Las Vegas, NV—-No. 20 Utah State won their 15th consecutive game, the longest active winning streak in the nation, by beating UNLV 87-86 in a hard-fought match on Saturday afternoon in Las Vegas. With 8.4 seconds left on the clock, Great Osobor made two free throws to complete a five-point play, allowing Utah State to clinch the victory over UNLV.
UNLV’s Luis Rodriguez made two free throws for an 86-82 lead with 14.3 seconds remaining. But Darius Brown II made a 3-pointer with 8.4 seconds left and UNLV’s Kalib Boone was called for a foul away from the ball. Osobor was sent to the line for a potential five-point play, which gave the Aggies their first lead of the game. Osobor made both foul shots, and Dedan Thomas Jr. missed a jumper at the buzzer.
Rodriguez led UNLV (8-7, 1-2) with 23 points and nine rebounds, and Boone scored 18 points. UNLV took the lead right from the start and was ahead by as much as 58-45 early in the second half. However, the Aggies didn’t give up and went on a 10-2 run, reducing the gap to 64-61 midway through the half and setting the stage for a tense finish. Brown made a 3-pointer and Mason Falslev a layup to bring Utah State to within 83-82 with 31 seconds left. UNLV’s Thomas made one of two free throws with 27 seconds remaining to extend the lead to two points. That lead became four points with 14.3 seconds left, and the game seemed to be all but over.
Great Osobor, who typically averages 18.6 points and 9.4 rebounds, was held to only four points and two rebounds in the first half. However, he responded in the final 20 minutes scored 20 points, and grabbed 12 rebounds, which gave the Aggies a chance to win in the end through his two free throws. The Rebels could have walked out of their arena with their second victory over a ranked opponent.
They had previously routed then-No. 8 Creighton 79-64 on Dec. 13 and had entered Saturday’s game with four victories in five games. No. 20 Utah State clinched a hard-fought 87-86 victory over host UNLV on Saturday afternoon in Las Vegas, extending the nation’s best winning streak to 15 – the longest active one in the nation. Great Osobor secured the win by making two free throws with 8.4 seconds left to complete a five-point play.
UNLV took the lead right away, going ahead by as much as 58-45 early in the second half; however, the Aggies didn’t give up. They went on a 10-2 run to get to within 64-61 midway through the half and set the stage for a tense finish. Brown made a 3-pointer, and Mason Falslev made a layup to bring Utah State to within 83-82 with 31 seconds left. UNLV’s Thomas made one of two free throws with 27 seconds remaining to extend the lead to two points. That lead became four points with 14.3 seconds left, the game seemingly all but over.
UP NEXT:
Utah State: At New Mexico on Tuesday.
UNLV: At Boise State on Tuesday
