3 takeaways from Utah State’s 89-82 win over Wyoming in the MWC Tournament semifinals

SALT LAKE CITY — No. 2 seed Utah State got all it could handle from No. 11 seed Wyoming before pulling away late as the Aggies beat the Cowboys 89-82 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas during the Mountain West Conference Tournament semifinals on Friday night.

Here are three takeaways that defined the game:

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• Sam Merrill and Neemias Queta led the way for Utah State (25-8), which never trailed but maintained a tight lead much of the night. Merrill scored 27 points and added seven assists, four rebounds and two steals, while Queta poured in 21 points on 8 of 11 shooting — including a perfect 5 of 5 in the first half — while adding six rebounds and five blocks. Wyoming’s Kenny Foster paced five Cowboys in double-figures with 18 points. 

• Wyoming (9-24) stayed close through much of the second half by relying on 3-point shooting, hitting 15 of 33 from beyond the arc. Utah State, conversely, was 8 of 22 from 3-point range. The Aggies, though, had the advantage inside, outscoring the Cowboys 32-20 in the paint and outrebounding Wyoming 38-28.
• The Cowboys tied the game at 66 with 4:45 to play on a pair of free throws, but Utah State, which shot 56% from the field compared to 42.9% for Wyoming, took control with a 13-0 run over the next 3:17. During that stretch, Queta had three blocks — including two on back-to-back possessions — and scored a layup in transition to make it a two-score game, while Merrill hit a pair of jumpers and a 3-pointer with 1:40 to play to put Utah State up double-digits. Wyoming cut the deficit to six in the final minute before USU wrapped up the win at the free-throw line.

Up next

Saturday vs. San Diego State in MWC Tournament championship, 3:30 p.m. MST