New Headline: "Utah State Sweeps SDSU with Sweet Final Against Top Seed!
Utah State Adlan Elamin (35) celebrates a call from an official while San Diego State BJ Davis reacts in the background during final Mountain West Championship tournament game between San Diego State and Utah State on Saturday, March 14, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nev. LAS VEGAS -- Greener pastures undoubtedly lay ahead for San Diego State when it enters the new look Pac 12 next season, but that doesn’t make the program’s Mountain West exit any less bittersweet. The Aztecs’ storied 27-season run in the conference officially came to an end on Saturday with a 73-62 loss to No.
1 seed Utah State in the conference championship game, closing an unparalleled era of dominance that included seven tournament championships and 17 championship game appearances since the 1999-00 season. Much of the game was exactly what you would have expected the final Mountain West championship as we know it to be, a competitive and hotly contested back and forth in the powder keg that is a neutral Thomas & Mack Center. However, the closing minutes showed why Utah State has widely been considered the conference’s only “safe” NCAA Tournament team to be throughout the season.
Garry Clark (11) and Mason Falslev (12) share a moment of embrace during Utah State's 73-62 win over San Diego State in the Mountain West Championship Game on Saturday, March 14, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nev. Kalin Sipes - The Sporting Tribune Garry Clark (11) and Mason Falslev (12) share a moment of embrace after Utah State's 73-62 win over San Diego State in the Mountain West Championship Game on Saturday, March 14, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nev. Leading 55-52 with just over five minutes remaining, tournament MVP MJ Collins buried 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to stretch Utah State’s lead 61-54.
The latter 3-pointer was accompanied by an off-ball foul on Aggie forward Zach Keller against Reese Dixon-Waters while Utah State was in the bonus, sending Keller to the line where he would make both free throws that extended the lead to 63-54 and would ultimately serve as the championship dagger. “I lost MJ Collins going on the baseline and just happened to run into a screener,” Dixon-Waters said. “I tried to cheat it, something I shouldn't have done, and whatever happened happened.
” Collins finished with 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting, making 4-of-10 attempts from 3-point range. Mountain West Player of the Year Mason Falslev added 16 points for Utah State but was hobbled in the first half with a lower leg injury and was clearly less than 100 percent from that point in the game on. Dixon-Waters led San Diego State with 20 points, rebounding from his poor offensive performance in the semifinals on Saturday with an 8-of-12 afternoon from the field (2-of-3 from beyond the arc).
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