| 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|
| CSU | 35 | 30 | 65 |
| USU | 33 | 43 | 76 |
Utah St pulls away from Colorado St in Mountain West, 76-65
LAS VEGAS -- Koby McEwen scored 14 of his 25 points in the second half when Sam Merrill had all 11 of his points and seventh-seeded Utah State pulled away for a 76-65 win over 10th-seeded Utah State in a first-round game of the Mountain West Conference Tournament on Wednesday.
Dwayne Brown Jr., added 15 points and Julion Pearre 14 for the Aggies (16-16), who face second-seeded Boise State in the quarterfinals on Thursday.
Utah State erased a 15-point deficit and trailed 35-33 at the half. Merrill had back-to-back baskets in a 6-0 run that put the Aggies up for good, 47-44 with 14 minutes to go. The lead got as high as seven before the Rams cut it to 68-65 on a 3-point play by Deion James with 4 1/2 minutes to go. However, Utah State scored the last eight points of the game while the Rams missed their last six shots and finished 1 for 10.
The Aggies, despite going 1 of 10 from distance, shot 56 percent in the second half with a 22-14 rebounding advantage.
Anthony Bonner had 15 points and Prentiss Nixon 14 for the Rams (11-21), who had a tumultuous season with the suspension resignation of head coach Larry Eustachy followed by the suspension of interim coach Steve Barnes. They lost 12 of their last 13 games.
Game Information
- Referees:
- Bob Staffen
- Deron White
- David Hall
2024-25 Mountain West Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Utah State | 1-0 | - | 11-1 |
| San Diego State | 1-0 | - | 8-2 |
| Boise State | 1-0 | - | 9-3 |
| New Mexico | 1-0 | - | 9-3 |
| Colorado State | 1-0 | - | 7-5 |
| UNLV | 0-0 | 0.5 | 6-5 |
| Nevada | 0-1 | 1 | 8-4 |
| Wyoming | 0-1 | 1 | 7-5 |
| San José State | 0-1 | 1 | 7-6 |
| Fresno State | 0-1 | 1 | 4-8 |
| Air Force | 0-1 | 1 | 3-9 |
Men's College Basketball News