No. 22 Utah State edges New Mexico, seals first MWC title

Field Level Media|published: Sun 10th March, 04:12 2024

Feb 27, 2024; Fresno, California, USA; Utah State Aggies guard Darius Brown II (10) reacts after making a three point shot against the Fresno State Bulldogs with under two second remaining in the second half at the Save Mart Center. credits: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Darius Brown II hit a late game-winning 3-pointer, lifting No. 22 Utah State to its first outright Mountain West Conference regular-season championship with a thrilling 87-85 victory over visiting New Mexico in Logan, Utah.

Ian Martinez led the Aggies (26-5, 14-4 MWC) in scoring with 22 points, including a late monster dunk. Great Osobor added 21 points, 12 rebounds, three blocks, three assists and three steals, while Brown finished with 19 points, nine assists and three steals.

Mustapha Amzil paced the Lobos (22-9, 10-8) with 18 points off the bench. Donovan Dent contributed 17 points, Nelly Junior Joseph added 13 points with 10 rebounds, Jaelen House chipped in 15 points, nine rebounds and six assists and JT Toppin scored 14 in the loss.

New Mexico played without Jamal Mashburn Jr., who scored 19 points in the win over Fresno State on Wednesday, because of an illness.

With the shot clock running out and five seconds left in a tied game, Brown hit the game-winning 3-pointer from several feet behind the arc.

Dent had just erased a four-point lead for New Mexico.

The Lobos called a timeout to strategize their last attempt with four seconds left. House was put on the line after Utah State quickly fouled him. He made the first free throw and intentionally missed the second. House recovered the offensive rebound but missed the game-tying attempt at the buzzer.

New Mexico took a 44-39 halftime lead after erasing a six-point Aggies advantage. The Aggies scored the first six points of the second half to snag a 45-44 lead and set up a back-and-forth final 20 minutes.

The Lobos used a 7-2 run for a 65-59 lead.

The Aggies responded with five quick points on transition and then regained the lead at 70-69 after a pair of Brown free throws. Brown then assisted on a Martinez 3 for a 73-70 lead.

New Mexico tied it at 82-82 with 1:05 remaining after two straight Dent layups.

Amzil (13 points) and Toppin (10) had the hot hands for the Lobos in the first half, combining to hit 9 of 12 field goals.

Osobor scored 15 before the break for Utah State.

—Field Level Media

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