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LAS VEGAS – There was something about shooting at the south end of the court at the Thomas & Mack Center.
You know this one, if you’ve been there. During the Mountain West tournament, the south end is where – in normal years – the group plays and the long media tunnel from the Cox Pavilion opens up to the 19,522-seat arena which hosts UNLV men’s basketball. If you’re there during a Wyoming game, you can often see the famous “Cowboy Ken” pacing on those seats – barrel and all.
It was in front of the end that Sam Merrill had his greatest memory last year, a 3-point shot to beat San Diego State and give Utah State their second straight Mountain West Tournament title. It was the last blow of his career.
Behind that basket is an empty arena, with seats pulled out to make room for the Mountain West Network’s studio. At the other end – the south end – there is a bunch of seats, this year sitting empty due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and only a small tarp covering the entrance to the tunnel.
It was the end where the State of Utah found its shooting form in the second half of Thursday’s quarterfinal.
Marco Anthony scored 10 of his 15 points in the second half, to go along with 13 total rebounds and five assists, as the second-seeded Aggies moved away from the seventh-seeded Runnin ‘Rebels, 74-53 in the quarterfinals of the Mountain. West Tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center.
Neemias Queta had 18 points, 13 rebounds and three blocked shots for the Aggies (19-7) and Brock Miller added 8 points – all in the second half – for Utah State.
“I thought we started off slow in the first period,” said Anthony, the former Virginia playmaker who was named to the All Mountain West defensive team this week. “The game in the second half was about taking it up a notch, and we did that in the second half and it led to a win against a very talented team.”
Justin Bean had 10 points and five rebounds, and Rollie Worster added 14 points, six rebounds and eight assists as he continues to recover from injury for the Aggies. Like his teammates, Worster shot 2 of 4 in the second half and distributed seven of those assists in the same arena where he managed a rebound and an assist short of his first college triple-double.
Bryce Hamilton had 16 points, five rebounds and two assists to lead UNLV (12-15), and Edoardo Del Cadia added 10 points and five rebounds.
After shooting just 32 percent from the field, the Aggies were held in check by the UNLV defense en route to a 24-24 halftime draw.
Then something happened after the break. Or more precisely, Anthony has arrived. Or Miller. Or one of the biggest shooters or offensive weapons in the state of Utah.
.@MarcoJAnthony is doing it‼ ️#AggiesAllTheWaypic.twitter.com/t1QawgNrSE
– USU hoops for men (@USUBasketball) March 12, 2021
“Marco had a hell of a game in all areas,” Utah State coach Craig Smith said. “That’s what he does. He’s had 15 points and 13 rebounds – six of those offensives – and five assists. He’s such a dynamic player, was named to the all-defensive team and he’s very much of it. proud. He did a great job on the defensive end again tonight, as did our team. It was a really balanced attack from both sides of the ball. We’re happy to win. It’s surviving and progressing in this period of year, and we’re looking forward to playing another game tomorrow, whether it’s against Colorado State or Fresno State. “
During the first half – the one Smith said was like “a root canal for both teams” – Utah State went more than five minutes late in the first half without scoring, until ‘Anthony puts Queta in with 4:19 left until Half-time. This pulled the Aggies to 3, 21-18 in an uncomfortable first half.
The defense of the UNLV was good. It was arguably the best defense the Rebels had played all year, and it was only the third time the Aggies had been held under 0.8 points per possession.
Despite shooting just 32 percent from the field against this aggressive UNLV defense, Utah State finished in an 8-3 run to tie the game at 24-24. Worster had 9 points and three rebounds in the first period, and Queta added 5 points, seven rebounds and two blocks before the break for the Aggies.
The Rebels held the Aggies scoreless for 6:02 in the first half – and scored 6 points during the run. UNLV shot 9 of 30 from the field before the break, including 1 of 9 at 3 points.
During this race, the state of Utah also went to work on its defense. Miller was back in the starting lineup despite a recurring back injury, so maybe it took him a half to settle in. But while it might be, the Aggies have stood up for their you-know-what – the word Smith likes to use in his popular “GATA” frame of mind.
“Brock Miller hasn’t played for two weeks, and he hasn’t done anything live for about a month. It’s hard to be realistic as a coach, but I had to step back and say, “here is where we are? “
“I give our guys a lot of credit. I thought we were able to correct ourselves and really settle in.”
When the teams changed baskets, the state of Utah opened up with a run. The Aggies used a 12-6 run to open the second half – all shooting at the south end of the field – as Anthony rained two 3s and helped out a bucket at Bean.
The Aggies had the Mountain West Network studio on their back and shot 55.9% from the field. They also passed UNLV 25-12 in the second half and contributed 13 of 19 field goals with just two turnovers, while keeping the Rebels to just 34.5% on shots and 5 of 13 on 3 points.
After struggling in the first half, Utah State opened the second by making 10 of its first 17 shots after the break – including 4 of 6 3-pointers. Behind Miller and Anthony, the Aggies shooters had awakened.
“We just had to get things done,” Anthony said. “When we play connected that’s when we play our best. I feel like in the second half we started doing that. And it showed on the scoreboard. edge.”
Rollie Worster fights to tie him up before half-time! pic.twitter.com/hDtsrmZGeU
– CBS Sports Network (@CBSSportsNet) March 12, 2021
Queta capped a 14-5 inning with six straight free throws to give Utah State a 65-46 lead with 4:30 to go, and the Aggies are retired for good. Miller was only 3 of 10 in the field, but was 3 of 6 in the second half, including two of the Aggies’ four three-pointers.
The train was moving again.
As all teams begged to do in March, Utah State survived, progressed, and moved on to the next – a Mountain West semi-final against Colorado State. A date with the Rams is likely to be an NCAA tournament elimination game for one team, with both teams just inside the “Last Four In” bubble in ESPN’s Joe Lunardi’s false parenthesis. .
“You have to be able to run in March,” Smith said. “You have to do it most years, but you really have to do it when you play a team a third time like we were tonight.”
Mountain West Tournament
Friday semi-finals
# 1 San Diego State vs # 5 Nevada, 7:30 p.m. MT
Utah State 2 vs Colorado State 3, 10:00 PM MT
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