by: Ashley Springer, USU Athletic Media Relations
LAS VEGAS, Nev. - With the game tied at 56-56 and the clock winding down, senior guard
Sam Merrill pulled up from beyond the arc and knocked down the game-winning 3-pointer with two seconds left to secure the 59-56 Utah State victory inside the Thomas & Mack Center on Saturday. With the win over top-seeded San Diego State (30-2, 17-1 MW), No. 2 Utah State (26-8, 12-6 MW) earned back-to-back Mountain West Tournament titles and the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The win marked the first time Utah State has won consecutive conference tournament titles since the 1999-2000 and 2000-01 seasons when USU posted back-to-back tournament championships in the Big West. The Aggies are now 10-6 all-time in conference tournament title games, and 19-4 in conference tournaments as the No. 2 seed.
Merrill was named the tournament MVP for the second straight year, marking the first time in conference history that a player picked up back-to-back MVP honors. Sophomore center
Neemias Queta was also named to the all-tournament team for consecutive seasons. Merrill and Queta led the Aggies in scoring against the Aztecs with 27 and 15 points, respectively, while sophomore forward
Justin Bean led the Aggies in rebounds with 12 boards.
The Aggies struggled to score in the first half, going nearly 13 minutes without making a field goal as SDSU took a 27-11 lead with 2:56 to go. A couple of jumpers and a triple from Merrill then cut the lead to 27-18 with 1:11 remaining, and a 3-pointer at the buzzer by senior guard
Diogo Brito made it an eight-point game heading into the half at 29-21.
Queta and Merrill opened the second half with a 7-0 run to make it a one-point game, 29-28, with 18:05 remaining. San Diego State again extended its lead to seven, 37-30, until a pair of 3-pointers from junior forward
Alphonso Anderson cut the lead to 37-36 with 11:44 to play. The teams continued their back-and-forth until a Queta layup, free throws from Anderson and a Queta and-1 dunk put Utah State up four at 51-47 with 6:33 to go. The Aztecs took back the lead, 56-55, after a jumper from junior guard Malachi Flynn with just over a minute remaining. Merrill made the second of two free throws to tie it at 56-56 with 39 seconds left to play.
Utah State then called a timeout as San Diego State would have possession with 39.4 seconds left in regulation. Flynn missed on a 3-point attempt and Merrill grabbed the rebound. The Aggies elected to not call a timeout and dribbled down the shot and game clocks. With time starting to wind down, Merrill pulled up from behind the 3-point line and buried the triple to give the Aggies the 59-56 edge with 2.5 seconds remaining on the game clock. SDSU was not able to convert in its next possession and USU took the 59-56 victory to earn the 2020 Air Force Reserve Mountain West Men's Basketball Championship title.
The game featured three ties and six lead changes as San Diego State led for 24:38 seconds and Utah State led for 13:04.
Flynn led the Aztecs with 16 points.
USU shot 43.8 percent (21-of-48) from the field, 37.5 percent (9-of-24) from behind the 3-point line and 80.0 percent (8-of-10) at the free throw line. SDSU shot 34.4 percent (21-of-61) from the floor, 26.3 percent (5-of-19) from behind the arc and 90.0 percent (9-of-10) at the free throw line.
With the victory, Utah State will return to the NCAA Tournament for the second-straight year. The Aggies will find out their seed and matchup on Selection Sunday at 4 p.m. (MT), on March 15. The selection show will be broadcast by CBS.
Utah State men's basketball news and information is available on Facebook (facebook.com/usumensbasketball), on Twitter (@usubasketball) and on Instagram (@usubasketball). Fans can also get USU men's basketball highlights on YouTube (youtube.com/utahstateathletics). Aggie fans can follow the Utah State athletic program on Twitter (@usuathletics), on Facebook (facebook.com/usuathletics) or on Instagram (@usuathletics).
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