Utah State Aggies guard Max Shulga (11) puts the brakes on as he is guarded by San Diego State Aztecs guard Matt Bradley (20) as Utah State and San Diego State play in the Mountain West Conference Basketball Tournament Championship at UNLV’s Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas on Saturday, March 11, 2023.
Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
Third-seeded Utah State came up just short in its quest for a conference tournament championship and an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament on Saturday afternoon, losing 62-57 to San Diego State in the Mountain West final at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
After Taylor Funk’s 3-point try was originally ruled to have beat the shot clock with 6:19 remaining, a shot that would have given USU the lead, it was taken off the board after a video review, and the Aggies misfired on three of their next four possessions.
Former Wasatch Academy star Matt Bradley scored five straight points for SDSU, three on free throws after he steamrolled USU’s Steven Ashworth but got the friendly whistle. And when Darrion Trammell added a jumper, the Aztecs had a 53-46 lead with three minutes remaining.
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Aggies flip the script in the second half, down Boise State in Mountain West semifinal
Utah State pulled within two on an Ashworth 3-pointer with 30 seconds left, but the Aztecs made 9 of 10 free throws in the final 30 seconds to add the tournament title to their regular-season crown.
San Diego State improved to 27-6, while Utah State dropped to 26-8. …read more
Source:: Deseret News – Sports News