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- Utah State defeated UNLV 70-58 to advance in the Mountain West Tournament.
- Ian Martinez scored 17 points; Utah State's defense limited UNLV to 24% shooting.
- The Aggies will face Colorado State next, who recently defeated them decisively.
LAS VEGAS — Utah State will continue its run in the Mountain West Tournament after a 70-58 win over UNLV Thursday night.
The Aggies (26-6) move on to the semifinal round and will play Colorado State on Friday (10 p.m. MDT, CBSSN).
"We were a bit of a train wreck tonight with 12 assists, 15 turnovers," Aggies coach Jerrod Calhoun said. "Uncharacteristic of our group. But as I told them, proud of the fact that we were plus-four on the glass and imposed our will, so we will take it."
Ian Martinez led the Aggies with 17 points and six rebounds on 6-of-12 shooting, while Mason Falslev added 15 points, nine rebounds and six assists in the win.
Utah State didn't score at the rate it's been used to, but won the game by putting on a defensive clinic against the Runnin' Rebels. The Aggies held UNLV to just 24% shooting and 15% from behind the 3-point line, while also outrebounding UNLV 41-37.
"We had to come with the right mindset," Martinez said. "We needed to get stops, get in transition, be able to execute and not let their physicality affect us on offense. I thought that was a big part of (the early run)."
The Aggies started the game on a 16-5 run, setting the early tone. But the Rebels answered with a 9-0 run of their own, highlighted by a circus shot that Jailen Bedford made at the end of the shot clock.
UNLV took a 22-19 lead with 5:55 left in the first half off a steal and layup by Jaden Henley, but the Aggies ended the half on a 12-4 run to control a 36-29 halftime lead. The Rebels missed six consecutive shots during that stretch.
The Aggies extended the lead to 10 early in the second half. And even as UNLV fought back, a Karson Templin 3-pointer with 13:05 left gave the Aggies a 50-38 lead.
Utah State split the season series with the Rebels, with UNLV giving the Aggies its first loss of the season on Jan. 15. The Aggies responded with a win over the Rebels two weeks later. Both games were decided by 5 points or less in the regular season.
The Aggies have less than 24 hours to prepare for a Colorado State team that blew them out two weeks ago. The Rams are one of the hottest teams in the conference and enter Friday's game having won its last eight games.
"Their offense is humming," Calhoun said of the Rams. "Where they don't get enough credit is their defense. Our offense has got to be much better if we're going to win the game."
