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LAS VEGAS â With inverse conference records, there weren't many similarities between Utah State and Fresno State coming into the second round of the Mountain West Tournament Thursday afternoon.
But basketball in March is never a guarantee.
The Bulldogs erased an 8-point Aggies lead and went on a 12-0 run to flip the tide on the regular season champs. The Aggies steadied the ship a bit and tied the game up 33-33 with 1:38 left in the first half, but most of that came from the free-throw line and a stellar performance from Great Osobor when shots from the floor dried up for the team.
Utah State failed to make a single 3-pointer in the first half on seven attempts and had a tough time keeping pace with a Fresno State offense that ranks as one of the worst in Division I basketball.
Even with the first-half setbacks, Utah State rallied in the second half to control a near double-digit lead for the duration. But even with Fresno State in foul trouble and two players fouling out, the Bulldogs battled back and tied the game up to send it to overtime.
The extra period was too much for Fresno State, though, and Utah State pulled away for an 87-75 win, with the Bulldogs only scoring 5 points in overtime.
The Aggies (27-5, 15-4 MW) advance to the semifinal round of the Mountain West Tournament Friday (7:30 p.m. MDT), where they will take on the winner of fourth-seeded UNLV or fifth-seeded San Diego State (Thurs., 3:30 p.m. MDT).
"I thought it was a great college basketball game," Utah State head coach Danny Sprinkle said. "We knew Fresno State was going to come and compete. ... We knew it was gonna come down to the last few minutes of the game, and just like it did at their place. But I felt like our aggressiveness, especially in the second half, was much better."
Early troubles plagued the Aggies when guard Ian Martinez picked up two fouls and was forced to sit much of the first half two minutes into the game. Over that same stretch, Isaac Johnson picked up an early dead ball technical foul, and then a second foul a minute later to send him to the bench for the duration of the half.
Though only recording three minutes in the first half, Johnson took advantage of his playing time in the second half and ended Utah State's scoring drought from behind the arc to give the Aggies their first 3-pointer of the game. He followed it up with another 3-pointer minutes later to help the Aggies to a game-high 9-point lead over the Bulldogs (12-21, 4-15 MW).
Johnson finished with only 8 points and three rebounds, but his presence on the court helped changed the dynamics for the offense.
In Johnson's absence in the first half, Osobor kept the Aggies in the game with a 16-point, seven-rebound first-half performance in a full 20 minutes of action. Osobor, who played 44 of the game's 45 minutes, finished with 29 points, 17 rebounds and four assists in the win.
"I feel like we've been preparing for this all year," Osobor said. "During the summer we practiced really hard. I don't know if a lot of teams do that, but I do know that coach Sprinkle's teams are going to practice hard in the summer. I think that prepares you for March in close games when you need to be out there; we're ready."
Darius Brown II, who played the full 45 minutes, finished with 17 points, including three made 3-pointers, 11 assists and four rebounds.
"That's what players do; they don't want to come out of the game," Sprinkle said of the extended playing time. "We have media timeouts, we have plenty of timeouts. These guys have been playing a lot of minutes all year, and they're accustomed to it. But you can see when they come out of the game, they're pissed at me, and that's what I want. But we've got to have them on the floor."
Javon Jackson, who Sprinkle said "we don't even come close to winning that game without Javon," added 16 points and five rebounds, including several game-changing 3-pointers.
Utah State was without the service of Mason Falslev Thursday afternoon due to injury. Sprinkle said Falslev felt he couldn't go and remains questionable for Friday's semifinal.
"Proud of our guys," Sprinkle said. "When we had to get it done, just like we've found a way all year, they keep finding ways to get it done."
After the game, Fresno State head coach Justin Hutson announced his departure from the program.
"I've coached my last game here at Fresno State," Hutson said. "I've talked to the administration, it's a mutual decision. My contract is up in April. I want to express gratitude to them, the previous administration, to the community. It's the right time."
Hutson, though, said he was grateful for the opportunity to coach his team one last time.
"Just a lot of gratitude to our guys," he said. "That was a heck of a ride. It was a close game, we had a shot. We gave ourselves a chance and moved forward. Danny did a great job, his staff did a great job. They've got a good team. Wish them well and move forward."
