LAS VEGAS – There was something about shooting at the south end of the court at Thomas & Mack Center.
You know what it is, if you’ve been there. During the Mountain West Tournament, the southern end is the one where – during normal years – the band plays and the long media tunnel of the Cox Pavilion opens up to the 19,522-seat arena that hosts UNLV men’s basketball. If you happen to be there during a game in Wyoming, you can see the famous “Cowboy Ken” pacing those seats – drum and all.
It is on the opposite side to which Sam Merrill made his biggest memory last year, a 3-point shot to beat San Diego State and hand Utah State their second consecutive Mountain West Tournament title. It was the final shot of his career.
Behind that basket is an empty arena, with seats removed to make room for the Mountain West Network studio. At the other end – the southern end – are several seats, empty this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and only a small tarp covering the entrance to the tunnel.
That was the final where Utah State found its way of throwing in the second half of Thursday’s quarterfinals.
Marco Anthony scored 10 of his 15 points in the second half, along with 13 rebounds in total and five assists, while second-placed Aggies distanced himself from Runnin ‘Rebels, seventh, by 74-53 in the quarterfinals of the Mountain West Tournament in the Thomas & Mack Center.
Neemias Queta had 18 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks for the Aggies (19-7) and Brock Miller added 8 points – all in the second half – for Utah State.
“I thought we started slowly in the first half,” said Anthony, the former Virginia playmaker who was appointed to the all-Mountain West defensive team this week. “The meeting in the second half was to take another step up, and we did it in the second half and that led to a victory against a very talented team.”
Justin Bean had 10 points and five rebounds, and Rollie Worster added 14 points, six rebounds and eight assists, while he continues to recover from injury by the Aggies. Like his teammates, Worster hit 2 of 4 in the second half and distributed seven of those assists in the same arena, where he got a rebound and an assist before his first high school triple-double.
Bryce Hamilton had 16 points, five rebounds and two assists to lead the UNLV (12-15), and Edoardo Del Cadia added 10 points and five rebounds.
After throwing just 32% of the field, the Aggies were kept in check by the UNLV defense on the way to a 24-24 draw at halftime.
Then something happened after the break. Or more specifically, Anthony happened. Or Miller. Or any of the biggest snipers or offensive weapons in the state of Utah.
.@MarcoJAnthony is STARTING‼ ️#AggiesAllTheWaypic.twitter.com/t1QawgNrSE
– USU men’s hoops (@USUBasketball) March 12, 2021
“Marco had a great game in every facet,” said Utah State coach Craig Smith. “That’s what he does. He had 15 points and 13 rebounds – six of those offensives – and five assists. He is such a dynamic player, he was named for the fully defensive team and is very proud of that. Great defensive work again tonight, as well as our entire team. It was a very balanced attack on both sides of the ball. We are happy to win. . “
During the first half – what Smith said was “a channel treatment for both teams” – Utah State was more than five minutes late in the first half without scoring, until Anthony placed a Queta ball with 4:19 left up to half an hour. This pulled the Aggies to 3, 21-18 during an uncomfortable first half.
UNLV’s defense was good. It was undoubtedly the best defense the rebels made throughout the year, and only the third time that the Aggies were kept under 0.8 points for possession.
Despite throwing only 32% of the field against that aggressive UNLV defense, Utah State ended in an 8-3 run to tie the game 24-24. Worster had 9 points and three rebounds in the first half, and Queta added 5 points, seven rebounds and two blocks before the break for the Aggies.
The rebels kept the Aggies goalless for 6: 2 in the first half – and scored 6 points during the race. UNLV pitched 9 of 30 from the field before the break, including 1 of 9 in the 3-point range.
During that race, the state of Utah also began to work on its behalf. Miller was back on the starting line, despite battling a recurring back injury, so it may have taken him a while to calm down. But while it may have been, the Aggies defended their you-know-what-the word that Smith likes to use in his popular “GATA” mentality.
“Brock Miller hasn’t played in two weeks and 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, ‘Is this where we are?’
“I give a lot of credit to our guys. I thought we were able to correct ourselves and really accommodate ourselves.”
When the teams switched baskets, the state of Utah started running. The Aggies used a 12-6 run to open the second half – all shooting at the south end of the court – while Anthony rained down two 3s and helped Bean in a bucket.
The Aggies had the Mountain West Network studio on their backs and shot 55.9% of the field. They also overcame UNLV 25-12 in the second half, and helped 13 of 19 pitches with just two turns, while keeping the rebels with just 34.5% of pitches and 5 of 13 in the 3-point range.
After fighting in the first half, Utah State opened the second by hitting 10 of its first 17 shots after the break – including 4 out of 6 out of 3 points. Behind Miller and Anthony, the Aggies’ snipers had woken up.
“We just had to get things going,” said Anthony. “When we play online, that’s when we play our best. I think in the second half we started doing that. And it was evident on the scoreboard.”
Rollie Worster struggling to tie you up before the half! pic.twitter.com/hDtsrmZGeU
– CBS Sports Network (@CBSSportsNet) March 12, 2021
Queta crowned a 14-5 streak with six consecutive free throws to give Utah State a 65-46 lead with 4:30 remaining, and the Aggies moved on forever. Miller finished just 3 of 10 field shots, but made 3 of 6 in the second half, including two of the Aggies’ four points out of 3.
The train was running again.
As all teams beg to do in March, Utah State survived, advanced and moved on to the next – a Mountain West semifinal against Colorado State. A meeting with the Rams will likely constitute an elimination game from the NCAA Tournament for one team, with both teams sitting just inside the “Last Four In” bubble on ESPN’s simulated Joe Lunardi brace.
“You need to be able to run in March,” said Smith. “You have to do this most years, but you really have to do it when you are playing against a team for the third time, as we did tonight.”
Mountain West Tournament
Friday’s semifinals
No. 1 San Diego State vs. No. 5 Nevada, 19:30 MT
No. 2 Utah State vs. No. 3 Colorado State, 22h00 MT