SF State men’s basketball head coach Bill Treseler preaches rebounding and transition defense as the keys to success for their upcoming season.

But the Gators ran into a roadblock during an away game loss 87-69 against Divsion I University of Nevada, where they were out-rebounded 42-19, including 16 offensive rebounds by the Wolf Pack.

The Gators lost despite the 25 points and seven rebounds by SF State’s Joey Shaw.

“We are not where we need to be defensively,” said Treseler. “We need to stay focused on that.”

In the first seven minutes of the second half, the Gators went on an 18-5 run to claw within nine points, 52-43.

Nevertheless, in the final eight minutes, the Wolf Pack built a 20-point lead to 70-50, putting the game out of reach.

Gators guard Alex Thomas only had four points while shooting 1 of 3.

“They’re a pretty good team,” Thomas sad. “They have a lot of talented players.”

Will Logan picked up 17 points and shot 7 of 14 from the field, including 3 of 5 from the 3-point line.

“We were up to the challenge,” Darryl Robinson said.

“It’s all on the table for us to take. It was a winnable game for us.”

Vince Capellino’s jumper put the Gators up 16-15, their only lead of the night. But with an 18-7 run by Nevada, the Gators had a slim chance of coming back.

The Wolf Pack closed the first half on a 3-pointer by Lyndale Burleson, stretching the lead to 21 points, the largest of the game for the Wolf Pack.

Despite the loss, Treseler said playing a formidable opponent like the Wolf Pack was a good experience for his players.

“They’re picked to win the WAC [Western Athletic Conference],” Treseler said. “It is a good environment there and it gives us an early feel to tune up before opening the season.”

Forward Ryan Wessels scored 12 points in 24 minutes of play coming off the bench.

The Gators will play one more exhibition game in hopes of fixing any defensive issues when they take on Academy of Art in the Main Gymnasium on Nov. 13.