Utah State win over New Mexico: By the Numbers
LAS VEGAS — On March 5, the Utah State Aggies men’s basketball team defeated the New Mexico Lobos 75-70 during the quarterfinals of the Mountain West Tournament.
Throughout the game the Aggies faced adversity in all its forms, but ultimately prevailed in nail-biting fashion. Despite squandering a 13-point lead early, then later falling behind the Lobos by 11, USU rallied as a team and showcased its resiliency to make a late game comeback and steal the victory from New Mexico.
Several key moments contributed to the ebb and flow of the game, some of which put the Aggies’ tournament chances in jeopardy. To better understand the outcome, it is helpful to explore the statistics that impacted USU’s performance.
Photo by: Chantelle McCall
By the numbers
Three- The matchup between the Lobos and Aggies was the third consecutive meeting in the Mountain West tournament over the past three seasons. Before their latest tilt, the two teams split the games in 2018 and 2019, with the winner advancing to the conference championship game. The Aggies came out on top in 2019, which led to an eventual championship victory over San Diego State.
Will history repeat itself this time around?
8:11- USU fended off the Lobos for most of the first half, enjoying a double-digit lead throughout. Then, with 8:11 remaining, the Lobos took matters into their own hands, as they started to chip away at the Aggies’ lead. Jaquan Lyle’s 16 points, in the first half alone, gave USU fits and the Lobos eventually tied things up before the intermission.
Five- This was the amount of time it took for Sam Merrill to get into foul trouble. In just four minutes and 28 seconds, Merrill committed four fouls and found himself sitting on the bench for a good chunk of time thereafter. Shortly after Merrill’s fourth foul, the Lobos took advantage of his absence on the court and took its first lead of the night. From there, the team never looked back and seemed poised to pull off the upset. Until…
9:38- After spending just under five minutes on the bench, Merrill returned to the court and was a man on a mission. Aside from a couple of rare free throw misses, he was on fire and scored nine points —18 total in the second half — to help the Aggies rally in the late stages.
6:43- In a pivotal moment for USU, center Neemias Queta and Lobos guard Vance Jackson committed offsetting fouls, with Jackson’s resulting in a flagrant one call. After making his two free throws, Queta and the rest of the Aggies gained new life and took over the rest of the second half. Strong defense and an 18-point surge following the play helped propel USU to a victory.
1:48-1:08- Diogo Brito had little presence on the court for the Aggies during the game, but came up big when he needed to. With 1:48 remaining, his layup put USU up 70-68 and a three-point conversion on the ensuing play proved to be the dagger in New Mexico’s heart. Brito’s late-game five-point contribution sealed the 75-70 victory for his team.
BRITO‼️‼️‼️ pic.twitter.com/pFQEIPMhbX
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) March 6, 2020
It’s Merrill’s world, we all just live in it
29- Merrill posted a 29-point performance en route to a record-breaking evening. The night’s point total was the 23rd straight game Merrill had racked up double-digits in a game. It also amounted to his 29th time scoring 29 points, a feat he also achieved in 106 of his career games overall.
2,143- With his 29, Merrill surpassed former Aggie Greg Grant on the all-time USU scoring list and now sits in second place. In addition to his school totals, Merrill also ranks fourth in Mountain West history all-time in career scoring.
March 6, 2020- USU looks to return to the Mountain West championship game in a Friday night game against the no. 11 Wyoming Cowboys. The Cowboys are looking to continue their Cinderella story performance and upset the reigning-champion Aggies. Tip off is at 9:30 MST.