No. 1 New Mexico Lobos vs. No. 8 San Jose Spartans
Opening up the Mountain West Conference Tournament’s quarterfinal round, San Jose State played the top-seeded New Mexico Lobos.
In their two regular-season matchups, the teams split the series 1-1, each winning a game on their home floors.
San Jose State played well against New Mexico in The Pit. The Spartans tied the game late in the second half, and around the three-minute mark, the Lobos pulled away.
In Las Vegas, however, the Lobos claimed victory, defeating the Spartans 63-52. Mountain West Player of the Year Donovan Dent led the Lobos in scoring with 25 points and five assists. Dent, one of the best scorers in the country, scored 15 points in the first half in a back-and-forth battle between both teams.
In the first half, the Lobos continued their offensive dominance as they have all season. The Spartans fell behind early and struggled to guard the paint. The Lobos scored 38 of their 63 total points in the paint.
New Mexico forced 18 turnovers on the day and earned 24 points off those turnovers. New Mexico excelled in their fast-break transitions as they have all season, securing the victory and advancing to the tournament’s semifinal round.
“Certainly, happy we got the win. I think it was a frustrating game for us, but I thought our defense in the second half was phenomenal,” New Mexico head coach Richard Pitino said.
“Donovan made some huge plays offensively. Nelly tied a record for us in conference tournament rebounding the ball.”
The Lobos face Boise State at 9:30 p.m. ET Friday after the Broncos defeated San Diego State 62-52.
No. 4 San Diego State vs. No. 5 Boise State
Boise State and San Diego State were the second game on the day. In their two regular-season matchups, the Aztecs went 2-0, with a convincing 20-point victory for the Aztecs in their last matchup at Viejas Arena.
On Thursday, both teams needed the victory to stay in contention for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, so the stakes were high in Las Vegas.
San Diego State controlled the first half. The Aztecs scored 18 points in the paint, commanding the interior. Boise State kept things close, only trailing 33-28 going into halftime.
Things switched in the second half. The Broncos continued to rebound and score on second-chance efforts.
Boise State outrebounded the Aztecs 40-28 with a 13-4 offensive rebound differential. The Broncos scored 18 second-chance points as the team battled back in the second half.
A back-and-forth effort from the teams, the Broncos pulled away around the four-minute mark of the game.
Missed free throws from the Aztecs and big rebounds and put-back finishes propelled Boise State to the 62-52 victory, advancing to the third round of the tournament.
“You know, we’ve had a great history of battles with San Diego State, so we knew today would be no different.” Boise State head coach Leon Rice said. “Tip of the hat to them. That was a competitive basketball game.”
Boise State advances to the next round to face the No. 1 seeded New Mexico Lobos on Friday.
No. 2 Colorado State vs. No. 7 Nevada
Thursday’s game against Nevada was pivotal for Colorado State’s NCAA Tournament resume. The Rams had edged out Nevada in both previous matchups, but another win was critical with their postseason fate still uncertain. As the No. 2 seed, they earned a first-round bye, giving them extra rest ahead of a high-stakes showdown that could further strengthen their at-large case.
It was a physical game between these two teams, with Colorado State holding a one-point halftime lead.
Nique Clifford stepped up for the Rams with a double-double, scoring 25 points off 8-of-14 shooting and 14 rebounds on the night. His strong performance propelled the Rams to a 67-59 victory.
In the second half, Nevada shot 1 for 14 through the first portion of the half. The Wolf Pack got into the bonus with around 11 minutes left in the game and shot 14 of 17 from the line but it was not enough.
Kobe Sanders led Nevada in scoring with 23 rebounds and seven assists. Nick Davidson scored 22 points and six rebounds for the Wolf Pack.
“Really hard-fought win tonight,” Colorado State head coach Niko Medved said postgame.
“We knew it would be that way. I have so much respect for Nevada and coach Alford. He’s won 700 games. That’s amazing when you look at it.”
Colorado State advances to the next round, where it faces Utah State.
No. 6 UNLV vs No. 3 Utah State
UNLV’s tournament run started with a dominant 19-0 surge to dispatch Air Force in the first round. But on Thursday, the Runnin’ Rebels couldn’t carry that momentum into their matchup with Utah State, falling 70-58 in a deflating quarterfinal loss.
UNLV split the regular season against Utah State 1-1 after a home win against then-ranked No. 22 and falling to the Aggies in Logan. The Runnin’ Rebels kept the game in Logan close before slipping in the second half resulting in a five-point loss.
The short-handed Runnin’ Rebels showed their toughness throughout Thursday’s game. UNLV outrebounded the Aggies 20-16 and scored 10 points off second-chance efforts.
It was a rough shooting night for UNLV. The Runnin’ Rebels shot 24% from the field and 15% from 3-point range.
UNLV shot 29 for 37 from the free-throw line, the one area that kept the Runnin’ Rebels in the game most of the time.
Jaden Henley finished as the leading scorer for UNLV with 19 points, and Jalen Hill and Jailen Bedford each scored 13 points.
The lack of depth for UNLV caught up with the team. Henley and Hill played the full 40 minutes in the final three games for the team.
Utah State pulled away in the second half to secure the win. Ian Martinez led Utah State with 17 points and six rebounds, and Mason Falslev added 15 points and nine rebounds.
“With some of the mileage that we’ve asked the guys to put on their legs over the las couple of weeks I thought it was just an absolutely awesome fight by our guys to compete and really do everything in their power to compete and really do everything in their power to have a chance to win a ball game against a really good team,” UNLV head coach Kevin Kruger said postgame.
“Especially the two sitting next to me, just fighting and playing forty minutes multiple times over the last couple weeks and competing and doing everything they possibly can.”
Utah State advances to the semifinal round, where it will play Colorado State.
