No. 18 Utah State beats Fresno State 87-75 in quarterfinals of the Mountain West tourney

By KIRK KERN
Associated Press

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Great Osobor had 29 points and 17 rebounds as No. 18 Utah State defeated Fresno State 87-75 in overtime in a quarterfinal round game of the Mountain West Conference tournament on Thursday.

Darius Brown had 17 points and 11 assists and Javon Jackson scored 16 points for the Aggies (27-5), the tournament’s top seed. Utah State will face San Diego State, a 74-71 winner over UNLV, in Friday’s semifinals.

“We don’t want to play close games,” Osobor said. “But we love it when the stakes are high.”

For Fresno State, it was Justin Hutson’s final game as head coach. The 52-year-old Hutson had a pair of 23-win seasons at Fresno State and finishes with a record of 92-94 with the Bulldogs.

“I’ve coached my last game here at Fresno State,” Hutson said. “I’ve talked with the administration. It’s the right time. … It’s been six years, A lot of fun.”

Jalen Weaver scored 19 points, Isaiah Hill added 17 and Isaiah Pope 12 for the Bulldogs (12-21), who went 4-14 in the MWC this season.

Osobor, the conference’s player of the year, missed the front end of a 1-and-1 before Fresno State’s Hill dropped in a layup to tie the game at 70 with 1:20 remaining. Both teams missed 3-point attempts in the final minute.

In the overtime, Jackson hit a 3-pointer and Osobor scored in the paint to put Utah State up by five. Osobor hit one of two free throws and extended the lead to 76-70 with 2:29 left in the extra session. Brown hit a 15-footer to stretch the lead to 78-70 with 1:43 left. Fresno State turned the ball over and couldn’t get any closer.

“Every time we get a lead, they kept scrapping back,” Utah State coach Danny Sprinkle said. “They have so many weapons and their athleticism. … But when we had to get it down, just like we have all year, we found a way to get it done.”

BIG PICTURE

Utah State: The Aggies will await the winner of the UNLV-San Diego State game pitting the fourth and fifth seeds in the tournament. The are 27-5 overall and won the conference regular season title with a 14-4 record.

Fresno State: Won its first game in the MWC tournament, 77-73, over Wyoming. Bulldogs coach Justin Hutson said he will continue on at Fresno State in a consulting role with the university after stepping down following the tournament. The Bulldogs have five seniors in their regular rotation, starters Hill, Pope, Leo Colimerio and Xavier Dusell, along with reserve Donovan Yap.

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