Queta, Merrill Lead Utah State To Big Win Over St. Mary’s In Las Vegas
Nov 19, 2018, 8:24 PM | Updated: Nov 20, 2018, 9:27 am
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – The Utah State Aggies picked up a big win in Las Vegas as they knocked off St. Mary’s 80-63 in the MGM Resorts Main Event semifinals.
Neemias Queta led the way with 24 points, 9 rebounds and 5 blocks and Sam Merrill chipped in 23 points as the duo accounted for over half of the Aggies 78 points.
Utah State started strong offensively just like the other four games this season. They dropped 41 points on the Gaels and held them to just 29 points in the first half.
The second half was just as strong of a start as they jumped out to a 14-4 run in the first 4:07 of the second half. St. Mary’s didn’t score a field goal for almost ten minutes in the second half.
St. Mary’s whittled away a 24 point deficit as they went on a 13-3 run to trim the lead to 14 with 6 minutes left in the game.
The Aggies made some impressive shots by Merrill, Queta and Brock Miller down the stretch to pull out the win.
Utah State played very well defensively as they held the Gaels to just 29 percent shooting from the field and 25 percent from downtown.
Head coach Craig Smith was very pleased with his team’s effort on the defensive end.
“This team is really gritty defensively. This week now, that was our third game in six days. We held a team to 30.9 percent and then you hold a Saint Mary’s team to 29 percent. The guys have really bought into the defensive end of the floor, and that’s why we’re having success,” Smith added.
The Aggies improved to 5-0 on the season and will advance to the finals of the MGM Resorts Main Event. They will face Arizona State on Wednesday at 9 p.m. on ESPNU.
