Utah State takes down San Diego State to claim Mountain West tournament title
LAS VEGAS — Utah State closed its Mountain West era with a championship Saturday afternoon, beating San Diego State 73-62 at the Thomas & Mack Center to win the conference tournament title.
The title is Utah State’s third Mountain West tournament championship in the last eight years and the 11th conference tournament title in program history. The Aggies also completed a regular-season and tournament-title sweep, becoming the seventh program in Mountain West history to win both in the same season.
For a team that had faded defensively late in the regular season, Utah State won this tournament by returning to the areas that had defined it at its best: protecting the paint, forcing turnovers, rebounding collectively and taking care of the ball.
Against a San Diego State team that entered the game ranked No. 22 nationally in turnovers forced per game, Utah State committed just six turnovers. The Aggies forced 14 San Diego State turnovers, turned those into 17 points and outscored the Aztecs 46-22 in the paint. Utah State also grabbed 11 offensive rebounds and scored 17 second-chance points.
Head coach Jerrod Calhoun said the Aggies came to Las Vegas with a different edge after late-season losses to UNLV, Nevada and San Diego State.
“We were not going to be bullied. We were going to be the bully,” Calhoun said. “Started with UNLV, beat us twice. Nevada beat us at Nevada, and then obviously got embarrassed a couple weeks ago by the Aztecs. We were coming in here for redemption tour, and it certainly was accomplished.”
Utah State finished with four players in double figures, led by senior guard MJ Collins’ 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting and 4-of-10 from 3-point range. Collins added three steals and was named the Mountain West Tournament MVP after averaging 17.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and two steals over three tournament games.
Mason Falslev added 16 points and six assists, Drake Allen had 13 points and six rebounds, and Garry Clark scored 11 points with six rebounds and four offensive boards.
San Diego State stayed within reach at the free-throw line. The Aztecs went 17-for-24 on free throws, while Utah State went 7-for-13. Reese Dixon-Waters led San Diego State with 20 points, BJ Davis added 14, and Magoon Gwath had 12 points and eight rebounds.
The first half was physical and uneven offensively, which was not surprising given the matchup. Both teams had to work for nearly every clean look, and much of Utah State’s early offense came from second efforts and transition chances.
After Miles Byrd opened the scoring with a steal and layup, Utah State answered with a 7-0 run. Zach Keller kept a possession alive with an offensive rebound and kicked the ball out to Adlan Elamin for a 3-pointer, then Allen stripped Sean Newman and took it in for a layup.
Utah State also found success early in the pick-and-roll. Allen fed Falslev for a layup, and a few possessions later Falslev slipped a pass inside to Keller for another.
Utah State men’s basketball celebrates during the trophy ceremony following their win over San Diego State on Saturday in Las Vegas. (Mark Greenwood/The Utah Statesman)
But San Diego State settled in behind Dixon-Waters, who repeatedly created difficult but makeable shots in the half court. Gwath also gave the Aztecs extra possessions on the offensive glass, helping keep the game tight.
Midway through the half, Utah State pieced together another strong stretch. Elijah Perryman knocked the ball away from Pharaoh Compton and pushed it ahead to Collins for a transition 3-pointer. Collins then followed a miss for a putback dunk, and Clark converted an and-one layup on a cut to the basket after a well-designed inbound play.
Still, Utah State never fully separated before halftime. The Aggies misfired on several perimeter looks late in the half, and San Diego State took advantage. A broken sequence in the final minute ended with the Aztecs grabbing two offensive rebounds around a missed free throw, and DeGourville converted the second-chance layup to give San Diego State a 35-34 halftime lead.
Calhoun said Utah State addressed its late first-half possessions during the break.
“We watched every single offensive clip,” Calhoun said. “I was not happy with some of the things we were doing at the end of the first half.”
The Aggies responded immediately.
Allen opened the second half with a strong drive for a layup, then hit a 3-pointer on the next possession. Soon after, Collins jumped a passing lane, Falslev pushed the ball ahead and Allen finished again at the rim. Allen scored Utah State’s first seven points of the half, turning the one-point halftime deficit into a 41-35 lead.
Utah State men’s basketball celebrates during the trophy ceremony following their win over San Diego State on Saturday in Las Vegas. (Mark Greenwood/The Utah Statesman)
“Great job from Coach,” Allen said. “We had a Spain action coming into the second half. He just told me, ‘Make the reads.’ That’s why on offense we can be so dangerous.”
San Diego State answered and tied the game at 43, then briefly went back in front at 45-43 after a transition finish from Dixon-Waters. But Utah State stayed composed and kept getting downhill.
Allen drew fouls on consecutive drives. Collins ended a four-minute field-goal drought for the Aggies with a monster dunk over Compton, then scored again on a spin move in the lane. Falslev continued to find finishes against San Diego State’s interior defense, keeping Utah State close until the Aggies could create their next run.
That run came in the final eight minutes.
Clark converted an offensive rebound to make it 53-50. Elamin then found Falslev on a cut for a layup, and Collins followed with a 3-pointer to push the lead to six.
The biggest sequence of the game came with just over five minutes left. Collins knocked down a corner 3-pointer while Keller was fouled off the ball, sending Keller to the line for two free throws after the made basket. Keller hit both, turning the possession into a five-point swing and extending the lead to 63-54.
Less than a minute later, Collins threw a lob to Elamin for a layup, capping a 7-0 run in 43 seconds and putting Utah State firmly in control.
Falslev said Utah State’s offensive shift in the tournament started with a commitment to stop settling.
“I think everyone bought in and just said, look, we’re not settling,” Falslev said. “We’re going to get to the paint. We’re going to make the right plays every possession.”
Utah State’s Drake Allen goes up for a shot over San Diego State’s BJ Davis during the Aggies win over San Diego State during the Mountain West Championship in Las Vegas on Saturday. (Mark Greenwood/The Utah Statesman)
Collins hit the biggest shots late, but Utah State’s win was just as much about its discipline and physicality. The Aggies repeatedly attacked San Diego State’s switching defense, limited live-ball mistakes and did enough on the glass to keep the Aztecs from controlling the game in their usual way.
Calhoun said that approach was intentional.
“Quit launching threes. It’s a real simple formula,” Calhoun said. “Establish yourself in the paint, whether it’s through a post-up or a drive, get two feet in the paint, collapse the defense and get the ball in the rim.”
Utah State also got an important lift from its depth throughout the tournament, and that was true again in the title game. Clark’s work on the glass changed several possessions, Elamin added timely scoring and energy, and the Aggies continued to get contributions beyond their top two scorers.
“The strength of this team is its numbers, and it’s a team,” Calhoun said. “There’s very few team teams left. There’s a lot of teams that have talent, but they don’t have both. They don’t put we over me.”
When the final minutes arrived, Utah State kept playing through the paint. Falslev scored on an up-and-under move with 2:29 remaining, then beat Gwath off the dribble for another layup less than a minute later. With 37 seconds left, Falslev dropped off one final pass to Clark for a dunk that put the game away.
Utah State has now won four of its last six games against San Diego State. The Aggies also improved to 3-2 against the Aztecs in Mountain West championship games and finished their conference tournament run with wins over UNLV, Nevada and San Diego State.
The win gave Utah State 28 victories, marking the seventh 28-win season in program history and the second in the last three years.
The Aggies will now wait for Sunday’s NCAA tournament selection show. Calhoun said Utah State’s focus has already shifted there.
“We don’t want to be just happy to be in the tournament,” Calhoun said. “We want to make a run and make history again and get to a second weekend.”