Utah State Aggies Edge Out UNLV Runnin' Rebels in Nail-Biter at Thomas & Mack
The Utah State Aggies, ranked 20th, narrowly defeated the UNLV Runnin' Rebels with a final score of 87-86. The Aggies now hold an impressive record, while the Runnin' Rebels are left to reflect on what might have been. The game was held at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas and witnessed by 5,992 spectators.
The first half saw the Utah State Aggies put up a solid 40 points against the Runnin' Rebels’ 47. However, it was in the second half that the Aggies truly shone by adding another 47 points to their tally while holding their opponents to just 39. This comeback was fueled by an exceptional shooting performance from both inside and beyond the arc; Utah State finished with a field goal percentage of 48 and an impressive three-point shooting percentage of also 48.
Utah State's offense was facilitated through teamwork which resulted in them dishing out a total of 17 assists. Their defense wasn't far behind either, as they managed to block three shots and steal possession five times over the course of play. The team's rebounding efforts were commendable as well, grabbing a total of 36 rebounds—24 defensive and nine offensive—contributing significantly to their victory.
A standout statistic for Utah State was their free throw accuracy; they made an astounding 92 percent from the line on account of sinking 23 out of their attempted free throws. Points in paint were also high for both teams with each scoring an equal amount at thirty-four.
On the other side, despite falling short by one point, UNLV showcased some strong aspects within their game plan as well. They had seven steals which is indicative of active hands on defense and managed to convert these into sixteen points off turnovers compared to nine by Utah State. Their two-point field goal percentage stood higher than that of Utah State’s at fifty-four percent but struggled from long range making only twenty-nine percent from three-point territory.
As fans look forward to future games, they will find that next up for Utah State is a challenging away game against New Mexico Lobos scheduled for January sixteenth at eight-thirty PM Mountain Time at The Pit in Albuquerque. Followers can catch this anticipated matchup live on Fox Sports one channel two hundred nineteen.