Utah State advanced to the Mountain West Championship game after a 79-66 win against Nevada on March 13 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
The victory puts Utah State (27-6) in position to compete for its third Mountain West postseason championship and its 11th overall postseason tournament title. The Aggies’ strong defensive performance was key, forcing 15 turnovers and holding Nevada to just over 26 percent shooting from three-point range.
Freshman Adlan Elamin led Utah State with 15 points and six rebounds. Graduate guard Drake Allen contributed across the board with 12 points, nine rebounds, six assists, and four steals. Senior MJ Collins Jr. added 12 points and a season-high seven rebounds, while junior Mason Falslev had 12 points, five rebounds, five assists, and three steals. Karson Templin scored 11 points for the Aggies.
Utah State shot just over 45 percent from the field but struggled from beyond the arc at just above 21 percent. The team made up for it at the free throw line, converting nearly 77 percent of their attempts. Nevada was led by Vaughn Weems with 17 points and nine rebounds but could not overcome Utah State’s early second-half surge.
The Aggies will play in Saturday’s championship game against either San Diego State or New Mexico at 4 p.m. Mountain Time. The game will be broadcast live on CBS.
