Utah State bounced from MWC Tournament by CSU

LAS VEGAS (ABC4 Sports) – Utah State cut a 28-point second half deficit down to seven, but ultimately ran out of gas in the Mountain West Conference Tournament semifinals against Colorado State, 83-72.

The Aggies (26-7) are still expected to make the NCAA Tournament. Utah State will find out its postseason fate on Sunday.

Nique Clifford had 26 points to lead the Rams in the MWC Tournament finals against Boise State on Saturday.

Clifford added 11 rebounds and six assists for the Rams (24-9). Kyan Evans scored 14 points, shooting 4 for 6 (4 for 5 from 3-point range) and 2 of 3 from the free-throw line. Jalen Lake had 14 points and shot 5 of 8 from the field, including 2 for 4 from 3-point range, and went 2 for 3 from the line. It was the seventh straight win for the Rams.

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The Aggies were led by Mason Falslev, who posted 22 points, seven rebounds and four steals. Ian Martinez added 13 points, six rebounds and four assists for Utah State. Karson Templin also had 11 points and nine rebounds.

The Aggies struggled to keep pace early with hot shooting from the Rams, who shot 64 percent from the floor in the first half to jump out to a quick advantage. Colorado State established firm control of the contest early on, using a 13-1 run to take a 14-point lead less than nine minutes in. Utah State responded with seven-straight points of its own, but the Rams continued to find success shooting the ball.

The Rams made nine first-half 3-pointers in 16 attempts, while also making 11 of their final 12 2-point field goals of the half. On the flip side, Utah State made just 11 of its 30 field goals in the first 20 minutes. Despite that, the Aggies held the deficit within single digits for much of the half before a 14-5 CSU run to close the half gave the Rams a 49-30 lead at the break.

The second half started like the first. After a pair of quick USU free throws, Colorado State scored 11 of the game’s next 13 points to extend its advantage. The Rams would eventually go up by as many as 28 points.

The teams held even for several possessions before the Aggies made a surge with just under 10 minutes to go. Utah State used a 16-1 run to cut its deficit to 12 with 5:38 to play, but wasn’t able to pull back within single-digits until the final two minutes of the contest. Colorado State iced the game from the charity stripes, making five free throws in the final two minutes to help secure the victory.

Utah State was led by an outstanding performance from sophomore guard Mason Falslev, who finished with a team-high 22 points, including 14 in the second half. He also went for seven rebounds, one assist and a game-high four steals in 35 minutes of action.

Other double-figure scorers for USU were fifth year guard Ian Martinez, who went for 13 points, six boards, four assists and a steal, and sophomore guard Karson Templin, who fell just shy of a double-double with 11 points and a team-best nine rebounds.

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The Aggies won the rebounding battle 39-34, including pulling down 20 offensive boards. The team’s efforts on the offensive glass led to 18 second chance points, while it allowed just a single second chance point to CSU.

Utah State finished the game shooting 36.5 percent (23-of-63) from the floor, 21.2 percent (7-of-33) from behind the 3-point arc and 63.6 percent (19-of-30) from the free throw line. Colorado State shot 59.5 percent (25-of-42) from the field, including 55.6 percent (10-of-18) from 3-point range and 62.6 percent (23-of-37) at the charity stripe.

This is Utah State’s second loss in two weeks to Colorado State.

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