Utah State stuns 12th-ranked Nevada at home
Ten seconds after tip-off and freshman center Neemias Queta stole the ball from a Nevada player and drove down the court, almost making the layup. As Nevada tried to take advantage of an open lane, senior forward Quinn Taylor flew in to block their shot. Utah State got into transition and Queta found himself at the rim with a bucket and a chance for an and-one, with 19:20 left in the first half.
This was just a snapshot of how the game between Nevada and Utah State went Saturday night in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, with both teams giving maximum effort for 40 minutes. The Aggies knocked off the 12th-ranked Wolfpack 81-76 in front of a raucous sell-out crowd.
USU head coach Craig Smith speaks with the press in front of his fans from the student section following Utah State’s 81-76 victory over #12 Nevada on March 2.
It was a night where fouls were going a problem for both teams, which became evident really early on. Taylor picked up his second foul with just three minutes played, and Queta found himself with his second just minutes after. Utah State’s help defense was very effective on the night. Quick switches in the paint led to Nevada having to take poor shots. Unfortunately, the extra bodies in the paint also led to a lot of foul calls under the basket for the Aggies, with the refs calling a tight one throughout.
But Utah State was persistent in its defensive play. The Aggies were able to hold Nevada’s two top scorers to a combined 14 points in the half, while also limiting the Wolfpack to shoot just 36 percent from the floor and 25 percent from three. The Aggies shot the ball much better in the first half, 48 percent to be exact, but really it came down to junior guard Sam Merrill leading the charge yet again. Merrill had a team-high 17 points at the half, going 4 of 4 from the line as well as making all three of the Aggies three-point attempts. Merrill finished with a game-high 29 points.
Sam Merrill follows through on a jumper during Utah State’s 81-76 win over Nevada in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum on March 2.
“The kid is relentless, he’s just so good,” head coach Craig Smith said. “And everyone wants to talk about his offense, and deservedly so, but what people miss the boat on is how good he is defensively. He guards the other team’s best player, most nights, on the perimeter and he doesn’t make many mistakes you see him out there taking charges.”
Utah State took a 37-33 lead into the half and never looked back.
Nevada junior guard Jazz Johnson hit a jumper with 14:22 left in the game to bring the Wolf Pack within two points, 65-63.
That was the closest they would get for the rest of the game.
This doesn’t mean the second half wasn’t filled with drama. Seven players total fouled out in the game, with three Aggies and four from the Pack. This meant that the benches had to play a major part if they wanted to win, and for Utah State, that was the difference.
Neemias Queta shoots a free throw against Nevada in front of the USU student section.
“It’s amazing how a lot of the times on senior nights, seniors will really step up and play,” Smith said. “Our bench had 29 points with (Diogo) Brito, and Dwayne (Brown, Jr.) and of course (Justin) Bean. Going into any game you gotta be able to win 91-87, you gotta be able to win 67-65 and I think the best teams can really just find different ways to win and that’s what we’ve been doing lately.”
Junior guard Diogo Brito led the Aggies’ bench and finished second on the team with 15 points, along with eight rebounds and two steals.
“The second half, we got in a little bit of foul trouble,” Brito said. “But the fact that we were able to stay in the game and keep the lead was a really good sign of our toughness. The overall team effort that guys had to do whatever they needed to do even though they were not playing in their usual position, that was huge for us.”
USU’s Brock Miller looks to pass as Aggie head coach Craig Smith looks on.
With Taylor, Queta and sophomore guard Abel Porter all being sent to the bench with five fouls, the Aggies were able to rally and grind their way to the finish, pulling out a win over the top team in the conference and the 12th-ranked team in the country. As for where this puts them in the national conversation, it’s still up for debate until the end of the season.
“I just hope they’re watching us,” Merrill said. “I don’t feel like this one win is going to put us in or not, maybe it will. But I feel like we’re one of the 64 best teams in the country. But our goal is to win a Mountain West championship first and foremost, then we will worry about the tournament later on, and we have one more opportunity to go do that Tuesday night.”
Utah State travels to Fort Collins, Colorado Tuesday night to take on the Rams in the Aggies’ final game of the regular season.