How Utah State beat No. 5 San Diego State in MWC Tournament championship to earn second straight NCAA Tournament bid

Published: March 7, 2020, 5:41 p.m. MST

Utah State’s Sam Merrill (5) sinks a 3-point shot as San Diego State’s KJ Feagin defends during final seconds of an NCAA college basketball game for the Mountain West Conference men’s tournament championship Saturday, March 7, 2020, in Las Vegas. Isaac Brekken, AP

SALT LAKE CITY — Sam Merrill drilled a 3-pointer with 2.6 seconds remaining to lift Utah State past No. 5 San Diego State in the Mountain West Conference Tournament championship at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas on Saturday afternoon.

With the win, Utah State earned the MWC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season.

SAM MERRILL. ICE IN HIS VEINS. ❄️

Cc: @USUBasketball pic.twitter.com/zxjMk87UfS
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 8, 2020

After the Aztecs’ Malachi Flynn missed a 3-pointer with 30 seconds left, the Aggies didn’t call a timeout and Merrill held on to the ball before launching the game-winner. Flynn had a chance to tie it at the buzzer, but the shot rimmed out.

Sam Merrill’s magical shot propels Utah State to thrilling 59-56 win over No. 5 San Diego State in Mountain West championship game

Here are three takeaways that defined the game:

Merrill, the senior guard, was the spark for the Aggies, finishing the game with 27 points and six rebounds while playing all 40 minutes. His winning 3-pointer was his sixth of the game, as Utah State had nine 3s to five for San Diego State (30-2). Neemias Queta put up 15 points, eight rebounds and three blocks, while Justin Bean had 12 rebounds, as Utah State owned a 37-32 edge in rebounding. The Aztecs, though, had a 12-8 advantage in offensive rebounds and a 26-18 advantage in points in the paint.

Utah State (26-8) was ice cold early, hitting just three of its first 18 shots to start the game and falling behind 27-11 before a 7-0 run from Merrill — on two jumpers and a 3-pointer — helped the Aggies break out of the funk and trail just 29-21 at halftime. Utah State quickly cut the deficit to one early in the second half and shot 56% in the final 20 minutes and 43.8% overall, while San Diego State — led by 16 points by Flynn — shot 34.4% from the field.
Turnovers cost the Aggies, particularly in the first half. USU had 16 in the game, compared to seven for San Diego State — the Aztecs didn’t have any in the first half — and SDSU had a 16-8 edge in points off turnovers, though those numbers started to even out in the second half.