- Utah State's 8-game win streak ended with an 80-77 loss to Nevada.
- Nevada's late 6-0 run tied the game, securing victory in Reno.
- USU Coach Calhoun emphasized staying united for a conference championship push.
A wild day in the Mountain West Conference concluded Saturday night at Lawlor Events Center in Reno with first-place Utah State losing for the first time in a month.
The Aggies had a chance to put some distance between themselves and the rest of the league, but Nevada had something to say about that. The Wolf Pack used a 6-0 run to tie the game with less than three minutes to play and was able to make enough plays down the stretch to beat the USU men's basketball team, 80-77, in front of 11,057 fans.
The loss ended an eight-game winning streak by the Aggies (23-4, 13-3 MW) and prevented them from taking a two-game lead over San Diego State, who lost at Colorado State on Saturday.
"We've got a one-game lead with four to go and still trying to win a conference championship and get to the NCAA Tournament," USU head coach Jerrod Calhoun said. "There is a lot at stake. We can't get discombobulated and stay together down the stretch. … The real message is we need to stick together and better outcomes will come."
The Aggies led for more than 30 minutes in the contest. However, the Wolf Pack (18-9, 10-6) was in front when it counted most.
"There were a lot of fouls, just no rhythm to the game," Calhoun said. "We were constantly juggling (the lineup) with (Zach) Keller, KT (Karson Templin), just one of those very frustrating games. We had no rhythm as far as our rotations. We had to play small and had guys that weren't used to do that for long periods of time."
USU was called for 23 fouls, while Nevada had 15 fouls. The Wolf Pack was 20 of 27 from the free throw line, while the Aggies were 12 of 19.
USU built its largest lead of the game on a pair of free throws by Templin, 68-60, with 7:06 to play. But like they did all game, the Wolf Pack responded.
Nevada scored six straight points to know the game up at 71-71 at the 2:58 mark. Aggie guard Mason Falslev was able to stop the bleeding momentarily with a bucket in heavy traffic, ending a scoring drought of more than three minutes for USU.
A 3-pointer by Corey Camper Jr. put the hosts in front, where they would stay the rest of the way. Falslev did make it interesting by knocking down a trey with 17 seconds left to bring the Aggies within a point, and USU got two shots from long range over the final six seconds, but both attempts by MJ Collins Jr. were off the mark.
"When you miss shots, you guys (media) are going to form your opinions," Calhoun said. "I thought we got really good shots. We got plenty of clean looks. We missed a lot of step in threes. I thought we had plenty of looks."
The Aggies also saw a bucket wiped off the board when a timeout was called right as Kolby King drove for a layup, that would have tied the game at 76 with 37 seconds to play.
"The bottom line is, it's not about a timeout or one possession, it's the overall body of work," Calhoun said. "Who knows what could have happened if we hadn't called a timeout. … Should a, could a, would of in that case."
Over the final four-and-a-half minutes of the game, Nevada outscored USU, 15-6.
On the night before becoming a father, Aggie point guard Drake Allen tried to will USU to the win with a season-high 17 points, making a career-high five 3-pointers. He also dished out four assists and came up with five steals.
"I'm really proud of Drake," Calhoun said. "I thought he really led us offensively; he was terrific. Some other guys, it just wasn't their night. I thought he really stepped up. He wanted the ball. … We want to get him home so he and his wife can have their baby."
Joining Allen in double-digit scoring was Kolby King with 16 points off the bench, Templin also came off the bench to net 11, and Falslev finished with 10. Falslev had a season-high six assists, while King led USU in rebounding with six.
For only the second time this season, Collins didn't reach double figures in scoring. He had nine.
Camper continued to have the hot hand of late for the Wolf Pack, finishing with a game-best 20 points. He has been averaging more than 20 points over the last six games. Elijah Price had a double-double with 12 rebounds and 10 points, while also blocking three shots.
After allowing a Nevada bucket to start the game, USU went on a 10-2 run to get in front as Keller had the first five Aggie points, but also got whistled for two fouls, which became an adventure the rest of the way.
Then the hosts started raining down shots from long range. They hit four treys and got a foul call beyond the arc as Price knocked down three free throws. Kaleb Lowery drilled a 3-pointer to give Nevada its largest lead of the first half, 26-21, with 7:41 left before halftime.
Despite having two fouls, Collins came back in and drilled back-to-back 3-pointers off of passes from Falslev. Allen capped a 8-0 run with a steal and dunk, giving the visitors a 29-26 lead with 5:49 left before the break.
King scored eight straight points for the Aggies, including a pair of treys as USU built its lead back to six with two minutes left in the first half.
Once again the Wolf Pack came back firing in threes. A Templin dunk gave the Aggies a 40-38 lead going into the locker room.
Both teams shot it well from long range over the first 20 minutes. USU hit 9 of 17, while Nevada made 7 of 12.
The first four field goals of the second half by the Aggies came from beyond the arc. Allen hit back-to-back treys to give USU a 52-45 lead with 16:47 to play.
However, shots from long range dried up.
"They (Wolf Pack) they did a good job taking them away," Calhoun said of fewer 3-pointers down the stretch. "They did a good job running us off the line. I still thought we go some looks, but they made the plays in the second half."
The Wolf Pack got within four on four occasions before putting the game-deciding run together get in front for good.
"The bottom line is, we've got to guard better and run better offense," Calhoun said. "It wasn't just one side of the ball. We've got to be better. You have to credit Nevada and (head coach) Steve Alford. I thought it was their best atmosphere they've had here all year."
