LAS VEGAS — Chants of “MVP, MVP” reverberated in the Thomas & Mack Center on Friday night, and everyone in the building knew who The Hurd was screaming about.
Senior guard Sam Merrill, last year’s Mountain West Conference Player of the Year who lost the title this year to San Diego State’s Malachi Flynn, scored 18 of his game-high 27 points in the second half to help Utah State hold off upset-minded Wyoming 89-82 in a closer-than-expected MWC Tournament semifinal.
Saturday afternoon, those same fans will get the matchup almost everybody in the league has wanted: Merrill and defending champion USU against Flynn and No. 5-ranked San Diego State in the championship game.
Tipoff is at 3:30 p.m. MST and the game will be televised by CBS.
“What do they say? In March, it is survive and advance. And that’s what we did.” — Utah State coach Craig Smith
Merrill simply took over to break open a tight game down the stretch, hitting jumpers on three-straight possessions to give the Aggies an 11-point cushion. It was an MVP-like performance, but Flynn also had one Friday night, scoring 22 points in an 81-68 semifinal win over Boise State.
“It was time to work,” Merrill said, noting that he made some ultra-tough shots against his friend, former Sky View High star Jake Hendricks.
“I thought Sam Merrill made some really big, timely, tough shots down the stretch,” said Wyoming coach Allen Edwards.
On the other end of the court, the second-leading scorer in USU history had some help, as 7-footer Neemias Queta recorded three of his five blocks in the final three minutes to offset some shaky free-throw shooting that allowed Wyoming to stay reasonably close.
Merrill also added seven assists and four rebounds, while Queta had 21 points and six rebounds to go with his phenomenal defensive effort.
“What do they say?” said Utah State coach Craig Smith. “In March, it is survive and advance. And that’s what we did.”
According to most bracketologists, the win likely earned the Aggies at least an NCAA Tournament at-large bid; they can erase all doubt a week from Sunday if they can knock off the once-beaten Aztecs after losing twice to SDSU in the conference season.
Kenny Foster led Wyoming with 18 points, and almost singlehandedly kept the Cowboys — who won all of two conference games — in it after USU thumped UW 68-45 in Laramie and 78-58 in Logan in previous meetings.
“Everybody looked at this as a Cinderella situation,” Edwards said. “But these guys never stopped believing in themselves.”
Said Smith: “They have always had our ultimate respect. ... They played unbelievable tonight.”
The Aggies (25-8) controlled the game, but could never shake the pesky Cowboys and when UW’s Kwane Marble II hit two free throws with four minutes, 43 seconds remaining, the scored was tied at 66-66.
Then Merrill, Queta and Justin Bean, who nearly had a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds, willed the Aggies to the win. Bean made a couple free throws, Queta beat his defender down the court for a quick layup, and Merrill went to work like he did Thursday night when he had 29 in USU’s 75-70 win over New Mexico.
Wyoming came out firing from long range, hoping to recapture the magic from deep that propelled it to upsets of No. 6 Colorado State and No. 3 Nevada the past two days. The Cowboys’ first seven shot attempts were from beyond the arc, and enough fell for them to keep pace with the second-seeded Aggies for most of the first half.
But after Hunter Maldonado hit a trey with around eight minutes remaining in the first half, Wyoming went nearly six minutes without a field goal, missing seven straight attempts. One was blocked by Queta, who, feeling his oats, perhaps, subsequently took and made an 18-footer.
Queta led the Aggies with 12 first-half points on 5-for-5 shooting.
Utah State assisted on 12 of its 14 first-half baskets and had just two turnovers in the first 15 minutes. Only 7 of 12 free-throw shooting kept USU’s lead from ballooning to double figures.
Execution was not as crisp offensive in the second half, as Wyoming’s defense tightened.
The second half began much like the first half, as Wyoming cut into USU’s 38-31 halftime lead on Trevon Taylor’s 3-point play and a pair of 3-pointers by Maldonado and Jake Hendricks, a Sky View High product.
Greg Milton III came off the bench to score four straight points and get Wyoming within a field goal twice, then Foster — a 22% 3-point shooter — hit three straight long-range jumpers to get Wyoming within a point at 58-57. Merrill’s three righted the Aggies with 7:30 left; a few minutes later, USU’s student section chanted for their hero as the Aggies began preparing for their second-straight trip to the title game.
Merrill has now scored 2,171 points and ranks third on the league’s all-time career scoring list behind BYU’s Jimmer Fredette (2,599) and SDSU’s Brandon Heath (2,189). He passed Wyoming’s Brandon Ewing (2,168) Friday night.