CBI Championship 2016: Game 1 Score and Reaction for Nevada vs. Morehead State

The Morehead State Eagles took a huge step toward winning the 2016 CBI championship with an 86-83 win over the Nevada Wolf Pack on Monday on their home court in Ellis Johnson Arena.

It was the 11th win in the past 12 games for the 23-12 Eagles, who started the season a pedestrian 12-11. Lyonell Gaines led the way for Morehead State with career highs in points (27) and rebounds (14), his fourth double-double of the season and second in a row.

Nevada must win the next two in the best-of-three series to claim the championship, while the Eagles must win one of two on the Wolf Pack's home court.

The game was in question until a Cameron Oliver three-point attempt bounced off the rim in the final seconds. Nevada only had a chance to tie because Morehead State's Xavier Moon, who had made 22 straight free throws in the tournament, missed a pair 25 seconds earlier.

The win was no easy task, as the teams battled back and forth throughout the contest. The Eagles had to weather a few runs by the Wolf Pack after blowing two six-point leads. Nevada went ahead 62-61 on a Marqueze Coleman three-pointer with 10 minutes, 16 seconds left in the game for its first lead since the 6:52 mark of the first half.

The CBI's Twitter account recognized how even the play was near the midpoint of the second half:

An 8-2 run gave the Eagles an 83-76 lead, which was the largest of the game for either team. It was highlighted by Moon's three-pointer and a traditional three-point play by Gaines.

Former Lexington, Kentucky, sports anchor Mary Jo Perino noted the entertainment factor:

The first half was just as fun. 

It went back and forth, too, as neither team led by more than five points. Both teams were within two points of each other from the 10:32 mark to the 3:22 mark, when Morehead State jumped to a four-point lead, 33-29, before finally taking a 38-36 lead into the break.

Even before its team climbed ahead, the Eagles crowd was fired up, per the school's Twitter account:

Despite the deficit, Nevada's Tyron Criswell was the offensive star of the first 20 minutes, scoring 14 points on 4-of-4 shooting from the field and 6-of-6 from the free-throw line. He finished with a game-high 31 points on 10-of-13 shooting.

Gaines put in a full game's work in the first half, scoring 11 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.

The Wolf Pack will now head home for Game 2 of the series, and Game 3 if necessary. Chris Murray of the Reno Gazette-Journal noted that will be a huge advantage for Nevada:

The Wolf Pack will have the advantage of playing on their home court, where they are 11-3 this season, but they must win both games. Despite holding a 1-0 lead, Morehead State has not wrapped up the championship yet. The road is never kind in college basketball, but with an 8-9 record away from their home court, the Eagles have proved they can win in a hostile environment. 

After a close 40-minute battle, it seems as though the series may be destined to go three games, as the Wolf Pack will be desperate and fighting for their season Wednesday night.

Postgame Reaction

Gaines was humble after the victory despite playing the best game of his career, per ESPN.com.

"I should have made more free throws," Gaines said after shooting 5-of-9 at the foul line. "Overall, I think I played very well. I'm just trying to do whatever it takes for my team to win."

Morehead coach Sean Woods praised his senior in the postgame presser, according to ESPN.com.

"In the last two months, he's the reason why we've had success, because he's playing like a madman," Woods said. "Like I thought he could. He's going out with a bang, and I'm so proud of him."

With the unique best-of-three format, the Wolf Pack aren’t out of it just yet. In fact, they moved on from this game right away and are already looking forward to playing at home, per the team’s Twitter account:

Nevada's director of athletics, Doug Knuth, tweeted that he believes the team can come back and win the title:

They certainly can do that, but Woods will have his team ready and seems to have faith in the game plan, per ESPN.com.

"We've been so tough mentally down the stretch," Woods said. "We've got veteran guards that are not going to turn it over. You see what we do—we spread you out and I just say 'Go! Go make a play and put them back on their heels.' And every time we do that, something good happens.”