team becoming better defensively.

"We have spurts that are solid and spurts that are the opposite," he said. "We've had breakdowns of all kinds and we've got to correct our mistakes and play better for longer stretches."

Splitting games over the past two weeks wasn't what Fox wanted. Even though the Wolf Pack won at Hawaii, usually a difficult place for visiting teams, Fox wasn't happy with the way UNR played in losing its WAC opener at San Jose State, beating Idaho at Lawlor and, obviously, its performance against Boise State.

"It's not what you're shooting to do at home," he said of last week's split. "All we can do is learn and move forward."

UNR still has to face Utah State, and winning at Las Cruces against New Mexico State won't be easy Thursday. So Fox knows his team has put itself in a tough predicament if it wants to claim a fifth straight WAC championship.

But his team has been there before. In 2005-06, UNR began WAC play 3-3, then reeled off 10 straight wins to finish atop the conference.

• NOTES -- While UNR allowed a season-high 13 3-point field goals against Boise State, the Wolf Pack knocked down a season-best nine against the Broncos, with Marcelus Kemp hitting four, a season high for him, and Brandon Fields equaling a career best with four 3-pointers. ... Kemp is second on the school's career list with 189 3-pointers, trailing only Terrance Green, who made 209 from 1999 to 2003. ... Boise State outrebounded UNR, 38-29. The Wolf Pack is 1-6 this season when getting beat on the boards.

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or (702) 387-2913.