SAN DIEGO — MJ Collins Jr. scored nine of his 20 points in the final four minutes as No. 9 seed Utah State topped eighth-seeded Villanova, 86-76, in the second of Friday’s West Region first-round matchups in San Diego.
Utah State (29-6) capped a crucial, 9-0 run late in the second half when Mason Falslev snapped one of his four assists to an open Collins, free after diving to the rim on a well-executed back-cut.
Collins’ ensuing basket opened up a seven-point Aggies lead, which Utah State extended on a stop-and-pop Falslev jumper. Collins added the exclamation point, intercepting a Bryce Lindsey pass on the way to a rim-shaking dunk.
Collins provided the pivotal play in Utah State’s run minutes earlier, scoring at the rim against contact off of a whirling spin move. The converted and-one opportunity electrified the Aggies fans who filled a portion of the lower bowl at the home arena of their Mountain West Conference rival, San Diego State.
Collins and backcourt mate Falslev combined to score nearly half of Utah State’s points. Falslev led the team with 22 points on 9-of-16 shooting from the floor and also grabbed seven rebounds to tie the team high with Adlan Elamin.
Villanova (24-9) spent much of the afternoon riding Lindsey’s hot shooting, as he went 6-of-11 from 3-point range on his way to a game-high 25 points. Lindsey drained his last triple with 6:04 remaining, giving the Wildcats a 73-71 lead.
It was the last time Villanova held the advantage in a game with 12 lead changes.
The Wildcats rallied from a sluggish start, falling behind by nine points midway through the first half. Duke Brennan, who finished with 15 points and a game-high eight rebounds, helped Villanova overcome the initial deficit and take a two-point lead into halftime.
The Wildcats threatened to run away coming out of halftime, jumping to a 10-point lead with an 11-3 run out of intermission. The edge was fleeting, as Utah State forced a tie less than three minutes later.
The win sends the Aggies into Sunday’s second round to meet top-seeded Arizona. The Wildcats cruised past Long Island 92-58 in Friday’s opening contest.
